Feinstein Says She'd Back Joe Biden In 2020
(CBS SF / CNN) -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California told reporters on Thursday morning that she would support former Vice President Joe Biden in a 2020 presidential race.
"My candidate would be Joe Biden," Feinstein said, explaining that her relationship with the former vice president and senator dates back to his time as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I watched him as vice president. I've seen him operate. I've seen him perform and I think he brings a level of experience and seniority, which I think is really important."
The senior senator from California added that she has not spoken with Biden about the matter but it was "just my view."
Feinstein could also have chosen to support a number of other prospective candidates who she works with closely. The junior senator from California, Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, is seriously considering a run for the White House and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced this week she's forming an exploratory committee ahead of a potential White House run.
Feinstein's press secretary told CNN that Feinstein later added that she certainly likes her California colleague, saying, "Oh, I love Kamala."
Democratic Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown and progressive independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are all potential candidates who also work with Feinstein in the upper chamber.
When asked if she found the timing of Warren's announcement odd, Feinstein said she did not. "Everybody makes it on a different basis," she said of the announcement.
"There are certainly going to be a lot of other candidates," she added of the 2020 field.
Another prominent Democrat, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, touted Biden's chances of a successful presidential bid on Wednesday during a radio interview.
"I think of all the names that are out there, I think Joe Biden has the best case. I think Joe Biden has the best case because he brings the most of the secret ingredient you need to win for a Democrat, which is credibility," he said.
Biden did a fundraiser for Feinstein in California in October, though Feinstein was in DC during the event.
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