When I wrote about Senator Dianne Feinstein’s passing last Friday, I came SO CLOSE to making an off-hand joke about “Gov. Newsom should appoint the Duchess of Sussex to fill the remainder of Feinstein’s term.” You know why I stopped myself? Because A) I didn’t want to be ghoulish, B) it wasn’t the time or the place and C) I didn’t want people to take my joke seriously. The California political system is crazy enough without it turning into a Sussex Squad vs. royalist issue. That being said, for years now, the British media has been convinced that Meghan plans to run for office (she does not) and that the entire reason why she and Harry moved to California was to prepare for an eventual political run (nope). Those people know nothing about American politics and they are incredibly loud and wrong. Speaking of, guess what the Daily Mail’s top story was this weekend?
She has made no secret about her left-leaning politics and belief that women can change the world. So it may come as no surprise that Meghan Markle’s name was being bandied about in Hollywood last night as a long-shot replacement for Californian Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Indeed, within minutes of 90-year-old Feinstein’s death being announced on Friday, the Mail on Sunday was told ‘phones lit up’ with speculation the Duchess of Sussex could throw her hat in the ring to serve out the remaining 13 months of Feinstein’s term.
A major Democratic donor who is close to Californian Governor Gavin Newsom – who will choose Feinstein’s replacement – told the MoS: ‘Meghan is definitely a long-shot but in the craziness that is US politics these days it’s not an impossibility. Crazier things have happened.’
Feinstein’s death has produced a unique situation where Newsom, 55, California’s charismatic Governor who is considered a Presidential frontrunner should anything happen to 80-year-old President Joe Biden, has free reign to pick someone to replace Feinstein until the next election is held in November 2024. He was placed in a similar position in October 2020 when then-candidate Biden chose another Californian senator, Kamala Harris, to be his running mate against Donald Trump.
At the time, The Mail on Sunday reported that a senior Labour Party source confirmed Meghan had been ‘networking among senior Democrats’ with a view to building a grass roots campaign to fuel her political ambitions – with the US Presidency her ultimate aim. She and Prince Harry reportedly held a virtual hour-long meeting with Gov. Newsom but he picked another candidate.
A source said Governor Newsom had pledged to replace Feinstein with a black woman, adding: ‘The problem he now faces is that all the best candidates have already announced they will be running for Feinstein’s seat in November 2024, the next election. Governor Newsom cannot elect any of those candidates to the position now as it would be seen as a huge, and very unfair, advantage. If he puts any of the very good black women candidates in the job now he will be accused of favouritism. So he needs to find a woman of colour who can do the job for 13 months and will agree to not stand against any of the seasoned politicians who have already thrown their hats into the ring. There are not that many women who fit the bill. Which is why Meghan’s name is being bandied about.’
But the ‘buzz’ around Meghan as a replacement the late Senator Feinstein has left some Democrats cold. One senior source said: ‘I don’t think you can take Meghan seriously.’
I’m surprised that they actually got Newsom’s political calculation correct, that he couldn’t or shouldn’t appoint someone who will run for the seat next year, so he has to appoint someone who has no interest in doing anything besides fulfilling Feinstein’s remaining term. Is that person Meghan? No. As I said on Friday, there’s a deep, deep bench of qualified California Democrats and if Newsom appointed someone far out of the California political world (as Meghan is), it would be seen as particularly bad form. This also goes for Oprah, who said (on the record) earlier this year that she has no desire to replace Feinstein.
PS… Gov. Newsom will reportedly announce that EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler will fill Feinstein’s remaining term. The elegance of that decision!!
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
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- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at a benefit concert for Santa Barbara first responders on Kevin Costner’s estate in Montecito, USA, on 22 September 2023.,Image: 807665176, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JERRY PEREZ / Avalon
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at a benefit concert for Santa Barbara first responders on Kevin Costner’s estate in Montecito, USA, on 22 September 2023.,Image: 807665423, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JERRY PEREZ / Avalon
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- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at a benefit concert for Santa Barbara first responders on Kevin Costner’s estate in Montecito, USA, on 22 September 2023.,Image: 807665722, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JERRY PEREZ / Avalon
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex during day 4 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex during day 4 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visit Sitting Volleyball on day 6 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 15 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visit Sitting Volleyball on day 6 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 15 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex during day 5 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 14 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during the sixth day of the Invictus 2023 Games at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf. The royal couple was very participative interacting with the athletes. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 17 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Just to see the heads explode I wanted it to be true. I knew it wasn’t though. But now we can get all the articles about Meghan being rejected by Newsom and the idiots on X talking about how she is hated by California politics and was rejected from the start.
