Meghan Markle to Run for Senate? Rumors Swirl in Wake of Dianne Feinstein's Death

Since Meghan Markle moved back to the U.S. there has been plenty of speculation that she would get into politics, and it hit a fever pitch last week when California Sen. Dianne Feinstein passed away. British newspapers even published anonymous claims that Markle was considering going after Feinstein's vacant seat. While Feinstein's temporary replacement has now been found, there is still some buzz around the idea of Markle running for office.

After Feinstein's death, protocol demanded that the state government name a temporary replacement to take her seat in the Senate until the 2024 election, according to a report by Newsweek. California Gov. Gavin Newsom selected Laphonza Butler, a political advocate currently working for Emily's List. Still, the whole conversation brought the idea of Markle in politics up a notch in plausibility as far as some pundits are concerned. For one thing, Markle has participated in quite a bit of political outreach since moving back to the U.S., including calls directly to senators.

Two senators told Politico that they heard from Markle in November of 2021 – West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Maine Sen. Susan Collins. At the time, Markle was working on her campaign Paid Leave For All, which advocated for legal protections for mandatory medical and family leave. Collins told reporters: "Much to my surprise, she called me on my private line and she introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic. "I was happy to talk with her, but I'm more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about [paid family leave]."

Markle also had a mysterious meeting in October of 2020 with Newsom, and according to a report by Newsweek many insiders speculated that Newsom might have discussed the possibility of making Markle the temporary replacement for Vice President Kamala Harris after she left her job as a senator as well. Still, these kinds of rumors don't shed any light on Markle's ambitions, nor the reactions of voters themselves.

Many pundits believe that Markle's royal connections would hurt her chances of getting elected in the U.S. quite a bit. They figure that the use of a royal title like "Duchess" would make her seem pompous, and that she would be bombarded with attacks from the U.K. as well.

For now, there's no concrete hint that Markle intends to seek elected office at any point. However, it's clear that her fans and her detractors alike see her as a potentially strong player in that arena.