Dianne Feinstein

Dianne Feinstein

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Mayor of San Francisco

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U.S. Senate California

Successor: Laphonza Butler

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $68,446,578

Education

Bachelor's

Stanford University, 1955

Personal

Religion

Jewish

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Dianne Feinstein (Democratic Party) was a member of the U.S. Senate from California. She assumed office on November 4, 1992. She left office on September 29, 2023.

Feinstein (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent California. She won in the general election on November 6, 2018.

Feinstein completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.

Feinstein died on September 29, 2023.

On February 14, 2023, Feinstein announced she would not be running for re-election in 2024.

In 2013, Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (D) became the first women to serve as U.S. senators from California. Feinstein was also the first female member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Feinstein's areas of focus have included firearms legislation and environmental policy.

Feinstein began her political career in 1970, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors until 1978. She then served as mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988. Prior to her election to the Senate in 1992, she unsuccessfully ran for governor of California in 1990.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Feinstein's academic, professional, and political career:

• 1992-Present: U.S. Senator from California
• 1990: Unsuccessful candidate for Governor of California
• 1988-1989: Director, Bank of California
• 1978-1988: Mayor of San Francisco
• 1970-1978: San Francisco Board of Supervisors
• 1960-1966: California Women’s Board of Terms and Parole
• 1955: Graduated from Stanford University

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2023-2024

Feinstein was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Senate Committee on Appropriations
• Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
• Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Defense
• Energy and Water Development, Chairman
• Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
• Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Rules and Administration
• Committee on Intelligence (Select)
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
• Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights
• Human Rights and the Law
• Subcommittee on The Constitution, Chairman

2021-2022

Feinstein was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Intelligence (Select)
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety
• Subcommittee on The Constitution
• Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
• Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Chair
• Senate Committee on Appropriations
• Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
• Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
• Defense
• Energy and Water Development, Chair
• Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
• Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Rules and Administration

2019-2020

Feinstein was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Intelligence (Select)
• Committee on Rules and Administration
• Committee on the Judiciary, Ranking Member
• Senate Committee on Appropriations

2017-2018

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Feinstein was assigned to the following committees:

• United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
• Committee on Intelligence (Select)
• Committee on Appropriations
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Committee on Rules and Administration

2015-2016

Feinstein served on the following committees:

• Appropriations Committee
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Ranking Member
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Select Committee on Intelligence, Ranking Member
• Judiciary Committee
  • Subcommittee on Immigration and The National Interest
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
• Rules and Administration Committee

2013-2014

Feinstein served on the following committees:

• Intelligence, Chairman
• Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Department of Defense
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
• Judiciary Committee
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
• Rules and Administration

2011-2012

• Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Energy And Water Development, Chair
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
• Rules and Administration
• Intelligence, Chairman

