'90-year-old incumbent' US Senator Feinstein passes away

Longest-Serving Female Senator... 31 Years in Office
Dies During Term... 'Aging Politician Controversy' Likely to Intensify

Diane Feinstein, the oldest U.S. Senator from California and a Democrat, passed away at the age of 90.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 29th (local time), Feinstein's office announced that she died the previous night at her home in Washington D.C. The exact cause of death has not been disclosed, but The New York Times reported that she suffered complications such as encephalitis over the past few months after contracting shingles.

Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of the U.S. Senate, passed away on the 28th (local time) at the age of 90. The photo shows Feinstein attending the Senate Judiciary Committee in May.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Feinstein served as acting mayor of San Francisco in 1978 and was elected as the city's first female mayor the following year. First elected to the Senate in 1992, she served six terms over 31 years, continuously breaking the "glass ceiling" and making new history. She was the first female chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the first female Democratic whip on the Judiciary Committee, and last year set the record as the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history.

During her lifetime, she actively advocated for environmental protection, reproductive rights, and gun control, issues highly valued by the American progressive camp. Notably, after serving as acting mayor following the assassination of the sitting mayor by gun violence, she drafted and passed a bill in 1994 banning the manufacture and sale of assault weapons.

President Joe Biden, who had been a Senate colleague of the late senator for over 15 years, honored her in a statement the day after her obituary, saying, "Diane was a pioneering American and a true trailblazer, and a dear friend to Jill and me." He added, "She was a role model to many Americans and had a profound impact on women leaders. She left a legacy in all areas including security, environment, and civil liberties protection. She was strong, sharp, always prepared, never backing down from a fight, yet a kind and loyal friend."

Meanwhile, with Feinstein, the oldest sitting senator, passing away while still in office, debates over the ability of elderly politicians to perform their duties are expected to intensify.

Although she won her sixth term in 2018, her health declined afterward, placing her alongside President Biden (80) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (81) as prominent elderly politicians and at the center of controversy. Due to health issues, she had not attended Senate sessions for over two months since the end of last year, and in February, she announced she would not run in the next Senate election and planned to retire in 2025.