Gavin Newsom, then the state’s lieutenant governor, takes a selfie picture with Laphonza Butler, then president of SEIU local 2015, in 2018 before speaking at Greater Zion Church in Compton.
Newsom has appointed Butler to fill the senate vacancy created by the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Gavin Newsom has picked Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist who rose to prominence in the labor movement, to fill the Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, who died Friday at age 90, Newsom’s office confirmed.
It’s an historic appointment for a governor who has prioritized appointing LGBTQ+ people to positions of power — Butler will be the first out person of color to serve in the Senate.It also could scramble the 2024 race for Senate that is well under way. Butler has connections that could make her a formidable fundraiser, which would be necessary for any candidate jumping into a race just six months before the March primary election, when other candidates have been fundraising all year.
It’s the second time Newsom has appointed a U.S. senator for California, a rare exercise of power that last occurred in 1953 when then- Earl Warren tapped Thomas Kuchel as senator after he had appointed William Knowland several years earlier. “She has the Foreign Affairs experience. She has the budget experience, at a time when cuts to every program that helps working people and families is under assault. She has the experience when it comes to fighting for social and economic justice and women’s rights. And at a time when all of our rights are under attack, we need the most prepared person to help us in the Senate.”making the case for Lee, and Horsford said he had talked to Newsom about it by phone and in person.
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