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023

The 117th United States Congress began on January 3, 2021 and ended on January 3, 2023. At the start of the session, Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-213), and the U.S. Senate had a 50-50 makeup. Democrats assumed control of the Senate on January 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who acted as a tie-breaking vote in the chamber, assumed office. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021
Vote	Bill and description	Status
Yea	Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act   The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) was a federal infrastructure bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on November 15, 2021. Among other provisions, the bill provided funding for new infrastructure projects and reauthorizations, Amtrak maintenance and development, bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, and clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more.	Passed (69-30)
Yea	American Rescue Plan Act of 2021   The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 11, 2021, to provide economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key features of the bill included funding for a national vaccination program and response, funding to safely reopen schools, distribution of $1,400 per person in relief payments, and extended unemployment benefits. The bill required a 1/2 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more.	Passed (50-49)
Yea	Inflation Reduction Act of 2022   The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 16, 2022, to address climate change, healthcare costs, and tax enforcement. Key features of the bill included a $369 billion investment to address energy security and climate change, an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, allowing Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices, a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1% stock buyback fee, and enhanced Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement, and an estimated $300 billion deficit reduction from 2022-2031. The bill required a 1/2 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more.	Passed (51-50)
Yea	National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (S. 1605) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 27, 2021, authorizing Department of Defense acitivities and programs for fiscal year 2022. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (88-11)
Yea	James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023   The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (H.R. 7776) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2023. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (83-11)
Yea	Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022   The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (S. 3373) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 10, 2022, that sought to address healthcare access, the presumption of service-connection, and research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (86-11)
Yea	Chips and Science Act   The Chips and Science Act (H.R. 4346) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 9, 2022, which sought to fund domestic production of semiconductors and authorized various federal science agency programs and activities. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (64-33)
Not Voting	Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021   The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives. The bill proposed prohibiting governmental restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services and prohibiting governments from issuing some other abortion-related restrictions. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Failed (46-48)
Yea	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022   The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 2471) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 15, 2022, providing for the funding of federal agencies for the remainder of 2022, providing funding for activities related to Ukraine, and modifying or establishing various programs. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (68-31)
Yea	Respect for Marriage Act   The Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 13, 2022. The bill codified the recognition of marriages between individuals of the same sex and of different races, ethnicities, or national origins, and provided that the law would not impact religious liberty or conscience protections, or provide grounds to compel nonprofit religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more.	Passed (61-36)
Yea	Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023   The Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 6833) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2022. It provided for some fiscal year 2023 appropriations, supplemental funds for Ukraine, and extended several other programs and authorities. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (72-25)
Yea	COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act   The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (S. 937) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on May 20, 2021, that included provisions to designate an officer or employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate expedited review of hate crimes, required the DOJ to issue guidance to law enforcement agencies aimed to establish online hate crime reporting processes and to raise awareness about hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and established state grants to create hate crime reporting hotlines, among other related provisions. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (94-1)
Yea	Postal Service Reform Act of 2022   The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (H.R. 3076) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on April 6, 2022, that sought to address healthcare and retirement benefits for postal workers, allow USPS to provide certain nonpostal products and services, and expand service performance and budgetary reporting. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Passed (79-19)
Yea	Bipartisan Safer Communities Act   The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938) was a firearm regulation and mental health bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 25, 2022. Provisions of the bill included expanding background checks for individuals under the age of 21, providing funding for mental health services, preventing individuals who had been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor or felony in dating relationships from purchasing firearms for five years, providing funding for state grants to implement crisis intervention order programs, and providing funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more.	Passed (65-33)
Yea	Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act   The Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (H.R. 5305) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2021, that provided for continuing fiscal year 2022 appropriations to federal agencies through December 3, 2021, in order to prevent a government shutdown that would have otherwise occurred if fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills had not been passed by October 1, 2021. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate.	Passed (65-35)
Guilty	Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.   This was a resolution before the 117th Congress setting forth an article of impeachment saying that Donald Trump (R) incited an insurrection against the government of the United States on January 6, 2021. The House of Representatives approved the article of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of the charges. Conviction on the impeachment charges required a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more.	Not guilty (57-43)
Yea	Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022   The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022 (H.R. 350) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate in a failed cloture vote that sought to expand the availability and reporting of information about domestic terrorism, enhance the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) ability to prosecute domestic terrorism, among other things. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage.	Failed (47-47)
Yea	A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2022 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2023 through 2031.   This concurrent resolution (S.Con.Res. 14) was a budget resolution passed by the 117th Congress outlining the fiscal year 2022 federal government budget, setting forth budgetary levels for fiscal years 2023-2031, and providing reconciliation instructions for legislation that increased the deficit. It contained a proposed framework for the Build Back Better Act. The resolution required 1/2 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more.	Passed (50-49)
Yea	Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act   The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act was a federal elections bill approved by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate in a failed cloture vote that sought to, among other provisions, make Election Day a public holiday, allow for same-day voter registration, establish minimum early voting periods, and allow absentee voting for any reason, restrict the removal of local election administrators in federal elections, regulate congressional redistricting, expand campaign finance disclosure rules for some organizations, and amend the Voting Rights Act to require some states to obtain clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice before implementing new election laws. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more.	Failed (49-51)
Yea	Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022   The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act was a bill passed by the 117th Congress in the form of an amendment to a year-end omnibus funding bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022. The bill changed the procedure for counting electoral votes outlined in the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Elements of the bill included specifying that the vice president's role at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes is ministerial, raising the objection threshold at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes to one-fifth of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, identifying governors as the single official responsible for submitting the certificate of ascertainment identifying that state’s electors, and providing for expedited judicial review of certain claims about states' certificates identifying their electors. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to concur in the House's version of the bill. Click here to read more.	Passed (68-29)

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes (click "show" to expand or "hide" to contract)

Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020 Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018 For detailed information about each vote, click here. Votes on domestic policy (click to expand) Voted Yea on: First Step Act of 2018 (S 756)  Motion Agreed to (87-12) on December 18, 2018 Proposed making changes to the criminal justice system. Voted Yea on: Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Conference Report Agreed to (87-13) on December 11, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance through fiscal year 2023. Voted Nay on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Nomination Confirmed (50-48) on October 6, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Nay on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (51-49) on October 5, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Yea on: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Bill Passed (86-11, 3/5 majority required) on June 28, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance. Voted Nay on: Immigration reform proposal from Sen. Chuck Grassley and the Trump administration (S Amdt 1959 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (39-60, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for 1.8 million individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, limits on chain migration or family-based migration, and eliminating the visa lottery system. Voted Yea on: Immigration reform proposal from the Common Sense Coalition (S Amdt 1958 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, and limitations on chain or family-based immigration. Voted Nay on: Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act amendment (S Amdt 1948 to S Amdt 1959)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed withholding funding from sanctuary jurisdictions for not cooperating with federal immigration officials. Voted Yea on: Coons-McCain immigration plan (S Amdt 1955 to S Amdt 1958)  Cloture Motion Rejected (52-47, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children and conducting a study to determine what border security measures were needed. It also proposed requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by 2021. Voted Nay on: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S 2311)  Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected (51-46, 3/5 majority required) on January 29, 2018 Proposed amending the federal criminal code to make it a crime for any person to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus was 20 weeks or more. The bill proposed providing exceptions for an abortion: (1) that was necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. Voted Nay on: An amendment to repeal the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it—"Skinny bill" (S Amdt 667 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628 the American Health Care Act of 2017)  Amendment Rejected (49-51) on July 28, 2017 The amendment proposed repealing the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it. Voted Nay on: An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) (S Amdt 271 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Amendment Rejected (45-55) on July 26, 2017 An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) Voted Nay on: Motion to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, including Cruz and Portman amendments (S Amdt 270 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Motion Rejected (43-57, 3/5 majority required) on July 25, 2017 A procedural vote to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA), including the Cruz and Portman amendments. Voted Nay on: Motion to begin debate on the American Health Care Act of 2017 (HR 1628)  Motion to Proceed Agreed to (50-50, Vice President voted Yea) on July 25, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to title II of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2017. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(4)—confirmation vote)  Nomination Confirmed (54-45) on April 7, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—confirmation vote. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(3))  Cloture Motion Agreed to (55-45) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—second vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination under the new precedent requiring only a simple majority to pass. Voted Yea on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(2))  Decision of Chair Not Sustained (48-52) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—a vote to keep the Senate precedent of requiring 60 votes to close debate on Supreme Court nominations. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-45, 3/5 majority required) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—initial vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination. Votes on economic affairs and regulations (click to expand) Voted Yea on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Conference Report Agreed to (93-7) on September 18, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Conference Report Agreed to (92-5) on September 12, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Yea on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Bill Passed (85-7) on August 23, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Bill Passed (86-5) on June 25, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Nay on: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1625)  Motion Agreed to (65-32) on March 23, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes. Voted Nay on: The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892)  Motion Agreed to (71-28) on February 9, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018 Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 695)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-44, 3/5 majority required) on February 8, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Motion Agreed to (81-18) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (81-18, 3/5 majority required) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Rejected (50-49, 3/5 majority required) on January 19, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1370)  Motion Agreed to (66-32, 3/5 majority required) on December 21, 2017 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Motion Agreed to (51-48) on December 20, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018 and proposed changes to the tax code. Voted Yea on: "A joint resolution making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes." (HJ Res 123)  Joint Resolution Passed (81-14) on December 7, 2017 Proposed funding the government until December 22, 2017. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Bill Passed (51-49) on December 2, 2017 Proposed amending the Internal Revenue Code to reduce tax rates and modify policies, credits, and deductions for individuals and businesses. Voted Nay on: A concurrent resolution establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)  Concurrent Resolution Agreed to (51-49) on October 19, 2017 Proposed establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. Voted Yea on: Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (Included amendments to suspend the debt ceiling and fund the government) (HR 601)  Motion Agreed to (80-17) on September 7, 2017 Proposed suspending the debt ceiling and funding the government until December 8, 2017, and providing funding for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts. Voted Yea on: Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 (HR 244)  Motion Agreed to (79-18) on May 4, 2017 The $1.2 trillion budget bill proposed funding the government through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2017. Votes on foreign policy and national security issues (click to expand) Voted Yea on: "A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress." (SJ Res 54)  Joint Resolution Passed (56-41) on December 13, 2018 Proposed removing United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that were not authorized by Congress. Voted Yea on: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 2810)  Bill Passed (89-8) on September 18, 2017 Proposed authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. On November 15, 2017, the Senate passed the defense policy bill by voice vote. This bill was the result of compromises made in the conference report. For more information on the compromise bill, click here. Voted Yea on: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364)  Bill Passed (98-2) on July 27, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes. Voted Yea on: Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (S 722)  Bill Passed (98-2) on June 15, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes. 114th Congress The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Feinstein's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. Economic and fiscal Trade Act of 2015 See also: The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, 2015 On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). TPA, also known as fast track authority, allows the president to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. Congress casts a simple up or down vote on a trade agreement, and the legislation only requires a simple majority for approval. The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Feinstein voted with 13 other Democratic senators to approve the bill. Trade promotion authority On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Feinstein was one of 13 Democrats to vote in favor of the bill. After, Senate Republican leadership honored a pledge to support trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by passing the measure as part of HR 1295 - Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 by voice vote. The House passed HR 1295 the following day, on June 25, 2015, and both TPA and TAA were signed into law on June 29, 2015. 2016 Budget proposal On May 5, 2015, the Senate voted to approve SConRes11, a congressional budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, by a vote of 51-48. The non-binding resolution will be used to create 12 appropriations bills to fund the government before funding runs out on October 1, 2015. The vote marked the first time since 2009 that Congress approved a joint budget resolution. All 44 Democrats, including Feinstein, voted against the resolution. Defense spending authorization On November 10, 2015, the Senate passed S 1356 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 91-3. The second version of the $607 billion national defense bill included "$5 billion in cuts to match what was approved in the budget" and language preventing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Feinstein voted with 41 Democrats, 48 Republicans and one independent in favor of the bill. On November 5, 2015, the House passed the bill by a vote of 370-58, and President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 25, 2015. On June 18, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1735 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 71-25. The bill "authorizes FY2016 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation." Feinstein voted with 20 Democrats, 49 Republicans and one Independent to approve the bill. The House passed the bill on May 15, 2015. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on October 22, 2015. 2015 budget On October 30, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 by a vote of 64-35. The bill increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017. Feinstein voted with 43 Democrats, 18 Republicans and two independents in favor of the bill. It passed the House on October 28, 2015. President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 2, 2015. Foreign Affairs Iran nuclear deal See also: Iran nuclear agreement, 2015 On May 7, 2015, the Senate voted to approve HR 1191 - A bill to provide for congressional review and oversight of agreements relating to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes, by a vote of 98-1. The bill required President Barack Obama to submit the details of the nuclear deal with Iran for congressional review. Congress had 60 days to review the deal and vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. During the review period, sanctions on Iran could not be lifted. All 43 Democratic senators who voted, including Feinstein, approved the bill. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 On September 10, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 58-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Feinstein voted with 39 Democrats and two Independents against proceeding to the measure of disapproval. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 follow up votes On September 15, 2015, the Senate voted for a second time to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 56-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Feinstein voted with 39 Democrats and two Independents against proceeding to the measure of disapproval. The legislation was voted on for a third time on September 17, and it failed for a third time by a vote of 56-42. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 fourth vote On September 17, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster a vote on S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640 by a vote of 53-45. The amendment proposed prohibiting "the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran." Feinstein voted with 42 Democrats and two Independents against proceeding to the amendment. Domestic USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Feinstein voted with 42 Democrats, 23 Republicans and one Independent to approve the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015. Cyber security On October 27, 2015, the Senate passed S 754 - the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 by a vote of 74-21. The bill proposed procedures that would allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. Feinstein voted with 29 Democrats, 43 Republicans and one independent in favor of the bill. Immigration On October 20, 2015, the Senate voted against proceeding to a vote on S 2146 - the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act by a vote of 54-45. The bill proposed withholding federal funding from "sanctuary jurisdictions" that violate the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and other federal immigration laws. In addition, the bill proposed increasing "penalties for individuals who illegally reenter the United States after being removed" and providing "liability protection for State and local law enforcement who cooperate with Federal law enforcement." Feinstein voted with 41 Democrats, one Republican and two Independents against proceeding to the bill. 113th Congress The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Feinstein's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. National security John Brennan CIA nomination Feinstein voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination. Economy Farm bill On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in if or when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Feinstein joined with 46 other Democratic senators in favor of the bill. 2014 Budget On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts. Feinstein voted with the Democratic Party in favor of the bill. Government shutdown See also: United States budget debate, 2013 During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Feinstein voted with the Democratic Party for the bill. Feinstein "will donate her salary during the shutdown to the Consortium of Catholic Academies." No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Feinstein voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill. Immigration Mexico-U.S. border Feinstein did not vote on Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines. Social issues Violence Against Women (2013) Feinstein voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans. Previous congressional sessions Fiscal Cliff Feinstein voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in California, 2024

