African-American activist Laphonza Butler, President of the political organization EMILY’s List, has been chosen by California Governor Gavin Newsom to replace Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away Thursday at the age of 90.
Butler will serve until the swearing-in of the next senator, who will be chosen by citizens in the November 2024 election – as required by state law.
EMILY’s List is a PAC (political action committee) committed to the election of Democratic women to Congress. Butler has led it since 2021, when she became the first African American woman to hold the position. On Friday, the newly appointed Senator had called her late colleague “a titan of the Senate” and “a legendary figure for women in politics and across the country.”
A longtime ally of Vice President Kamala Harris, Butler previously headed SEIU Local 2015, California’s largest labor union, and then served as director of public policy and campaigns for Airbnb in North America as well as a member of the University of California Board of Trustees.
The California Governor had announced the appointment early Monday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“As we mourn the enormous loss of Sen. Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault,” Newsom wrote. “Laphonza has spent her entire career fighting for women and girls and has been a fierce advocate for working people. She will make history — becoming the first Black lesbian to openly serve in the U.S. Senate.”
Butler’s EMILYs List biography had said, “She lives in Maryland with her partner Neneki Lee and their daughter Nylah.” But that sentence was no longer there when checked by CBS News overnight. Maryland voting records seen by CBS News show a Laphonza Butler of Silver Spring registered to vote in that state.
The Associated Press reports that Newsom Spokesperson Izzy Gardon said Butler owns a home in California. She is expected to reregister to vote in California before being sworn in, according to the AP, which adds that the ceremony could be held as soon as Tuesday evening, when the Senate returns to session.
Butler didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from CBS News.
Feinstein, who was 90 years old, had about 15 months left in her term at the time of her death last week. Butler’s speedy appointment will help bolster the Democrats’ narrow majority in the Senate as Congress continues to work on longer-term funding for the government after a last-minute deal temporarily averted a shutdown over the weekend.
Politico first reported Butler’s appointment.
Earlier this month on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Newsom said he would abide by his pledge to appoint a Black woman to Feinstein’s post, while adding that he hoped he’d never have to make that decision. But Newsom also said he wouldn’t fill the seat with one of the Democrats vying to succeed Feinstein in the 2024 election, calling such a move “completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off.”
There is no precondition that this must be a temporary replacement, so Butler could run for a full term in 2024. Complicating matters, in addition to next year’s scheduled Democratic Senate primary, a special election is expected to be held for California voters to choose who finishes out the last few months of Feinstein’s term.
Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter are among those who jumped into the 2024 race after Feinstein announced earlier this year that she would not run again. It was not immediately clear if any of them, or Butler, would also enter the expected special election for the remainder of Feinstein’s term.
In a post on X, Lee said, “I wish @LaphonzaB well and look forward to working closely with her to deliver for the Golden State. I am singularly focused on winning my campaign for Senate. CA deserves an experienced Senator who will deliver on progressive priorities. That’s exactly what I’m running to do.”