Laphonza Butler has been selected as the replacement for the late California Senator Dianne Feinstein, as announced by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday, October 1st.
Butler, who is set to become the first openly lesbian senator representing California, is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday. It remains uncertain whether Ms. Butler will pursue a full six-year term in office.
With fifteen years of political experience under her belt, the 44-year-old Butler is a former leader of California’s largest labor union. She has also served as an advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris.
In 2021, Laphonza Butler assumed the role of president at Emily’s List, an organization focused on raising funds to support female candidates and advocates of abortion rights. Notably, Butler became the first Black woman to lead Emily’s List.
The passing of Senator Feinstein at the age of 90 in Washington, D.C., on Thursday prompted her body to be transported back to San Francisco over the weekend. A memorial service in her honor is scheduled for later this week.
In response to the appointment, Governor Newsom remarked in a statement, “As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington, D.C.”
Butler’s selection represents a notable departure from the late Senator Feinstein, who was a wealthy centrist with roots in an affluent San Francisco family and an education from Stanford University. In contrast, Butler’s modest upbringing has come to the forefront.
She is the daughter of a woman who, following the loss of her husband, raised Butler while working a variety of jobs, including as a security guard, gas station cashier, home-care worker, and teaching assistant.
Before joining Emily’s List, Butler spent nearly two decades with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Her work at the SEIU involved organizing nurses and janitors before her move to California in 2009. In California, she ascended to the leadership position of the state’s largest union branch of SEIU, which represented 325,000 home-care workers. Among her accomplishments in California was the successful advocacy for a $15 minimum wage.
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