Dianne Feinstein did not file to run for re-election.

2018

See also: United States Senate election in California, 2018

See also: United States Senate election in California (June 5, 2018 top-two primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate California

Incumbent Dianne Feinstein defeated Kevin de León in the general election for U.S. Senate California on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dianne Feinstein (D)	54.2	6,019,422
		Kevin de León (D)	45.8	5,093,942

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,113,364
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate California

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. Senate California on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dianne Feinstein (D)	44.2	2,947,035
✔		Kevin de León (D)	12.1	805,446
		James P. Bradley (R)	8.3	556,252
		Arun Bhumitra (R)	5.3	350,815
		Paul Taylor (R)	4.9	323,533
		Erin Cruz (R)	4.0	267,494
		Tom Palzer (R)	3.1	205,183
		Alison Hartson (D)	2.2	147,061
		Roque De La Fuente (R)	2.0	135,278
		Pat Harris (D)	1.9	126,947
		John Crew (R)	1.4	93,806
		Patrick Little (R)	1.3	89,867
		Kevin Mottus (R)	1.3	87,646
		Jerry Laws (R)	1.0	67,140
		Derrick Michael Reid (L)	0.9	59,999
		Adrienne Nicole Edwards (D)	0.8	56,172
		Douglas Howard Pierce (D)	0.6	42,671
		Mario Nabliba (R)	0.6	39,209
		David Hildebrand (D)	0.5	30,305
		Donnie Turner (D)	0.5	30,101
		Herbert Peters (D)	0.4	27,468
		David Moore (Independent)	0.4	24,614
		Ling Shi (Independent)	0.4	23,506
		John Thompson Parker (Peace and Freedom Party)	0.3	22,825
		Lee Olson (Independent)	0.3	20,393
		Gerald Plummer (D)	0.3	18,234
		Jason Hanania (Independent)	0.3	18,171
		Don Grundmann (Independent)	0.2	15,125
		Colleen Shea Fernald (Independent)	0.2	13,536
		Rash Bihari Ghosh (Independent)	0.2	12,557
		Tim Gildersleeve (Independent)	0.1	8,482
		Michael Fahmy Girgis (Independent)	0.0	2,986

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 6,669,857
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Leigh Scott (R)
• John Estrada (R)
• Steve Stokes (D)
• Michael Eisen (Independent)
• Topher Brennan (D)
• Timothy Charles Kalemkarian (R)
• Jerry Leon Carroll (Independent)
• Charles Junior Hodge (Independent)
• John Melendez (D)
• Caren Lancona (R)
• Stephen Schrader (R)
• Donald Adams (Independent)
• Richard Mead (Independent)
• Clifton Roberts (Independent)
• Michael Ziesing (G)
• Jazmina Saavedra (R)

2012

See also: United States Senate elections in California, 2012

Feinstein and Elizabeth Emken (R) advanced past the blanket primary on June 5, 2012, defeating 22 other candidates. Feinstein then defeated Emken in the general election, receiving 62.5% of the vote.

