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Newsom chooses Butler as Feinstein replacement

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Laphonza Butler [Image via EMILY’s List]
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday that he appointed Laphonza Butler to fill the late Dianne Feinstein‘s U.S. Senate seat through the end of 2024.

The appointment was made three days after the 90-year senator died in her Washington, D.C. home, the oldest sitting U.S. senator at the time.

Butler will make history as California’s first openly LGBTQ United States senator and the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress in American history, and the second Black woman to represent California in the U.S. Senate, following Vice President Kamala Harris.

“An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the appointment. “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.”

“I’m honored to accept (Newsom’s) nomination to be U.S. senator for a state I have made my home and honored by his trust in me to serve the people of California and this great nation,” Butler wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Monday morning. “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. I am ready to serve.”

Butler is expected to be sworn in Wednesday, Oct. 4, by Vice President Kamala Harris, for whom she worked as an adviser. Butler is president of  EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to electing women who support abortion rights, but will step down from that role to serve in the Senate. It was unclear if Butler plans to enter the race to for a full term in the California Senate seat. Already in the field of candidates seeking the position are Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter.

Newsom had vowed to appoint a Black woman to the Senate seat if it became open. Feinstein died Thursday, Sept. 28, at her home in Washington, D.C., at age 90.

Butler ran political campaigns for and led strategy efforts for Harris and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. For more than a decade, she served as president of Service Employees International Union Local 201, which represents more than 325,000 nursing home and home care workers in California and is the state’s largest labor union, and she held other leadership positions in the union.

Butler was the director of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve System. In 2018, she was appointed to the University of California Board of Regents by Gov. Jerry Brown, where she served until 2021. She served in various other roles, including as a board member for the National Children’s Defense Fund, BLACK PAC, and the Bay Area Economic Council Institute, and as a fellow for the MIT Community Innovators Lab. Butler was named a “Champion for Change” by President Barack Obama.

She received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Jackson State University.

Butler is married to her wife, Neneki, and together they have a daughter, Nylah.

Filed Under: Home, Politics

22 comments for "Newsom chooses Butler as Feinstein replacement"

  1. Make fun of the guy all you want, but he led the crackdown on secondhand cigarettes. No more secondhand cigarettes. And how about Frisco’s swift new “take a leak in the street” law? As a matter of fact, it’s too bad I can’t be there right now!

  2. Anybody think replacing Dianne Frankenstein is easy? Because of her, nobody gets shot anymore. And she was also the first liberal to celebrate diversity with us. That’s where liberals get together and celebrate what color some sucker is. And that’s pretty good.

  3. Never heard of her. Other than Newsom checking off the boxes to appease the hard left in the Democratic Party, why is she our senator? There are reports that she doesn’t even live here. Sounds like a certain corrupt mayor of a city that sound like Lancaster.

  4. Sad day in CA when a person gets put in office just because she is a black lesbian woman, we know how this will turn out look at the brainless L Harris at Bidens side, this is just a repeat model

  5. PRETTY POLLYANNA’S WONDERFUL FEELINGS –

    I AM SO VOTING FOR GAVIN NEWSUM AGAIN, AREN’T YOU TOO..?

    ***

    HE’S SO TALL AND ATTRACTIVE AND I THINK THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STUFF ABOUT WHO I VOTE FOR –

    GAV IS HOT TOO I HEAR HE DID HIS BEST FRIEND;S WIFE MORE THAN ONCE TOO I BET –

    ***

    I ALSO VOTE FOR LESBIANS EVEN IF THEY ARE SHORT AND UGLY BECAUSE I FIND THAT STRANGELY STIMULATING, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN –

    ***

    AND ALL THE CANDIDATES HAVE BE DOWN WITH A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE -‘

    WHO NEEDS CRYING POOPING BABIES ANYWAY ?

    NOT ME AND MY OTHER ATTRACTIVE FRIENDS WHO ARE ALSO RICH AND FAMOUS LIKE I AM –

    THAT’S FOR SURE !

    OH WELL – THAT’S ABOUT ENOUGH FOR NOW FANS –

    I FEEL LIKE LAYING BACK IN MY LUXURIOUS BATH AND INDULGING IN SOME SOOTHING AROMA THERAPY –

    SOME FLICKERING CANDLES –

    DREAM ABOUT THE GAVIN –

    SIGH –

    SIGNED :

    PRETTY POLLYANNA

    *REMEMBER – IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE NICE, EVERYONE –

    ***

  6. She doesn’t even live in California, current address is in silver springs Maryland even though they are working diligently on wiping any trace of that.