Who are these sources who say she has been networking with democrats to become a senator? I believe she is left leaning but I have serious doubts about being a politician. I’m sure she has things she sees that can be changed and I believe she works for change but being a politician I have doubts.
It’s bonkers to me how the Mail can come up with “sources” to talk about what ever unhinged theory they are pushing on any given day. This article is a classic example of that.
Is that even legal? To consistently publish news that are completely unfounded?
It’s equivalent to TFG’s “lots of people are saying…”
The Daily Fail is just plain old batshit crazy and will print anything to generate clicks for revenue.
This reads like satire. I hope Meghan got a good laugh out of this story.
The only phones that “lit up” were the Mail’s trying to get someone to make nasty comments about why Meghan was unacceptable for the job. Now when someone else is appointed, they can make nasty comments about how she didn’t get the seat. Same old lies and BS with unnamed “sources”.
Yes, that was just to generate more income and stories for the DF. They also haven’t explained why on earth Meghan would want to switch gears from what she’s been doing to spend a huge chunk of her time in Washington DC in the Senate which has been difficult for Democrats for years. Especially when California has decent candidates. This made no sense whatsoever.
Its because again these UK nobs seem to know nothing about US geography, let alone US politics. This is just the Dior story 2.0.
@MsIam: Also, it’s similar to the British media story about how Meghan would launch her own skincare line because she flew on a private plane reportedly owned by people associated with Guthy-Renker, the same company that’s behind Cindy Crawford’s skincare line; ergo, Meghan will also launch her own skincare line.
Jesus H. Christ, what ridiculousness. They are desperately hoping she’ll run for President so they can harass her even more than they do already.
The upshot of being president is life-long protection. I’d like to see paparazzi contend with, for example, Biden’s protection detail.
They called up a Democrat donor who said, “Guys this is unhinged and a huge long shot,” and they somehow spun that into, “So we have a chance that this is true?”
I am rolling my eyes so hard.
And what would a senior British Labour leader know about U.S. politics??? Their sources are ridiculous, as surely they must know, but they use them anyway as they have no real information at all to publish.
Clickbait to incite hate
Exactly. The usual.
Politics is a choke collar. You can come in with an agenda, but there are thousands of others who also have an agenda, not to mention keeping in line with political party goals. Outside of politics. Meghan can focus on her specific causes and also work on her non-political interests.
The only people “bandying her name about” are the fool British media 🙄
Dailyfail lying again just to get clicks. Meghan’s not going for something like that while they have 2 small children nor do I ever except her to run for office. Seems she and Harry are doing exact what they’ve dreamed of doing. Laphonza Butler is an excellent choice! Highly accomplished and experienced in advocating for women and girls, a huge labor/union supporter, Emily’s List president and more. While I like all 3 announced candidates for the spot at the end of the day I’d like to see Adam Schiff win.
Adam Schiff would be a great senator, but I have a particular fondness for Katie Porter. She, and her white board, would do a fabulous job for all women. She is sharp as a tack and does not suffer Republican fools of any stripe. Really my true allegiance will be to any strong Democratic woman, and there are so many in CA who will fill that bill admirably, we are so fortunate to have them all.
Oh I dearly love Katie too! What a blast she is in action. Also Barbara Lee is very well qualified, met her in person and was so sweet and fun with my kids at a fund raising event, will always love her. But Adam Schiff gave the most moving speech I’ve heard in my lifetime at the impeachment trial, ‘Midnight in Washington’. I almost get chills just thinking about it.
Why was a 90 year old still a senator.
They’re such idiots. The insane way they use Meghan’s name for trigger clicks tells the world they’re hurting for business and will scrape up anything because she’s their golden goose.
Serious question – has Meghan EVER said she wants to run for office? Not post Harry, but at any point in her Tig or Suits days? I feel like she’s always been about activism and philanthropy, not holding elected office.
So that said…..this is just about the DM et al making up a rumor and then writing endless stories about that rumor as if they didn’t start it.