The defeated primary candidates were Colleen Shea Fernald (D), David Alex Levitt (D), Nak Shah (D), Diane Stewart (D), Mike Strimling (D), John Boruff (R), Oscar Alejandro Braun (R), Greg Conlon (R), Rogelio Gloria (R), Dan Hughes (R), Dennis Jackson (R), Dirk Konopik (R), Donald Krampe (R), Robert Lauten (R), Al Ramirez (R), Nachum Shifren (R), Orly Taitz (R), Rick Williams (R), Gail Lightfoot (L), Kabiruddin Karim Ali (Peace and Freedom), Marsha Feinland (Peace and Freedom), and Don Grundmann (Independent).

U.S. Senate, California General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Dianne Feinstein Incumbent	62.5%	7,864,624
	Republican	Elizabeth Emken	37.5%	4,713,887
Total Votes				12,578,511
Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Dianne Feinstein, click [show] to expand the section.

2006 On November 7, 2006, Dianne Feinstein won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Richard Mountjoy (R), Todd Chretien (G), Michael Metti (L), Marsha Feinland (P&F) and Don Grundmann (American Independent) in the general election. U.S. Senate, California General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Dianne Feinstein incumbent 59.4% 5,076,289      Republican Richard Mountjoy 35% 2,990,822      Green Todd Chretien 1.7% 147,074      Libertarian Michael Metti 1.6% 133,851      Peace and Freedom Marsha Feinland 1.4% 117,764      American Independent Don Grundmann 0.9% 75,350      N/A Write-in 0% 326 Total Votes 8,541,476 2000 On November 7, 2000, Dianne Feinstein won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Tom Campbell (R), Medea Susan Benjamin (G), Gail Katherine Lightfoot (L), Diane Beall Templin (American Independent), Jose Luis Camahort (Reform) and Brian Rees (Natural Law) in the general election. U.S. Senate, California General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Dianne Feinstein incumbent 55.8% 5,932,522      Republican Tom Campbell 36.6% 3,886,853      Green Medea Susan Benjamin 3.1% 326,828      Libertarian Gail Katherine Lightfoot 1.8% 187,718      American Independent Diane Beall Templin 1.3% 134,598      Reform Jose Luis Camahort 0.9% 96,552      Natural Law Brian Rees 0.6% 58,537 Total Votes 10,623,608 1994 On November 8, 1994, Dianne Feinstein won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Michael Huffington (R), Elizabeth Cervantes Barron (P&F), Richard Benjamin Boddie (L), Paul Meeuwenberg (American Independent) and Barbara Blong (G) in the general election. U.S. Senate, California General Election, 1994 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Dianne Feinstein incumbent 46.7% 3,979,152      Republican Michael Huffington 44.8% 3,817,025      Peace and Freedom Elizabeth Cervantes Barron 3% 255,301      Libertarian Richard Benjamin Boddie 2.1% 179,100      American Independent Paul Meeuwenberg 1.7% 142,771      Green Barbara Blong 1.7% 140,567      N/A Write-in 0% 173 Total Votes 8,514,089

Campaign themes

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dianne Feinstein completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Feinstein's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1. Universal health care 2. Ending gun violence 3. Comprehensive immigration reform

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I look forward to working every day to solve problems for Californians. If reelected I will continue to fight to protect immigrants, end the targeted attacks on California by Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress, and stand up for our progressive values including job creation, civil rights, voting rights, women's reproductive freedom, respect for immigrants and comprehensive immigration reform, education, health care, and environmental protections.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other senators?

As leaders in Washington, we must set a positive example for how we can overcome political division and work respectfully with a common purpose to improve the lives of all Americans. I'm not a name caller. Throughout my career, I've always been willing to work with my colleagues in both parties to enact pragmatic solutions to the problems facing our state and our nation. If re-elected to the Senate, I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner on behalf of the American people.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Feinstein's campaign website stated the following:

