According to her office, California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein was hospitalized Thursday with shingles.
“During the February break, I was diagnosed with shingles. I was hospitalized and am being treated in San Francisco “read a statement issued by her office.
Her office stated that she is expected to make a full recovery and return to the Senate later this month.
On February 14, Feinstein announced that she would not run for re-election after serving for over three decades. She is the Senate’s oldest current member, having been elected to represent California in the Senate in 1992.
The 89-year-old had faced criticism from her own party for continuing to serve in her position despite her advanced age. Some claimed she displayed signs of diminished mental capacity.
“There’s a joke on the Hill, we’ve got a great junior senator in Alex Padilla and an experienced staff in Feinstein’s office,” a San Francisco Chronicle staffer said in April.
Others reported, anonymously, that Feinstein appeared to forget longtime friends and colleagues on numerous occasions while serving in Congress.
The controversy erupted after Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, also of California, announced her candidacy for Feinstein’s Senate seat before she had publicly stated whether she would retire or run for re-election. Many Democrats chastised Porter for her impudence, while others urged Feinstein to step down.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) chastised Porter for announcing her candidacy during a natural disaster in California, but later announced his own bid to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat. That election will take place concurrently with the presidential election in 2024.