She’s never said she wanted to enter politics. Her dream was to work for the State Department.
Meghan has always been interested in politics and advocating for social causes. However, she was equally interested in acting, which is why she performed in school productions throughout her growing up years. She has never expressed interest in running for public office. As we know, Meghan majored in theater and international relations at Chicago’s Northwestern University. Before graduating, she interned at the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she perfected her Spanish language skills. Meghan is amazing and muti-faceted. ✨️
FWIW, Meghan’s international diplomacy career goals were sidelined when she failed to pass the U.S. State department’s foreign service officer test (FSOT), required to become a diplomat. She returned home to LA after college graduation, and quickly gained a talent agent without even trying. She already had an acting resume from cameos as a teenager, on General Hospital, the tv set where her parents met.
The BM should layoff Meghan and investigate the royal family’s diplomatic past, via uncovering the life of its long ago diplomat to Japan, Prince William of Gloucester, the smartest and handsomest Windsor to date (outside of Harry, and all of Diana’s good-looking grandchildren, whose adult lives are yet to unfold). Uh to be fair, the Duke of Kent has a gorgeous granddaughter who has a modeling career, and Margaret’s grandchildren are also quite good-looking and accomplished, but thankfully for them, very low key and well out of the rota spotlight.
Meghan has never said anything about it but there was some kind of interview of the suits cast years ago and when they asked which cast member would most likely be president, they all said Meghan. That’s where all this political nonsense is coming from.
What was frightening about this article was how quickly the rest of the media picked it up and ran with it. Even when they knew there was not an iota of truth to the story. News sources would have known that Newson had named Lupunza Butler as the new senator but, it didn’t stop Susanna Reid on GMB being particularly nasty about Meghan running. When GMB were dragged across Twitter for ‘fake news’ the programme then had a poll and discussion about whether Meghan would be a good politician.
The only positive I could take from this deliberate mauling of Meghan is it further supported Harry and Meghan’s argument that the media no longer reports news but, creates it.
I think we should point out that it was the British Media. No US outlet reported this because they know its ridiculous. The British Media will always choose to run a ridiculous story about Meghan as opposed to reporting on the many, many issues going on in the UK.
I feel such secondhand embarrassment for the idiot who wrote this story.
I never had USA politics on my Bingo card for Meghan. I’ve always presumed (and that may be wrong of me) that her influence and reach was more global? That she could then tap into any issue she personally connected with globally, without being locked into voters and USA politics. I think she has more to offer than being a Senator or Governor
This would attract derangers to the comments sections.
The person who wrote this deluded piece is the woman who was babysitting Toxic Tom. Nuff said.
If her name was in serious consideration, legitimate political reporters would have said this rather than one Fail reporter.
Sigh. This is annoying.
They never thought it was true – they write these stories as a means to criticise her and generate additional hate. Some idiots believe there is a hint of truth and will hate her for being ambitious, for not respecting the UK or whatever, and others will think she is naive or egotistical- either way the daily mail takes it as a win for themselves and I hate that people let them by believing what is so clearly an insanely fake story.
L.O.L.
LOLOLOL. honestly, at least it got a laugh out of me.
Please be aware, that I have written several letters to the Daily Mirror, so as of today, the Daily Mail will report, that I am in the running for editor, yes just like Megan, just because I have made my feelings clear about some things (we all know what) I’m networking every paper to take the job of editor.
Seriously?? Do these idiots not realise how stupid they sound. Well I suppose that they must do in a way, because it’s the same sht, different day!!
I think they 100% know how stupid these articles are and they’re laughing their asses off at the gullibility and stupidity of their readers. It’s like throwing chum into the water to attract all the fish.
Mary Pester, I wish they would make you editor!
@saucy&sassy, me to lovey, but I think I would end up in the tower lol
The source was probably Kate wiglet gofer
I feel like we’ve discussed this ad nauseam but Meghan has the potential to be more influential than a constituency serving politician. It doesn’t make any more sense for her to go into politics than Oprah, who very much swung the pendulum from Hilary to Obama in 2008 and is thus more powerful than most politicians. Besides, the field is currently packed with highly qualified candidates and it wouldn’t be appropriate for a political newcomer to dip into these waters.