“	Environment From California’s snow-capped mountains to its pristine coastline, from majestic forests to the painted landscapes of its deserts, California is home to some of the most unique ecosystems in the world. Senator Feinstein has dedicated her career to preserving our natural spaces, combatting climate change, and fighting for environmental justice. Senator Feinstein led a successful bipartisan effort to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. Her bipartisan legislation, signed into law in 2007, the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act, raised fuel economy standards for America’s vehicles by at least 10 miles per gallon over 10 years, the largest increase in fuel efficiency in more than two decades, cutting greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks in half. A champion of preserving open space, she authored the historic California Desert Protection Act, which preserved more than seven million acres of California desert - the largest designation in the history of the continental United States. At her urging, President Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act in 2016 to designate three new national monuments in the California desert, which protected almost 2 million additional acres. She also helped secure over $250 million in federal funds to purchase and preserve the nearly 8,000 acre Headwaters Forest in order to save the last unprotected, intact, ancient redwood forest ecosystem on earth. She also authored successful legislation that saved nearly 300,000 acres of wilderness across Northern California, added 25,500 acres of land to the Redwood National Park in Del Norte County, and preserved over 21 miles of the Black Butte River in Mendocino County. Senator Feinstein has also been a leader in preserving our waterways. By the 1990s, the San Francisco Bay had lost an estimated 85 percent of its historic wetlands to development, destruction, or alteration. She took action and personally negotiated the purchase of more than 16,000 acres of endangered wetlands from industrial developers along the San Francisco Bay and Napa River—the largest restoration of wetlands in California history. And she also authored the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which launched a nearly $2 billion public-private partnership to restore Lake Tahoe and has protected over 17,000 acres of wildlife habit and restored more than 1,700 acres of Stream Environment Zones. Gun Reform Dianne Feinstein became Mayor of San Francisco as the product of assassination, when San Francisco supervisor Dan White murdered Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk at City Hall in 1978. When she found Milk’s body she could smell the gunpowder. She tried to find his pulse and instead put her finger in a bullet hole. So she knows from first-hand experience about the violence that only guns can inflict on our fellow Californians. An issue of personal importance to her, Senator Feinstein authored the landmark assault weapons ban, which banned military-style firearms from 1994 to 2004. Over that decade, the number of gun massacres fell by 37 percent and the number of people dying from gun massacres fell by 43 percent. Now, since the assault weapons ban expired and after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 that killed 20 first graders and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut, more than 400 people have been shot in more than 200 school shootings. Tragedies in Parkland, Las Vegas, Newtown, Aurora, San Bernardino, and so many more have shocked the nation and demonstrated the need to act. Senator Feinstein has introduced a new Assault Weapons Ban to halt the sale, manufacture, transfer and importation of the most commonly-owned military-style assault weapons and ban large-capacity magazines that are specifically designed to inflict maximum casualties. She will also continue to author and support additional legislation to enact sensible gun laws, including: closing the gun-show loophole, holding arms manufacturers accountable, raising the minimum age to purchase firearms, and preventing those on the terrorist watch list from buying a gun. Health Care Senator Feinstein strongly supports universal health care for all Americans, and with her colleagues in the Senate, stopped Republicans attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In 2009, when the Senate was considering the Affordable Care Act, she sponsored legislation to create a public option to compete with private health insurance, which she continues to support. She also supports lowering the age for Medicare eligibility to 55, mandating that Medicare negotiates for drug prices (which it currently does not), allowing HHS to reject unreasonable premium increases and requiring 85 percent of all premium dollars to go to patients, instead of 80 percent. Senator Feinstein has committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and has earned a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood for standing up for women’s reproductive health choices. As co-chair of the Senate Cancer Coalition, Senator Feinstein has also been a leader in increasing funding for disease research. She helped stop Donald Trump's plan to cut funding from the National Institutes of Health and introduced bipartisan legislation to improve breast cancer detection. She also sponsored the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act, which led to an improved emphasis and strategy for research of top deadly cancers. Immigration We are a state and a nation of immigrants, and Senator Feinstein strongly opposes Donald Trump’s attacks on our immigrant communities and believes we must have comprehensive immigration reform. She supports the DREAM Act and DACA, which is why she opposed the recent omnibus spending package that did not include protections for Dreamers. She also strongly opposes President Trump’s unjust and unconstitutional travel ban and has authored legislation to rescind the President's executive orders that created those bans. Senator Feinstein was proud to work closely with Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers to author the Agricultural Worker Program Act to put farmworkers on a path to earned legal status and citizenship. Senator Feinstein believes we must come together to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, backlog reduction, assistance for immigrant members of the armed services and their families, visa reform, and humanitarian relief for families. Jobs and Economy Senator Feinstein is committed to creating an economy that works for all Americans, not just those at the very top. She is a staunch supporter of a living wage and is a cosponsor of the RAISE the Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. She opposed Donald Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations that will add more than $1 trillion to our debt and force cuts in Medicare and Social Security. This legislation further harms Californians by eliminating the deduction for state and local taxes claimed by more than six million California households. Instead, Senator Feinstein has championed expanding economic access for working and middle class Californians. That’s why she supported the Working Families Tax Relief Act to expand access to and the value of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. She joined Senator Elizabeth Warren to coauthor legislation that would allow individuals with existing student loan debt to refinance at much lower interest rates. And she authored the Small Business Lending and Inequality Reduction Act, which would increase resources available for small businesses in traditionally underserved communities. Senator Feinstein is also a proud cosponsor of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, which would at long last institute paid family leave, including maternity leave. She is also a cosponsor of the Healthy Families Act which would allow employees to take paid sick days. Finally, Senator Feinstein knows that creating an economy for all also means reducing the influence of special interests in Washington. She is a staunch opponent of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision which has opened the flood gates to unregulated dark money in our politics. She is a proud cosponsor of the DISCLOSE Act, which would help end secret campaign spending by strengthening disclosure and disclaimer requirements. And she also coauthored a proposed constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United once and for all. LGBTQ Equality From her two decades as a supervisor and then mayor of San Francisco, when the city was at the forefront of bringing LGBTQ people out of the shadows, to her work in Washington, Senator Dianne Feinstein has always been a champion for the LGBTQ community. She was one of just 14 senators to vote against the original discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and she proudly authored legislation to repeal DOMA and led the filing of amicus briefs in Supreme Court cases that eventually overturned DOMA and established marriage equality nationwide. She proudly voted to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and supports legislation that would expand the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation, gender, and disability. She’s also cosponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban employers from discriminating against employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. And she was a strong opponent of Proposition 8 in 2008. Today, she’s standing up against Donald Trump’s attacks on LGBTQ equality and has introduced legislation nullify his “Free Speech and Religious Liberty” executive order to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, women and religious minorities.	”
—Dianne for California

Campaign advertisements

The following is an example of an ad from Feinstein's 2018 election campaign.

