Rep. Adam Schiff is quietly pushing for Gavin Newsom and his allies to appoint him, according to California’s next attorney general.
Why it matters: If Newsom chooses Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a confidant of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats will lose a powerful vote of the party in the U.S. House and temporarily relinquish a seat in their slim majority 221-211.
- Nevertheless, Pelosi gave her approval to Schiff’s bid, a clear sign that she thinks she can do without him. according to people familiar with the matter. Spokesmen for Schiff and Pelosi declined to comment.
- The Attorney General’s job would also better position Schiff, a sincere Democrat who led the Russian investigation into then-President Trump, to elect him to the seat of Senator Dianne Feinstein, should the 87-year-old decide not to run for office. 2024 to be re-elected.
- The post of the AG is vacated by Xavier Becerra, who nominated President Biden to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The big picture: While Schiff represents the 28th district in California, a safe seat for Democrats, it will take about six months before a special election elects his successor.
- In terms of section 1, section 2 of the Constitution, vacancies for houses are not filled only by election by appointment – as in the Senate.
Drive the news: After Becerra is confirmed, Newsom has the authority to nominate his replacement as Attorney General.
- This would be the third sensational appointment for Newsom, who has appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace Kamala Harris in the Senate, making him the state’s first Spanish U.S. senator.
- Newsom then fills Padilla’s job with Shirley Weber, making her the state’s first black secretary of state.
The plot: Newsom, whose approval rating has dropped to 31% in the wake of a repeal attempt, has not publicly indicated who he tends to vote for the attorney general, but lobbying campaigns across the state are heating up.
- Other potential candidates are Rob Bonta, a member of the state House of Representatives, and Rick Chavez Zbur, director of Equality California, an LGBTQ advocacy group, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
- “It’s pretty clear that there are advocates for their favorites,” said Bill Carrick, a California political strategist. “But it is not clear that it will have any bearing on the person who will make the decision: Gavin Newsom’s government.”