House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a weekly news conference with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) on October 2, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Tom Brenner | Getty Images
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed fellow California Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff on Thursday within the already competitive 2024 U.S. Senate race for the seat currently held by Dianne Feinstein.
But Pelosi said the endorsement applies provided that Feinstein, who at 89 is the oldest sitting senator, decides not to hunt reelection.
If Feinstein does run for an additional term, then “she has my whole-hearted support,” said the 82-year-old Pelosi, who in November stepped down because the long-serving House Democratic leader after Republicans won the chamber majority within the November midterm elections.
A spokesman for Feinstein’s office didn’t immediately reply to CNBC’s request for comment on Pelosi’s statement.
“If she decides to not run, I can be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a powerful Democracy and a powerful economy,” Pelosi said in an announcement released by Schiff’s Senate campaign Thursday morning.
“In his service within the House, he has focused on strengthening our Democracy with justice and on constructing an economy that works for all,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi said the 62-year-old Schiff, who first ran for Congress in 2000, has dedicated his life to public service. “Each time I even have asked Adam to tackle the tough fight against extremist forces, he has responded with integrity, strength and success,” she said.
The endorsement comes one week after Schiff, the previous chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, launched his bid for Feinstein’s coveted Senate seat. His announcement framed him as a fighter against Republicans and played up his one-time role as the highest impeachment manager in the primary Senate trial of former President Donald Trump. Pelosi had picked him for that role, which resulted in Trump’s acquittal by the GOP-led Senate.
“They are not going to stop. We’ve to stop them. That is why I’m running for the U.S. Senate,” Schiff said in a campaign-launch video.
Feinstein, meanwhile, has not yet said whether she’s going to run again or retire at the tip of her term. Her Senate campaign raised little money in the ultimate months of last 12 months, recent campaign filings show, a signal to some that she will not be preparing for an additional run.
Schiff was not the primary Democrat to leap into the race for Feinstein’s seat. Democratic Rep. Katie Porter announced Jan. 10 that she’s going to run for Senate in California, snagging the endorsement of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Pelosi’s announcement through Schiff’s campaign began with effusive praise for Feinstein and her lengthy profession in politics.
“Since her election to the Senate in 1992, Senator Feinstein has achieved a remarkable legislative record, at all times delivering for California and forcefully honoring her oath to guard and defend,” Pelosi said. She referenced Feinstein’s work on the 1994 assault weapons ban, in addition to on the Violence Against Women Act and the Respect for Marriage Act, amongst other highlights.
“America is at a crossroads. We will proceed to lift our communities, strengthen our economy and defend our Democracy — or let Republicans roll back our progress, threaten our freedoms and provides tax breaks to the rich special interests,” Pelosi’s statement said. “In 2024, the fight for America’s future is on the ballot.”