"Accomplished" - Feinstein campaign ad, released October 23, 2018

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage and endorsements scopes.

Notable endorsements by Dianne Feinstein

Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Joe Biden  source  (D)	President of the United States (2020)		Won General
Hillary Clinton  source  (D)	President of the United States (2016)	Primary	Lost General

Ballot measure activity

The following table details Feinstein's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

Ballot measure support and opposition for Dianne Feinstein
Ballot measure	Year	Position	Status
California Proposition 1, Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment (2022)	2022	Supported	a Approved

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor history

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Dianne Feinstein campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions
2018	U.S. Senate California	Won general	$23,724,115
2012	U.S. Senate (California)	Won general	$9,797,542
2006	U.S. Senate (California)	Won general	$12,200,678
2000	U.S. Senate (California)	Won general	$12,526,490
Grand total raised			$58,248,825
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission * This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

2018

U.S. Senate California 2018 election - Campaign Contributions
Top industry contributors to Dianne Feinstein's campaign in 2018
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate	$505,664.82
Lawyers & Lobbyists	$454,174.55
General Business	$333,424.84
Communications & Electronics	$289,243.85
Health	$287,761.94
Total Raised in 2018	$0.00
Total Spent	$24,497,308.68
Source: Follow the Money

2018

U.S. Senate California 2018 election - Campaign Contributions
Top individual contributors to Dianne Feinstein's campaign in 2018
FEINSTEIN, DIANNE	$4,206,050.00
BERNADETT, FAUSTINO	$29,700.00
FORAKER, ELIZABETH	$25,000.00
JAMMET, NICHOLAS H	$25,000.00
O'GRADY, PAUL	$20,050.00
Total Raised in 2018	$0.00
Total Spent	$24,497,308.68
Source: Follow the Money

2013

Lobbyist contributions

In an analysis by Open Secrets of the Top 10 Recipients of Contributions from Lobbyists in 2013, Feinstein was 1 of 115 members of Congress who did not report any contributions from lobbyists in 2013 as of July 3, 2013.

2012

Feinstein won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2012. During that election cycle, Feinstein's campaign committee raised a total of $9,797,542 and spent $12,152,230. This was more than the average $10.2 million spent by Senate winners in 2012.

Cost per vote

Feinstein spent $1.54 per vote received in 2012.

U.S. Senate, California, 2012 - Dianne Feinstein Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$9,797,542
Total Spent	$12,152,230
Total Raised by Election Runner-up	$914,350
Total Spent by Election Runner-up	$910,209
Top contributors to Dianne Feinstein's campaign committee
PG&E Corp	$120,700
JStreetPAC	$76,171
General Atomics	$56,750
Edison International	$53,250
General Dynamics	$43,500
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$546,496
Retired	$430,758
Lobbyists	$357,596
Real Estate	$306,698
Electric Utilities	$302,950

To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section.
Breakdown of the source of Feinstein's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

2006

Feinstein won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2006. During that re-election cycle, Feinstein's campaign committee raised a total of $12,200,678 and spent $9,403,030.

Her top five contributors between 2001-2006 were:

U.S. Senate, California, 2006 - Dianne Feinstein Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$12,200,678
Total Spent	$9,403,030
Total Raised by Opponent	$198,630
Total Spent by Opponent	$195,265
Top contributors to Dianne Feinstein's campaign committee
DeBartolo Development	$58,800
PG&E Corp	$51,250
Vivendi	$40,650
Qualcomm Inc	$39,647
Walt Disney Co	$35,000
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$697,291
Retired	$534,548
Real Estate	$490,601
Securities & Investment	$333,712
TV/Movies/Music	$309,627

To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section.
Breakdown of the source of Feinstein's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Feinstein was a rank-and-file Democrat as of July 2014. This was the same rating Feinstein received in June 2013.

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Feinstein missed 174 of 7,645 roll call votes from February 1993 to September 2015. This amounts to 2.3 percent, which is worse than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Feinstein ranked 22nd in the liberal rankings among U.S. senators in 2013.

2012

Feinstein ranked 26th in the liberal rankings among U.S. senators in 2012.

2011

Feinstein ranked 15th in the liberal rankings among U.S. senators in 2011.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Feinstein most often votes with:

• Dick Durbin
• Susan Collins

Feinstein least often votes with:

• Joe Manchin
• James Risch

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Feinstein voted with the Democratic Party 96.3 percent of the time, which ranked 18th among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of July 2014.

