Two and a half years ago, Gavin Newsom put his foot in his mouth.

On Sunday, California’s governor hit it out, saying that anyone elected to fill a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate would be a placeholder until voters have their say in 2024.

“Interim appointment,” Newsom said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” also reiterating his plan to appoint a Black woman should an opening arise. “I don’t want to get involved in the primaries.”

There are of course no vacancies at the moment. But speculation is quickly swirling, given the fragile mental and physical state of 90-year-old California Senator Dianne Feinstein.

That’s where race, politics and changing circumstances come together.

But first let’s take a step back in time.

In March 2021, Newsom faced the growing threat of a recall election. The attempt would clearly fail, but the result was still many months away.

The governor needed all the political help he could muster and was in danger of losing support among black voters, a key Democratic constituency. Some were angry that Newsom picked Alex Padilla, a Latino and California’s secretary of state, to replace Kamala Harris when she left the Senate to become vice president.

As a result, the Senate no longer had a single black woman among its hundred members.

A real blow to the African-American community, to African-American women, to women in general, said San Francisco Mayor London Breed, named Padilla after Newsom.

And so, when the governor appeared on MSNBC months later and was asked by host Joy Reid whether he would “restore” Harris’ seat by appointing a Black woman, Newsom jumped at the question.

We have several names in mind,” he said, “and the answer is yes.

There was good reason for Newsom to weigh race and gender when filling a theoretically vacant seat. Only two black women have served in the entire history of the Senate, which, to put it bluntly, is completely unrepresentative and a shame.

But Newsom’s promise seemed less haughty and noble than impulsive and calculated.

It reassured some Newsom critics. And while it’s impossible to draw a direct correlation, the governor’s action certainly didn’t hurt him with black voters. More than eight in 10 voted against his recall in September 2021, significantly more than white, Latino and Asian American voters.

But like many opportunistic acts, Newsom’s promise proved less salutary and more like a set of handcuffs over time.

Feinstein is still in office, much to the dismay of some, especially those on the left who never appreciated her more centrist leanings.

In fact, there is now a fiercely competitive primary race to replace her.

“It would be completely unfair to the Democrats who have gone out of their way” to put the proverbial thumb on the scale by choosing one of their own to fill Feinstein’s term, Newsom said Sunday. (Bowing to political and physical realities, Feinstein wisely chose not to run again in 2024.)

“Those primaries are only a matter of months away,” Newsom said. “I don’t want to tip the balance.”

He’s absolutely right.

One appointment to the Senate, as Newsom acknowledged, is enough. There are more than 20 million Californians registered to vote. Let them decide who they want as their voice in the Senate.

It’s not racist or sexist to suggest that.

But Rep. Barbara Lee, one of those competing most vigorously to replace Feinstein and the only prominent Black woman to run for office, issued a statement condemning Newsom’s comments.

The idea that a Black woman should be appointed as a caregiver simply to check a box is insulting to countless Black women across the country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election, the Oakland Democrat said.

Black women deserve more than a participation trophy. “We need a place at the table.”

Lee is also right to suggest that California’s next senator should not be given this position just because he shows up.

A candidate may also not gain an unfair advantage by running as an incumbent candidate.

There is reason to doubt Lee

will prevail in the Senate race

.

Perhaps that is why her supporters have pushed for her appointment if a vacancy arises.

Lee is politically far to the left of many Californians and her age, 77, should be taken into account given Feinstein’s deteriorating performance.

It’s not age appropriate to suggest as much. By the time Lee gained significant influence in the seniority-based Senate, she would be well into her eighties.

That said, there is still plenty of opportunity before the March primary for Lee to make her case to voters.

If Feinstein were to suddenly leave, there are plenty of qualified black women in politics, government, academia or philanthropy who could serve California well on an interim basis.

When

Newsom making his promise to choose a black woman to replace Feinstein made sense to a certain extent.

No longer.

Politicians are often criticized for not keeping their promises or going back on their word. Newsom didn’t exactly retract his promise. He simply adapted it to reflect the changing circumstances.

It was the right thing to do.