Progressives are urging the Indian American congressman to run: Politico.
With speculation swirling around the retirement of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s retirement, the race to succeed the 89-year-old Democrat seems to have well and truly begun.
Politico reported Sunday that one of the candidates likely to throw his hat in the ring is Rep. Ro Khanna, who currently represents the state’s 17th district.
“Reps. Ro Khanna and Katie Porter are fielding entreaties to jump into the race, and Rep. Adam Schiff has publicly declared he is exploring a run,” according to the news outlet. “Rep. Barbara Lee is spending the holidays mulling her next move.”
Politico said three “hopefuls have contacted former Sen. Barbara Boxer to seek her advice, marking the incipient stages of a fierce fight between California Democrats” for the seat held by Feinstein since 1992.
Khanna, who co-chaired the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, is reportedly being pressed to run by progressives. “Khanna is beloved by progressives and could divert rivers of money from his affluent Silicon Valley district,” Politico wrote.
Rumors about Khanna’s potential Senate run has been circulating for a while.
When he was asked about his Senate aspirations, the Indian American congressman told DesiMax’s Aziz Haniffa, “Right now I’m laser focused in terms of my re-election.”
He continued: “I have a platform that I would argue is as big as a senator’s. “Now do I take a look at some point on something else. Of course, every politician wants to have the biggest impact, but right now for the next few years I’m very focused on Congress.”
The congressman was reelected in November and is now serving his fourth term.
Feinstein has not announced her intention to retire, but it is widely believed that she will not seek reelection when her term ends in 2024.
In 2018, when the senator was seeking her fifth reelection, Khanna had hinted that Feinstein should retire, as Californians were looking for fresh ideas and change in leadership.
“They [voters] are frustrated that the turnover rate in Congress is lower than contemporary European monarchies. They believe public service should be a calling, not an entitlement for life,” he wrote in an oped published in The Sacramento Bee.