2013

Feinstein voted with the Democratic Party 95.8 percent of the time, which ranked 13th among the 52 Senate Democratic members as of June 2013.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Feinstein paid her congressional staff a total of $4,125,359 in 2011. She ranked 2nd on the list of the highest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranked 2nd overall of the highest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, California ranked 1st in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.

Noteworthy events

Feinstein requests to temporarily step down from Judiciary Committee (2023)

Feinstein announced she would request to temporarily step down from the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on April 12, 2023. Feinstein said, "When I was first diagnosed with shingles, I expected to return by the end of the March work period. Unfortunately, my return to Washington has been delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis. ...I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee, so I’ve asked Leader Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work." Rep. Ro Khanna (D) tweeted on April 12 that Feinstein could no longer fulfill her duties and needed to resign. Feinstein returned to Washington, D.C., and participated in Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on May 11, 2023.

Alleged insider trading leading up to the U.S. Coronavirus Pandemic (2020)

On March 19, 2020, the New York Times alleged Feinstein, along with some other senators, traded stocks after receiving a Senate Intelligence Committee briefing related to the effect the coronavirus outbreak will have on the American economy. The Department of Justice conducted an investigation into Feinstein's stock sales that closed on May 26, 2020.

Feinstein sold between $1,500,000 and $6,000,000 in stocks days after the briefing.

On March 20, 2020, a spokesperson for Feinstein responded noting most of the stock sales were made by Feinstein’s husband and, “she has no involvement in any of her husband’s financial decisions.”

On May 14, 2020, a spokesperson for Feinstein, Tom Mentzer, said that Feinstein answered questions from federal law enforcement agents and provided documents to the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the investigation into her and other senators' stock sales. Mentzer said that Feinstein "was happy to voluntarily answer those questions to set the record straight” and that she “provided additional documents to show she had no involvement in her husband’s transactions.”

On May 26, aides from Feinstein's office confirmed that the Department of Justice notified them of the conclusion of the investigation into the trades.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Feinstein's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $42,673,137 and $94,220,020. That averages to $68,446,578, which is higher than the average net worth of Democratic senators in 2012 of $13,566,333.90. Feinstein ranked as the 4th most wealthy senator in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Feinstein's calculated net worth decreased by an average of 1 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Dianne Feinstein Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$75,075,191
2012	$68,446,578
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	−9%
Average annual growth:	−1%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). In the 113th Congress, Feinstein is the Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Intelligence. Feinstein received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 1991-2014, 17.42 percent of Feinstein's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Dianne Feinstein Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$57,492,721
Total Spent	$56,146,948
Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Intelligence
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$3,425,172
Retired	$1,998,799
Real Estate	$1,649,997
TV/Movies/Music	$1,499,991
Securities & Investment	$1,439,780
% total in top industry	5.96%
% total in top two industries	9.43%
% total in top five industries	17.42%

See also

• United States Senate
• United States congressional delegations from California

External links

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Candidate

U.S. Senate California

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	U.S. Senate California 1992-2023	Succeeded by Laphonza Butler (D)
Preceded by -	Mayor of San Francisco 1978-1988	Succeeded by -

[show]

California's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Laphonza Butler (D)

Alex Padilla (D)

Representatives

District 1

Doug LaMalfa (R)

District 2

Jared Huffman (D)

District 3

Kevin Kiley (R)

District 4

Mike Thompson (D)

District 5

Tom McClintock (R)

District 6

Ami Bera (D)

District 7

Doris Matsui (D)

District 8

John Garamendi (D)

District 9

Josh Harder (D)

District 10

Mark DeSaulnier (D)

District 11

Nancy Pelosi (D)

District 12

Barbara Lee (D)

District 13

John Duarte (R)

District 14

Eric Swalwell (D)

District 15

Kevin Mullin (D)

District 16

Anna Eshoo (D)

District 17

Ro Khanna (D)

District 18

Zoe Lofgren (D)

District 19

Jimmy Panetta (D)

District 20

Vacant

District 21

Jim Costa (D)

District 22

David Valadao (R)

District 23

Jay Obernolte (R)

District 24

Salud Carbajal (D)

District 25

Raul Ruiz (D)

District 26

Julia Brownley (D)

District 27

Mike Garcia (R)

District 28

Judy Chu (D)

District 29

Tony Cárdenas (D)

District 30

Adam Schiff (D)

District 31

Grace Napolitano (D)

District 32

Brad Sherman (D)

District 33

Pete Aguilar (D)

District 34

Jimmy Gomez (D)

District 35

Norma Torres (D)

District 36

Ted Lieu (D)

District 37

Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D)

District 38

Linda Sánchez (D)

District 39

Mark Takano (D)

District 40

Young Kim (R)

District 41

Ken Calvert (R)

District 42

Robert Garcia (D)

District 43

Maxine Waters (D)

District 44

Nanette Barragán (D)

District 45

Michelle Steel (R)

District 46

Lou Correa (D)

District 47

Katie Porter (D)

District 48

Darrell Issa (R)

District 49

Mike Levin (D)

District 50

Scott Peters (D)

District 51

Sara Jacobs (D)

District 52

Juan Vargas (D)

Democratic Party (42)

Republican Party (11)

Vacancies (1)