According to Dianne Feinstein’s office, she was admitted to the hospital with shingles. “I was diagnosed with shingles over the February recess.” “I have been admitted to the hospital and am currently receiving treatment in San Francisco,” said a statement from her office. Her office stated that she is expected to fully recover and return to the Senate in the latter part of the month.
Feinstein declared on February 14th that she would not seek re-election, having served for more than three decades. She is the oldest member of the U.S. Senate currently and was first elected in 1992 to represent California in that body.
She was criticized by her party members for remaining in her office at 89 years old despite her advanced age. Some claimed she had diminished mental ability.
An anonymous staffer told the San Francisco Chronicle that “there’s a joke at the Hill, we have a great junior senator Alex Padilla as well as an experienced staff member in Feinstein’s office,” in April.
Anonymous reports claimed that Feinstein did not remember long-time friends or colleagues at times while serving in Congress.
After Democratic Representative Katie Porter (also from California) announced her candidacy for Feinstein’s Senate seat, the controversy quickly grew. This was before she had publicly stated whether she would seek re-election or retire. While many Democrats criticized Porter’s inertia, others encouraged Feinstein to retire.
Representative Adam Schiff (D. Calif.), criticized Porter’s announcement of her candidacy during a California natural disaster, but then announced his own campaign to fill Feinstein’s seat in the Senate. This election will be held in conjunction with the 2024 presidential elections.
More information about Feinstein’s retirement is available here: