By EEW Magazine Online // Politics

Credit: Getty/Illustration: EEW Magazine

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has selected Laphonza Butler, a Black, pro-abortion, LGBTQ+ Democratic strategist and adviser to Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, to fill the U.S. Senate seat made vacant by the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

With the new position, Butler will be the only Black woman serving in the U.S. Senate and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent California in the chamber.

Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, lauded the appointment as an opportunity to give their community “another voice in Congress at a time when our rights and freedoms are under attack across the country.”

Pictured Above: Vice President Kamala Harris (L), newly appointed U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler
(Credit: Laphonza Butler X formerly Twitter)

Newsom said in a statement that the priorities Feinstein fought for in Congress — reproductive freedom, equal protection and safety from gun violence — were under assault in the nation. “Laphonza will carry the baton left by Sen. Feinstein (and) continue to break glass ceilings and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.,” he said of Butler who called Feinstein “a legendary figure for women in politics and around the country.”

The new appointee is president of Emily’s List, a political organization that supports Democratic women candidates who favor abortion rights. It is known as a fundraising powerhouse that generates huge sums of campaign cash, a must in any statewide California race. According to Newsom’s statement, Butler, who is also a former labor leader with SEIU 2015, a powerful force in California politics, said she will step down from her Emily’s List post.

With this landmark appointment, Butler is now positioned to enter a crowded 2024 contest to succeed Feinstein which has been underway since the beginning of the year. The deadline for candidates formally seeking the office to submit paperwork is Dec. 8.

Though Butler has never held elected office, she has a long track record in California politics. While serving as a senior adviser to Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign, she was employed at a political firm filled with strategists that have worked for Newsom and many other prominent state Democrats. She also briefly worked in the private sector for Airbnb.

Despite some political experience, Butler, 44, was not viewed at the most qualified choice by the Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC urged California Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. to the seat instead, calling her the best-qualified candidate.

“She is the only person with the courage, the vision, and the record to eradicate poverty, face down the fossil fuel industry, defend our democracy, and tirelessly advance the progressive agenda,” CBC Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev., wrote Sunday in a letter to Newsom. “For these reasons, we strongly urge you to appoint Congresswoman Barbara lee to the United States Senate.”

Butler, who lives in Maryland and owns a home in California, is expected to reregister to vote in California before being sworn in which could happen as early as Tuesday evening when the Senate returns to session.

The long-serving Feinstein died Thursday at age 90 after a series of illnesses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.