Feinstein: gubernatorial wild card?

08 February 2010 |permalink | email article

The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that in a gathering of young Democrats on Saturday Jerry Brown still won’t call himself a candidate for governor, but that he’s sure talking like one.

Despite the probability that he will officially declare as early as Feb. 16 when filing begins Brown oddly told reporters on Saturday “the election is in November so I don’t want to jump the gun.”

With the hapless San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom dropping out last October the two-term former governor and current Democratic attorney general appears certain to have no opponent.

But The Wall Street Journal last week revived intermittent speculation that popular U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein may run, something she has openly considered. Democratic consultant Kam Kuwata, who ran Feinstein’s Senate campaigns, told the Journal she hadn’t made a decision about entering the race.

Last October the Field Poll indicated there was continuing speculation that Feinstein will become a candidate, “although she has not stated her intentions one way or the other.” Voter preferences then indicated in the 2010 governor’s race Feinstein was leading Brown 40% to 27%.

Analysts doubt she will run because of her Senate seniority and powerful committee assignments. But she has yet to officially silence the speculation for good.

Quotable

“None of those individuals raised any concerns with me at that point.” White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan revealed Sunday on NBC that he briefed four Republican congressional leaders on Christmas night about the arrest and subsequent handling of the suspect in an attempted sky bombing. Brennan’s comment underminds top GOP complaints about the reading of Miranda rights to the Nigerian suspect.

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