Dear John,

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein. When Senator Feinstein was first elected in 1992, women were not allowed to wear trousers on the Senate floor, and women’s bathrooms had just been installed. Even just 31 years ago, women’s equality and women’s representation in the U.S. federal government were still just beginning.

I am grateful for her trailblazing work on behalf of Californians, and her unwavering commitment to advancing women’s rights. ​​Her leadership and accomplishments paved the way for many of us, and I am proud to be following in her footsteps as a woman running for office.

Today, at a time when abortion rights and the ability for women to determine their own futures has been put at risk nationwide by a Republican Congress, women make up less than 30% of the voting members of either the Senate or the House.

We cannot go back to a time when women’s voices are overlooked and diminished.

We cannot go back to a time when women and working families were unable to determine their own futures.

I am so grateful to Senator Feinstein for inspiring women across California and the country to run for office. I am grateful that she was a champion for women, LGBTQ rights, and gun safety legislation. Senator Feinstein’s legacy will live on for generations to come, and she will continue to inspire women across the country. My thoughts are with her family and loved ones as they mourn this tremendous loss.

In unity,

Joanna