Gov. Gavin Newsom spent the past few days, as you might expect, mourning his “dear friend” Sen. Dianne Feinstein as “a lifelong mentor and a role model not only for me, but for my wife and daughters.”

But sooner or later he will have to re-emerge and deal with the political mess he has made for himself, and when he does, there will be a lot of unhappy black people waiting for him.

Newsom is under the delusion that there is a seat

e

A powerful pool of powerful black women in California eager to put aside their own political ambitions and break the ranks of sisterhood to accept his offer to serve as an interim appointment to the Senate. This caretaker would agree to merely complete Feinstein’s term and not run for office again, making it harder to ensure there is a Black woman in the upper chamber at all.

Who wouldn’t want that?

In fact, the idea of ​​being a black woman seems to be some kind of mass delusion.

After Feinstein’s unexpected death in Washington, just hours after no one knew it would be the last vote of her groundbreaking career, everyone now wants to know: Who will elect Newsom?

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber perhaps? Mayor London Breed of San Francisco?

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass or LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell?

Representative Sydney Kamlager

(D-Los Angeles)

representative Maxine Waters

(D-Los Angeles)

or State Comptroller Malia Cohen?

Why the governor seems to believe that any of these black women or the others on his short list, who I can only assume are equally good, would settle for a lame duck in the Senate, I have no idea. But this is essentially what he told Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in early September.

I don’t want to get involved in the [March]

primary,” Newsom said, referring to the race to succeed Feinstein after she announced she would not run

–

election.

Representatives Katie Porter

(D-Irvine)

and Adam

b.

Ship

(D-Burbank)

have kept the polls well ahead of Barbara Lee

(D-Oakland)

, the only black woman running. That’s why it would be “completely unfair” to give her the appointment and the benefit of the incumbency. Or so the story goes.

A recent UC Berkeley poll found that 51% of Californians think Newsom should appoint someone willing to run in 2024. Only 25% said he should

go for one

opt for an interim appointment.

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

It was an unexpected side note to the promise he made to MSNBC host Joy Reid in March 2021, when he was asked whether he would choose a Black woman to replace Feinstein if she were to resign.

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

This, of course, was at a time when the wrath of a national coalition of black politicians, lobbyists, activists and academics was still fresh in his mind.

In late 2020, they spent months flattering and outright demanding the governor

him too

retaining the seat by appointing another black woman to the Senate to replace Kamala Harris, who was appointed vice president. The coalition wanted Lee or then-Rep. Bass.

Instead, Newsom appointed Alex Padilla as California’s Latino American senator.

Since then, many in the sisterhood, not to mention the brotherhood, have harbored something of a growing grudge against Newsom. This is true even though Newsom appointed Weber to replace Padilla in a move that many viewed as a consolation prize.

The bottom line is that the Senate still doesn’t have a single Black woman as a member, even though we are the most loyal voting bloc

k

in the Democratic Party.

This is our seat, Weber told me in 2020, lamenting how difficult and expensive it is for Black women to win statewide positions. We fought to get the seat, and there was a reason why we fought for the seat. And we don’t have to justify that.

Three years later, and it appears Newsom has fooled himself into believing that the powerful black women in his midst who wanted that seat will once again receive a consolation prize. And that it won’t affect him unless he runs for president and needs the support of black voters in other states.

Breed spoke about this on CNN on Friday evening.

‘Whoever he points to

“I know the governor has made a commitment to appoint an African American woman to fill that role. I hope that person decides to run for office.” I don’t support the idea of ​​a caregiver. I do think we need someone in that role who understands what it means to be courageous, similar to Dianne Feinstein.”

Similarly, Weber told the New York Times on Friday that she doubts she would want to serve in a time-limited role.

“I never take anything where I don’t think I can make a difference, and being a senator for a year probably meant I wasn’t able to accomplish much,” she said. I do know that all African American women in the state would like to have an African American senator, not just for a year but for a full term.

Waters similarly dismissed the idea Friday afternoon, telling my Times colleague Erin Logan that she had no interest in being a temporary successor to Feinstein.

“Absolutely not,” she said.

Or as Lee put it after Newsom’s appearance on “Meet the Press,” the idea that a Black woman should be appointed as a caregiver simply to check a box is an insult to countless Black women in this country who bring the Democratic Party to brought victory. election after election.

So for now, much to Newsom’s chagrin, many of the black women he might ask to be caregivers are in line behind Lee.

Breed: “I think Barbara Lee is an extraordinary member of Congress, and she knows what it means to be courageous. I am a huge supporter of her and it is my hope to see her in the Senate.”

Waters said, “Not only has she been an excellent legislator, but she has also played a leadership role

in

inspiring other women to seek positions and assisting other women

and then be able to achieve their goals and objectives

.

..

You cannot find a more committed legislator

s and then

Barbara Lee.”

This sisterhood of support could crack if Newsom were to offer another Black woman more than an interim appointment. Some, including Bass, are adamant that they are not interested in the Senate, period. Others, including Breed, who is struggling to win

–

elections in San Francisco have been remarkably vague.

“That conversation can be saved for another day,” Breed said Friday when reporters asked about it.

Newsom could also have better luck finding a caregiver among Black women who are not in elected office, including rumored candidates Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of the nonprofit PolicyLink, Lateefah Simon, a Bay Area Rapid Transit board member, or Laphonza Butler, President of EMILY’s List.

Or maybe not.

All of these women, like those in elected office, know that anyone who agrees to be a temporary successor to Feinstein will essentially squander California’s best opportunity to have a Black woman as a permanent fixture in the Senate. Because, barring anything systemic, polls show Lee will likely lose to Schiff or Porter in the upcoming primaries.

They would sacrifice sisterhood to go along with what is essentially Newsom’s pitch: “Hey, you there, black woman. Can you keep this chair warm for a few months? Vote and do things in the Senate. You know, just until we get a white person to replace you?”

Is it unfair for Newsom to put his thumb on the scale for someone who would likely lose the primary just because he, in a half-baked political calculation, promised to appoint a black woman to the Senate?

Probably.

Will he take a political hit from Schiff, Porter and their respective backers if he appoints Lee?

Certainly.

Will black voters make him pay politically if he doesn’t appoint a black woman who has the freedom to run for Senate again?

Absolute.

But that’s why this is a mess largely of the governor’s own making.