Joint Action Committee
for Political Affairs

Voting Record:

Senator Dianne Feinstein Democrat of California

Statistics

Party: Democrat
Born: June 22, 1933
Education: Stanford University, B.A. History 1955
Occupation:
Family: Husband, Richard Blum; one child, three stepchildren
Religion: Jewish
Political Career: San Francisco Board of Supervisors 1970-78 (president, 1970-71,1974-75,1978); Mayor of San Francisco 1978-89; U.S. Senate 1992-present
Committees: Appropriations; Intelligence (chairwoman); Judiciary; Rules and Administration

Why Your Support

Dianne Feinstein has a reputation for pragmatism and centrism. She often votes with her Democratic colleagues but is known for protracted deliberations before making up her mind. Thoughtful and calm, Feinstein is interested in reaching across the aisle to make compromises when she feels it is necessary. She shares JAC’s values and has been an excellent vote on JAC’s issues.

Senator Feinstein is a strong supporter of Israel. She has consistently voted in favor of the foreign operations bill, providing full military assistance to Israel, and an outspoken critic of Iran's nuclear ambitions. Feinstein is a strong proponent of robust U.S. diplomacy in peace efforts between the Israelis and Palestinians: “Solving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis should be one of our top priorities. This can only be accomplished, in my view, by a vigorous and high profile diplomatic engagement on behalf of the Administration.”

Appropriately, for her strong advocacy of women’s reproductive rights, Senator Feinstein has received a 100% approval rating from NARAL and is on EMILY’s List of pro-choice women. She has repeatedly voted against measures seeking to make it more difficult for minors to receive the procedure, including parental notification and travel restriction proposals. Feinstein has also voted no on continuing the ban on military base abortions, and has consistently voted in favor of increasing access to and education about teen pregnancy prevention.

She rounds out her JAC-aligned policy positions with a fierce commitment to gun safety and repeal of the anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy in the military. GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman had made it known that she would consider another political race. However, Whitman just took over as CEO of Hewlett Packard, so chances are she is not getting in the race. With no challengers, Feinstein starts out with a strong advantage, mitigated only by the fact that a former campaign consultant embezzled approximately $5 million in campaign funds. The Senator recently contributed $5 million of her own money to cover the loss.

Background

California is America’s largest state, with an economy larger than all but seven nations. The Census Bureau estimated that California had a population of nearly 37 million, far ahead of second place Texas, with 24 million people. Los Angeles is the nation’s leading port and biggest manufacturer, as well as the world’s entertainment center. The Bay Area is the global leader in computers and high technology. California has 55 electoral votes and in 2008, President Obama carried the state with 61%. Fiscal crisis has overtaken the state. California was one of the epicenters of subprime mortgage lending. Foreclosures skyrocketed, construction plummeted and revenues fell far below expected projections.

The state now has a $25 billion deficit.

About The Candidate

In 1978, Dianne Feinstein, then chair of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, became Mayor upon the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and fellow Supervisor Harvey Milk.  The tragedy catapulted her onto the national stage and was the genesis of her commitment to gun control. For many years, she was the lone woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 2005, when questioning John Roberts, then-nominee to the Supreme Court, she said that as the only woman on the committee, she had a special job to make sure that the “hard-earned autonomy” of women is protected. “For me…one of the most important issues that needs to be addressed by you is the constitutional right to privacy. It would be very difficult for me to vote to confirm someone whom I knew would overturn Roe v. Wade.” Feinstein voted against Roberts’ confirmation. JAC has supported Senator Feinstein in all of her previous races. The Senator continues to fight for women, for gun restrictions and for peace in the Middle East. “Solving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis should be one of our top priorities. This can only be accomplished, in my view, by a vigorous and high profile diplomatic engagement on behalf of the Administration.”