[rconti]

I'm a Californian, and I don't think I've ever voted for her, but I can't say so for sure to be honest.

However, a senior politician of marginal quality can be better for your state than a junior politician of superior quality. In theory they are able to score you all kinds of handouts and preferential treatment where the junior politician would just get ignored.

I don't know if that's the case for Feinstein, but my point is there's some utility there from the perspective of a Californian that does not exist for (say) a Utahn given the option to vote in CA elections.