Many of the legislators praising U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein called her a “trailblazer” for women. Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, lauded Feinstein for creating a path for the future of girls across the nation.