California Sen. Dianne Feinstein indicated Tuesday night that she was months away from deciding on a run for governor, saying she would focus for now on pursuing a generous share of state funding in the economic stimulus plan taking shape on Capitol Hill.
"I'm very much looking forward to my work here," Feinstein said from Washington. "We've introduced a number of bills. We'll be introducing more. . . . When I start something, I've never given it up."
That said, Feinstein added seconds later: "I never say never."
The Democrat made her remarks in an interview broadcast at a pre-inaugural forum hosted by the Los Angeles Times.
Feinstein would enter the contest for governor as an instant front-runner. But making the race would mean sacrificing the clout she could enjoy with a Democrat in the White House and an expanded Democratic majority on Capitol Hill.
"I'm not ruling it in," Feinstein said of a second try for governor. (She narrowly lost in 1990 and seriously weighed a run in 1998.) But she didn't rule it out, either. "People will know within time," she said. "I mean, this election is two years away."
