Now that Dianne Feinstein has passed, here’s something I’ve been thinking about for a couple months in case Feinstein passed before her term was up.
California governor Newsom has said if Feinstein passed before her term was up, instead of meddling in the upcoming democratic primary he would appoint an interim senator who did not want the job permanently — which is a smart idea.
Newsom has also said he would appoint a black woman to fill the temporary role (which would be sort-of a replacement for Harris a few years ago). While the sentiment is admirable, I’m not sure why it’s terribly important, since it would just be an interim replacement for a short while.
I’ve got a better idea, and one I think would be really popular: Ask Mark Hamill if he wants the job!
Hamill is a very reliable democrat, and he lives in California. You can look over his tweets for an idea. I have no idea if Hamill would want the job, but maybe Newsom could convince him to do it, perhaps pointing out he could make it an interesting life experience. It might be worth a try.
But most of all, I think it would be a very popular move. Who would not want Luke Skywalker as their senator?!? :D