They make up lies from whole cloth. By printing that she has ambitions to be the appointee sets up a few days of bashing her for being “rejected” when the actual appointee is announced. I’m not sure what you call what it is they are doing because no ethical publication would think of doing this. They are diabolical. Surely there is some law against this. However, the US has a twice impeached president under numerous indictments in several jurisdictions running for president.
They literally made up this bonkers storyline so that when she “failed” they have proof of how unpopular she is in America
Exactly! They know she is not running for any office. What’s most disturbing are the actual people who believe this BS.
I saw this under a tweet reminding people that the US does not have the world’s worst media culture. LOL.
That Emily’s List lady is actually horrible, though. She did great work in the non profit and government world. However, she then cashed out in the private sector lobbying for AirBnB and Uber, fighting against the campaign for Uber drivers to be counted as employees and be eligible for minimum wages, unemployment, and other employment law protections.
I remember back in 2018 when the UK papers were giving Meghan hell everyday, they were saying she wanted to be POTUS. They have been obsessed with this ever since. I think it’s because she never capitulated to their bullying while continuing to get so much attention, and then leaving the UK and rejecting their messed up system. In their heads they think she must want to be president if she can’t be queen. The whole thing is idiotic , what about her have we seen these past few years that scream political ambitions? It’ s just to direct more hate at her. Newsom had already announced his pick but they were still dragging up this nonsense.
Like their overlords – charley, willy, etc., these people truly, really have no shame and have no problem looking ridiculous as long as there are seeming short-term benefits.
Meghan would be great at whatever she chooses to do, which is what really drives the British media crazy. They cannot handle the fact that she’s a successful, intelligent woman.
But she doesn’t want to be a politician. If she did, California would have been a terrible place in which to settle because, as Kaiser notes, the Democratic bench there is crowded with excellent prospects.
There was nowhere else in the US that Meghan was going to settle. She’s from California.
I saw this on Twitter this past weekend. Even people who doesn’t follow the BRF or British Press are wondering WTH are they trying to involve in US politics. And how would a Labour Party source know the insights which has nothing to do with our political system.
So many questions for the thinking person:
Why would Meghan’s name be bandied about in Hollywood to replace Sen. Feinstein when the center of political power in California is in Sacramento? The RM has never heard of Sacramento or know where it’s located in relation to “Hollywood”, so yes, Gavin Newsom & friends were all down in Hollywood bandying Meghan’s name about.
If anything happened to Joe Biden, Kamala Harris is right there, yet the Fail claims Newsom is the front runner and Harris was just “another woman senator from California.” We see the Fail’s agenda.
WHY would the Labour Party be calling up Democratic source to find out what Meghan is up to? Why would the Democrats be chit chatting with Labour Party about …anything?
Thinking people would ask these questions and conclude the Fail is making stuff up but as we know, lots of people don’t think and that’s what the Fail is counting on.
I have to laugh when I read that the bm are once again writing that Meghan has political ambitions. It would seriously limit her if she ran for office. Why would she do that? Have they even once thought about how much more money she’ll make by NOT being in office. That’s significant in and of itself since she & Harry need to pay for their security. She is entirely autonomous and can choose what she supports both within and without the US. Why would she change that?
Let the bm make up their stories. They are showing more and more people that they print anything they can think of whether there’s a grain of truth or not.
Meghan can do way more with Harry via Archewell than she could as a politician. She knows this but I guess the British tabloids don’t. No way she would put herself through an election campaign after everything she went through in the UK with the press.
Totally agree with this. They can focus on the areas where they want to make an impact, both domestically and internationally, and have much more privacy than they ever had in the UK. They don’t need that scrutiny and vitriol. They have enough of that already. Meghan life and background has been picked through more than any politician I know of. Why would she want that when they can see the results of their projects and meet the people, involved directly?
I agree so much. Meghan is on a bigger stage than the politics of any one country.
I don’t feel like my state’s politics are any more crazy than any other state, and much, much less crazy than red states. We’re fine here in CA.
Never believed a word. Meghan has two children under 5. I believe her priority is her family and bringing up her children. It is just another way for the Daily Fail to cause a media frenzy and pile on the hate on Meghan for clicks and profit.
They fear and desire a Meghan Presidency, like crazy.
Imho the folks who promoted this fake story about a Meghan run for CA Senator were just looking for a way to increase the likelihood of harm to a mother of young children and put coins in their pockets in the process.