(Headline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom has selected Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist and adviser to Kamala Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign, to fill the U.S. Senate seat made vacant by the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
In choosing Butler on Sunday, Newsom fulfilled his pledge to appoint a black woman if Feinstein’s seat became open. However, he had been facing pressure from some black politicians and advocacy groups to select Barbara Lee, a prominent black congresswoman who is already running for the seat.
Newsom shrewdly avoided playing political favorites, instead opting for what some considered to be a “caretaker” who would be little more than a nominal appointment in a race that also includes Rep. Adam Schiff, who is backed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Butler comes with not only a background of questionable competence—having previously overseen Harris’s losing presidential campaign, which led to her dropping from one of the most buzzed-about contenders to being the first one out of the race after abysmal poll numbers—but also a record of extreme radicalism.
The lesbian currently leads the pro-abortion Emily’s List and is a former labor leader with SEIU 2015, a powerful force in California politics.
Despite that, some noticed that she had been busy scrubbing her social media overnight, which indicated that she currently lived in Maryland.
Izzy Gardon, a spokesman for Newsom, said Butler owns a home in California. She is expected to reregister to vote in California before being sworn in. That could happen as early as Tuesday evening when the Senate returns to session.
Butler did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment nor release a statement.
Newsom said in a statement that the priorities Feinstein fought for in Congress—abortion, race issues and gun control—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.
Her appointment sets up a potentially tricky political calculus in the crowded 2024 contest to succeed Feinstein, which has been underway since the beginning of the year.
Newsom spokesman Anthony York said the governor did not ask Butler to commit to staying out of the race. The deadline for candidates to submit paperwork to seek the office is Dec. 8. Should Butler enter the contest, she could set up a competition for the relatively small but influential group of black voters in California and possibly undercut Lee’s chances.
Emily’s List is known as a fundraising powerhouse, and raising huge sums of campaign cash is a must in any statewide California race. Newsom’s statement said she will step down from the organization.
The decision carried the threat of political fallout for Newsom, who is seen as a potential future national candidate. The candidate favored by black voters has won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination every cycle since 1992.
The Congressional Black Caucus was among the groups and black politicians that had urged Newsom to appoint Lee, calling her the best qualified choice for the post.
The long-serving Feinstein died Thursday at age 90 after a series of illnesses.
Democrats control the Senate 51-49, though Feinstein’s seat is vacant. A quick appointment by Newsom will give the Democratic caucus more wiggle room on close votes, including nominations that Republicans uniformly oppose.
Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress and the longest-serving woman in the Senate, said in February she would not seek reelection in 2024. Lee is one of several prominent Democrats competing for the seat, including Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter. Newsom said he did not want to appoint any of the candidates because it would give them an unfair advantage in the race.
Butler has never held elected office but has a long track record in California politics. She served as a senior adviser to Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign while working at a political firm filled with strategists who have worked for Newsom and many other prominent state Democrats. She also briefly worked in the private sector for Airbnb.
She called Feinstein “a legendary figure for women in politics and around the country,” in a statement posted after Feinstein’s death.
Emily’s List, the group Butler leads, focuses on electing Democratic women who support abortion rights. With the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the issue has become a galvanizing one for many Democrats.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBT activist organization, said the appointment “will give our … community another voice in Congress at a time when our rights and freedoms are under attack across the country.”
It’s not Newsom’s first time selecting a U.S. senator, after being tasked with choosing a replacement for Harris when she was elected vice president; at that time he selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla for the post.
It was one of a string of appointments Newsom made in late 2020 and early 2021, a power that gave him kingmaker status among the state’s ambitious Democrats.
The seat is expected to stay in Democratic hands in the 2024 election. Democrats in the far-left state have not lost a statewide election since 2006, and the party holds a nearly 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
