Who is Laphonza Butler, the newest California senator?

Who is Laphonza Butler, the newest California senator?

October 02, 2023 04:25 PM

Laphonza Butlers appointment to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein‘s seat is already drawing praise from some and scrutiny from others due to her residency in Maryland and her selection over other candidates.

Butler will serve as the newest senator of California after being appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) on Sunday night. She is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday. She thanked the governor for the appointment in a post on X on Monday, paying tribute to Feinstein, who died on Friday at age 90.

INCOMING CALIFORNIA SEN. LAPHONZA BUTLER’S ADDRESS SHOWS HER LIVING IN MARYLAND

“I’m honored to accept Gov. @GavinNewsom’s nomination to be U.S. Senator for a state I have made my home and honored by his trust in me to serve the people of California and this great nation,” Butler said. “No one will ever measure up to the legacy of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, but I will do my best to honor her legacy and leadership by committing to work for women and girls, workers and unions, struggling parents, and all of California. I am ready to serve.”

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Laphonza Butler, President of EMILY’s List, speaks during an event in Washington, Friday, June 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Susan Walsh/AP

Who is Laphonza Butler?

Butler was raised in Magnolia, Mississippi, according to her staff profile on EMILY’s List’s website. She grew up in a working-class family, with her mother working a variety of jobs to support Butler and her two siblings after their father died when Butler was 16.

She graduated from Jackson State University, a historically black college and university, in 2001. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Butler is married to Neneki Lee and they share an 8-year-old daughter named Nylah, according to EMILY’s List.

What are Laphonza Butler’s past roles?

Butler is the president of EMILY’s List, a national PAC that is self-described as the “nation’s largest resource dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women to office.” She was the first woman of color and mother to lead EMILY’s List. With her appointment to Congress, she will step down as president of the organization, according to Newsom.

She was a longtime leader in California before her move to Maryland. Butler led the SEIU Local 2015, California’s largest labor union, for over a decade as its president. The union represents home care and nursing home workers.

Butler also worked as a Democratic strategist and adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign in 2020.

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Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY’s List, is seen before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI).

Carlos Osorio/AP

What are people saying about her appointment?

Butler will be the first black lesbian to openly serve in the Senate and the second black woman to represent California in the Senate, after Harris. Newsom had long promised that the next senator he appointed would be a black woman.

“Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.,” Newsom said in his announcement.

The National Black Justice Coalition released a statement on Monday celebrating the “groundbreaking” appointment of Butler to Congress.

“Her journey from being a trailblazing labor organizer to becoming the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress in American history is a testament to her unwavering dedication to justice, equality, and the progress of our nation,” the coalition said.

However, in appointing Butler, he passed over Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and other black lawmakers or leaders in the Golden State. The Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to Newsom on Sunday urging him to appoint Lee to Feinstein’s seat. However, Newsom said before Feinstein’s death that he hoped to avoid weighing in on the race to replace Feinstein next year and would not select a 2024 Senate candidate to take her place.

Lee congratulated Butler in a statement to the Associated Press but said she remains “singularly focused on winning” her Senate campaign.

Still, Butler’s appointment caught many off guard, particularly due to her living in Maryland. Her residency in the Free State has already drawn criticism after she removed Maryland information from her X profile biography and EMILY’s List did the same on their website.

Izzy Gardon, spokesman for Newsom, told the Associated Press that Butler owns a home in California and will be expected to register to vote in California before being sworn in as the state’s senator.

Laphonza Butler
Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY’s List, speaks during a rally held by the Latino Victory Fund Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Coral Gables, Florida. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has named Butler to fill the U.S. Senate seat made vacant by Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death.

Lynne Sladky/AP

Looking forward

Butler will be able to run for a full term in 2024, but she has not indicated if she will do so at this time. The deadline for filing for the California Senate race will be Dec. 8, according to the Associated Press.

If she does enter the race, Butler will join Lee and Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Katie Porter (D-CA), all of whom launched campaigns to fill Feinstein’s seat after the late senator announced she would not seek reelection.

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California’s primary rules state that the top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to the general election — meaning two Democrats could face off in 2024. The seat is expected to stay in Democrat hands, but whose hands will greatly depend on the two candidates chosen to advance from the primary.

If Butler is a primary candidate, she would likely have the backing of EMILY’s List, which is a fundraising powerhouse in the Democratic sphere — an asset for Butler, as raising huge sums of campaign cash is a must in any statewide California race. Butler’s candidacy could set up a competition for the small but influential voter bloc of black Democratic voters in California, which could significantly affect Lee’s chances.

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