Pelosi has defended Schiff’s nomination on his behalf, said three people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Pelosi declined to comment. A spokesman for Schiff did not return a request for comment.
Although Newsom is not personally close to Schiff, the congressman’s name has emerged in recent days as an increasingly attractive choice among Sacramento residents. The choice would give Newsom some national star per association, while also giving Schiff a launching pad to run for governor or senate, including Dianne Feinstein’s seat.
Still, Newsom is keeping even its closest advisers and allies in doubt. The California governor has been extremely cautious in his decisions on these matters, carrying out many of his own assessments of potential candidates and keeping the outside lobby at bay, according to people familiar with his process. Some political advisers to Newsom urged him to appoint state deputy Rob Bonta, the first Filipino-American state legislator and son of agricultural workers organizers in the Central Valley who graduated in law at Yale and worked as a city attorney in San Francisco before joining in local politics.
While Newsom, whose position the state has dropped noticeably due to criticism about his way of dealing with Covid, faced pressure to select people of color in his previous two choices, other aides to the governor said they could see him choosing the candidate he believes to be best suited to the position. A helper noted that the governor is a frequent cable news viewer and could be attracted by the idea of choosing someone with a national profile.
If that choice is Schiff, it would leave House Democrats temporarily with an even narrower majority than the thin blade 221-211 they are working with now. But Pelosi’s involvement in the attorney general’s campaign did not surprise people familiar with backstage machinations, given his close relationship with Schiff and deep roots in California politics.
The state AG post would take Schiff off the national scene, but still offer him a highly visible platform. His public presence has visibly diminished in the past few months after the completion of the investigation in Russia and the first impeachment trial of then President Donald Trump, during which Schiff served as impeachment manager.
Schiff is also a major fundraiser, which has prompted Democratic lawmakers and advisers to speculate about his higher ambitions for the post. He has often been mentioned as a potential candidate for mayor when Pelosi leaves, or as a California senator when he opens a seat. Newsom appointed Alex Padilla last month to fill Vice President Kamala Harris’s seat in the Senate.
If successful, Schiff will be just Pelosi’s latest ally to find a comfortable place to land in the state AG’s office after reaching a ceiling in the House’s leadership. Becerra, the outgoing California attorney general, was appointed to the post in 2016 after limiting his term as president of the Democratic Congress in the House.