Sen. Dianne Feinstein announces retirement at the end of her term

Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(Image credit: Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Tuesday announced she will not run for re-election in 2024, and will be retiring at the end of her current term. "I intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends," Feinstein said in a press release that highlighted her past accomplishments while promising to "still pass bills that will improve lives" with her remaining year in office.

Feinstein's announcement ends longtime speculation over whether the Senate's oldest current member would run for re-election, and comes amid reports of precipitous mental decline that has allegedly impacted her ability to legislate. While Feinstein and her backers have adamantly denied any cognitive issues, a number of high-profile California Democrats, including Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff, had nevertheless already launched their own campaigns for her still-occupied seat in recent weeks, preempting Tuesday's announcement on the presumption that she wouldn't run.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.