Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s, D-cal., colleagues honored her career as a female pioneer in politics upon the news of her death Friday.

The declining health of the 90-year-old senator, whose weekslong absence from the Senate this year led to calls for her to resign, has been the focus of a narrowly divided chamber this term.

But her allies and fellow lawmakers, from Washington to California and beyond, remembered her contribution to the institution across her five terms as a senator from the Golden State.

That legacy is defined by the example she set for a generation of women entering politics. Feinstein, the longest-serving woman in the Senate, was elected to the chamber in 1992 at a time when it was almost entirely male.

“She had an immense impact on younger female leaders for whom she generously opened doors,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday.

“Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what Jill and I will miss the most.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, formerly the junior senator from California, called it an honor to have served beside her and noted that Feinstein had sworn her in years earlier after her reelection as district attorney of San Francisco in 2008.

Congressional leadership quickly delivered statements lauding her accomplishments and what her tenure meant for Washington.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) celebrated her as an unstoppable force with “relentless integrity,” highlighting the “chauvinistic” attitudes she had to endure on Capitol Hill. Speaking from the Senate floor, he credited the progress she helped usher in for women like his two daughters.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell (R-K.Y.) echoed Schumer’s remarks, calling her a trailblazer for women and noting the “steady hand” with which she helped lead the Judiciary and Intelligence committees during her time in the Senate.

Above all, he celebrated their friendship.

“You know how we refer to ‘our friend’ from whatever state it is? Often that is not true. But Elaine and I were friends with Dick and Dianne,” Mcconnell said, noting that he and his wife would continue to cherish the 30 years they had known Feinstein.