Will Senate Loss Vault Feinstein into Gov's Race?

If Senator Dianne Feinstein was looking for a good excuse, er, reason to be able to run for Governor, she may have gotten it last night with the loss of the Democrat's filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

With the Coakley loss -- and diminished Democratic chances to hold seats in states ranging from North Dakota to Nevada, Feinstein must be thinking that she doesn't want to spend the rest of her term in the Senate where progress will come slow. Sure, she has a great perch on the Senate Intelligence and Appropriations Committees, but it's nothing like being governor of California. Nothing.

I keep hearing from folks that Feinstein continues to be intrigued with the thought of running. At least one pol I know said she recently drilled him with questions about the budget and the initiatives on the ballot in a recent meeting, and privately said she hadn't made up her mind. She has said publicly that she wanted to see if other candidates had plans for righting the state's fiscal ship before deciding whether to wade into the race. And so far there's been none of that. In fact, Meg Whitman's new plans to cut welfare might be just enough to set Senator Feinstein off.

In addition, Feinstein being on the ticket with Senator Barbara Boxer would help the junior senator's chances as well.

It could be 1992 all over again.

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