洛杉矶-美国前众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)周四支持民主党众议员亚当·希夫(Adam Schiff)在2024年竞选目前由黛安娜·范斯坦担任的席位，前提是这位长期任职的现任参议员不寻求第七个任期。
公众对希夫候选人资格的支持，尽管是有条件的，但意义重大。范斯坦说，她将在未来几个月内对自己的未来做出决定。但佩洛西的声明代表了迄今为止最强烈的信号，即89岁的国会最老议员范斯坦不太可能再次竞选。
这位南加州国会议员获得了美国最强大的民主党人之一的支持，预计这场竞争将非常激烈，这也向佩洛西庞大的捐助网络发出了信号，表明他是她的工作选择。
旧金山的邻居佩洛西和范斯坦个人关系密切，并在华盛顿一起工作了几十年，这表明她在竞选初期支持希夫的决定也得到参议员的默许。
佩洛西在一份声明中说，如果范斯坦决定寻求连任，“我全心全意支持她”。如果没有，她说她将支持希夫，他作为总统的首席检察官而成为全国瞩目的人物唐纳德·特朗普s第一控告审判。
希夫“非常清楚强大的民主和强大的经济之间的关系，”佩洛西说，他选择了他担任弹劾职位。
佩洛西在一场预计会吸引一群自己党内竞争对手的竞争中选择立场也是不寻常的。民主党众议员凯蒂·波特上个月参加了民主党席位的竞选。其他可能的竞争者包括民主党众议员李金浔，他是国会黑人核心小组的前主席。
范斯坦对自己未来的沉默造成了一种公开的尴尬局面——参议院取代她的竞争正在展开，尽管参议员仍不清楚她的意图。
近年来，她的认知健康和记忆出现了问题，尽管她为自己在代表一个拥有近4000万人口的州时的有效性进行了辩护。
佩洛西对希夫的支持并不令人惊讶。他们一起工作多年，关系很好。波特是2018年首次当选的党内进步派领导人，他作为一个寻求改变华盛顿现状的局外人参选。她偶尔会与民主党领导层分道扬镳，包括她反对恢复所谓的专项拨款，或为立法者的家庭选区项目支出。
Pelosi backs Trump impeachment leader Schiff in Senate race
LOS ANGELES -- Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff on Thursday in his 2024 bid for the seat now held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, providing the long-serving incumbent doesn’t seek a seventh term.
The public blessing of Schiff’s candidacy, though conditional, was significant. Feinstein has said she will make a decision about her future in the next couple of months. But Pelosi’s announcement represented the strongest signal to date that it’s unlikely Feinstein — at 89 the oldest member of Congress — will run again.
The endorsement gives the Southern California congressman the support of one of the most powerful Democrats in the country in what is expected to be a highly competitive race, and signals to Pelosi’s vast donor network that he is her choice for the job.
Neighbors in San Francisco, Pelosi and Feinstein are personally close and have worked together for decades in Washington, suggesting her decision to back Schiff early in the campaign also carried with it a tacit nod from the senator.
If Feinstein decides to seek re-election “she has my whole-hearted support,” Pelosi said in a statement. If not, she said she will support Schiff, who rose to national prominence as the lead prosecutor in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Schiff “knows well the nexus between a strong democracy and a strong economy,” said Pelosi, who tapped him for the impeachment position.
It also was unusual to see Pelosi pick sides in a contest expected to draw a crowd of rival candidates from within her own party. Democratic Rep. Katie Porter entered the race for the safe Democratic seat last month. Other possible contenders include Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Feinstein's reticence about her future has created a publicly awkward dynamic — the Senate race to replace her is unfolding, even as the senator remains unclear about her intentions.
In recent years, questions have arisen about her cognitive health and memory, though she has defended her effectiveness in representing a state that is home to nearly 40 million people.
Pelosi's support for Schiff was not surprising. They have worked together for years and are close. Porter, a leader in the party's progressive wing who was first elected in 2018, ran as an outsider looking to shake up the Washington status quo. She has had occasional breaks with Democratic leadership, including her opposition to the revival of so-called earmarks, or spending for legislators' home-district projects.
