This piece originally ran in Vanity Fair.
Gavin Newsom has picked Laphonza Butler, president of the influential pro-choice political action committee EMILY’s List, to replace the late Dianne Feinstein in the Senate. “Laphonza has spent her entire career fighting for women and girls and has been a fierce advocate for working people,” the California governor said in an announcement. “She has always stood up for what is right and has led with her heart and her values. I have no doubt she will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington.”
“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,” Butler said in a statement of her own Monday. “I am ready to serve.”
The move comes days after the 90-year-old Feinstein died following years of declining health, which accelerated in recent months when she was sidelined from the Senate with shingles. The quick appointment will ensure Democrats have their full majority in the split Senate, which has been jeopardized recently by Feinstein’s passing and the indictment of New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez. But it could further complicate the race for Feinstein’s seat, potentially expanding a field that already includes Representatives Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee.
The Congressional Black Caucus championed the latter in a letter Sunday to the governor, who had pledged to nominate a Black woman to the Senate if a vacancy opened. “[Lee] 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 Chair Steven Horsford wrote. But Newsom had previously said he would make an “interim” appointment instead so as not to “tip the balance” of the election. “I don’t want to get involved in the primary,” Newsom told Meet the Press last month. “It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off.”
Lee—who previously said she is troubled by “the idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box”—congratulated Butler in a statement Sunday, but emphasized that she remained “singularly focused” on her own Senate campaign. “I wish [Butler] well and look forward to working closely with her to deliver for the Golden State,” Lee wrote. “CA deserves an experienced Senator who will deliver on progressive priorities. That’s exactly what I’m running to do.”
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Though he previously indicated he would appoint someone who was only interested in filling out the rest of Feinstein’s term, the governor did not put any limitations or preconditions on Butler, as Newsom adviser Anthony York told Politico, which first reported the move. That could make Butler a major challenger in the 2024 race, should she choose to run.
Butler, who will make history as the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate and the first Black lesbian to serve in the upper chamber, has served as president of EMILY’s List since 2021 and previously led the California chapter of the Service Employees International Union. She was also an executive at Airbnb; an adviser to Uber; and remains a close ally of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to swear her in Wednesday.
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