Oprah Winfrey and Meghan Markle were floated as possible replacements for Dianne Feinstein

Oprah Winfrey and Meghan Markle are among those being considered to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Winfrey’s name is among those being floated for the role, according to Newsmax and The Desert Sun, but the hit television host turned billionaire book publisher and entrepreneur indicated as recently as May that she is “not considering the seat should it become vacant.” according to the Los Angeles Times.

On Friday, it was announced that Feinstein had died at the age of 90. California Governor Gavin Newsom who will appoint someone to serve out the remaining 13 months of Feinstein’s term. The two-term governor, who attended the second GOP debate in Simi Valley last week on behalf of President Biden’s re-election campaign to lead counter-messaging Republicans, has said in the past that he will nominate a black woman to the Senate in case Feinstein happens.

Newsom reportedly has national ambitions of his own amid rumors of a possible presidential bid in 2028. As recently as early last week, Newsom insisted he would not challenge Biden in 2024. Meanwhile, sources told the Daily Mail that the Duchess of Sussex’s name has also been thrown into the ring as a possible replacement for Feinstein.

She and Prince Harry reside in Montecito, California.

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“Meghan is definitely a longshot, but in the craziness of American politics these days it’s not an impossibility. Crazier things have happened,” a major Democratic donor told the Mail.

Markle’s name was considered for the US Senate ahead of the 2020 election when Biden chose Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. At the time, a senior Labor Party source told the Mail that Markle had been “connecting with senior Democrats” with the aim of building a grassroots campaign aimed ultimately at a presidential bid of her own.

Markle has come close friendship with Gloria Steinem. A friend of Steinem told the Mail: “Gloria has been introducing Meghan to key people in the party.”

“Meghan is more interested in politics than anything else. That’s where she thinks her power is, but she’s had to focus on making money,” the unnamed source said.

Newsom has said he would avoid the field of candidates already campaigning for Feinstein’s position, which will be on the ballot next year and includes Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the state’s most prominent black women currently in elected office. In the hours after Feinstein’s death, Newsom quickly faced calls to honor his pledge to appoint a black woman to the role, with some leaders specifically asking him to appoint Lee to the post, a reminder of the dynamic tension Newsom faces with a key Democrat. constituency

Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrives at the U.S. Capitol on May 10, 2023. Feinstein returned to DC after more than two months of absence following a hospitalization due to shingles. He died last week at the age of 90. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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For Newsom, any choice he makes risks alienating key allies at home, including those he would need for a future national campaign. Should he follow through on his promise to avoid choosing among those already running in the Senate primary, he could select a true running mate who would be replaced by whomever voters choose in next year’s election. A handful of black women in office have been floated as possibilities, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell.

But Lee and others attacked Newsom earlier this month after he indicated he would select a caretaker rather than choose from the current slate of candidates.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom could pick himself to replace Feinstein. (John Nation/WireImage)

“The idea that a black woman should be appointed just as a janitor to simply check a box is insulting to countless black women in this country who have led the Democratic Party to victory in election after election,” Lee posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. .

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This was echoed by Aimee Allison, who founded She the People, a political advocacy network for women of color, who said, “Black women are not mere caretakers, but the voting and organizing center of the Democratic Party national”.

Lee posted Friday that Feinstein was “a champion of our state and served as the voice of a political revolution for women.” He did not address the open seat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.