Feinstein was one of the chamber's few remaining veterans of the so-called Year of the Woman, and was the longest-serving woman in Senate history.
Feinstein was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state -- including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control -- but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.
Feinstein was one of the Senate's few remaining veterans of the so-called Year of the Woman, referring to several women who were elected to the male-dominated chamber during the 1992 election. But even before she moved to Washington, Feinstein was one of the most prominent women in American politics. A fierce debater who did not suffer fools, the California senator was long known for her verbal zingers and sharp comebacks when challenged on the issues about which she was most fervent. But she lost that edge in her later years in the Senate, as her health visibly declined and she often became confused when answering questions or speaking publicly. In February 2023, she said she would not run for a sixth term the next year. And within weeks of that announcement, she was absent for the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a bout of shingles. Amid the concerns about her health, Feinstein stepped down as the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel after the 2020 elections, just as her party was about to take the majority. In 2023, she said she would not serve as the Senate president pro tempore, or the most senior member of the majority party, even though she was in line to do so. The president pro tempore opens the Senate every day and holds other ceremonial duties. Feinstein's death leaves a hole in the Senate that will be eventually filled by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. But in the meantime, it leaves the Senate without a Democratic senator with a narrowly divided Congress days before a federal government shutdown. Feinstein was born in 1933, and spent decades in California politics before winning a special election in 1992 to become a U.S. Senator. Since 1993, she had been the state's senior senator, serving six terms. In recent months, questions were raised by constituents and members of the press about her health and mental capacity to serve in the Senate. Earlier this year, she was absent for more than two months because of an illness, stalling the Senate's confirmation of several of President Joe Biden's nominees. Last month, her office confirmed that the senator had been hospitalized after a fall at her California home. Feinstein had already confirmed that she would not run for reelection in 2024, opening up her spot in the Senate for the first time in more than 20 years.
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