    Register to vote in California and buy a house out here for CS

    • At least the DEMOCRATIC governor, Gavin Newsome, quickly replaced her.

      Then, there’s the republican dumpster fire house maga effups at work.

      -With a war in Israel we have no Israel diplomat confirmed because REPUBLICANS. On Fox not really news, they are blaming Biden for that. He apponted a diplomat but the repubes haven’t confirmed him yet or are blocking him. So, they blame Biden like they’ve done with the ousting of McCarthy which they did.

      Would you let your kids get away with that kind of behavior?

      -with a war in Israel, we have no Speaker of the House because REPUBLICANS.

      -with a war in Israel, hundred of military officers aren’t being promoted and offices are vacant because REPULICANS. In this case, goofball idiot Sen. Tuberville aka Mr. Potatohead.

      So, MAGA republicans. You look foolish yapping about Hunter,
      Biden’s dog, even Menendez when you’ve got 4 indictments on your frontrunner Trump, Clarence “Yup, I’m corrupt” Thomas and Samuel “I know nuthing.” Alito, Jared finessing $2,000, 000,000 from the Saudi Prince. He better use it well or cue the bone saw. The financial advisory people in Saudi Arabia didn’t want the deal with Jared because he has no experience in investing. Grifting yes. Investing, no.

      We’ve got the lyingest lying liar Kevin McCarthy serving part of the Antelope Valley. Who voted for this jerk?

      Then, there’s The Flying Wallenda, our very own Rep. Mike Garcia. We would have been better with the “pilot” from AIRPORT 1975 starring crosseyed Karen Black.

      Anyway, I saw him at a mic in DC talking from the script. He looked like he was doing a hostage video under great duress. I couldn’t make out the eye blinks. He’ll be gone next election. They can’t do much with poor ol’ Mike. He does a poor job of reading the script.

      Garcia was so used to being in a “cockpit” he was right at home in Trump’s boxers. I wish he’d read this.  

      Yes, you, Mike Garcia-traitor and sycophant.
      Remember. Mike Garcia voted to overturn the election on 1.6.21 with McCarthy and ~140 other republican traitors including Jim Jordan who is vying for Speaker.

      What a corrupt and dishonest political party. It’s not long for this world.

      Save your MAGA hats. They might be worth something someday like Vote 4 Nixon buttons.

      • Mike was spotted in company of…

        wait for it…

        Gaetz and Greene when Gaetz cast his speaker vote last week to

        wait…

        Donald Trump.

        [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcNFxG-70RM ]

        Mike is like MSRA or gonorrhea…painfully borne, hard to get rid of, but something that must be done for the sake of safety, and healthful living

        • Don’t get caught up in the silly Republican vs. Democrat nonsense meant to distract and divide us.

          The real fight is between the working class and the billionaire class. From 1945 through 1979, a middle class family could have just one member of the household working, and that family could afford to buy a house, a car, and go on a summer vacation and not have to worry about their financial situation.

          From 1945 to 1979 the top ten percent of American households owned about half of the wealth in America and the bottom 90% owned the other half. Today the top ten percent owns 70% of America’s wealth and the bottom 9o percent owns just 30%.

          How did this happen?

          Starting with Ronald Reagan’s busting of the air traffic controller’s union, union membership in America has dropped precipitously, allowing the billionaire class to keep more of the profits that the workers provide them.

          Also, Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump enacted tax cuts that allowed the top ten percent to keep more and more of their wealth. If that wealth had continued to be taxed, it would have been put back into the general economy for everyone to benefit from.

  9. So we NOW HAVE HALF MAN half woman
    In office
    Another stupid democrat
    How can someone that is confused about their gender
    Being office there already stupid and confused

    • @Fools (self-described username)

      She will California’s senator and you?

      You’ll be asking “Do you want fries with that?”.

      • Well, Stupid, I don’t reckon a fast food restaurant so I will be ordering price and I probably make more money in ten minutes than you make in a whole week You must be wanna go sick democrats

  11. Constitution lists three requirements: 30 years or older, at least 9 years as a US citizen, and RESIDENCY of the state representing! Supposedly her social media and other online resources are being scrubbed of the fact that she is a Maryland resident.

  12. She doesn’t live in CA and is not registered to vote here. She happens to own a home in CA. She’s supposedly going to reregister in CA before being sworn in. What a farce!!!

  13. I AM LIKE SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT TIME WHEN ALL OF OUR LEADERS ARE COMMUNIST BLACK LESBIANS, DON’T YOU..?

    THEN WE CAN ALL LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER
    GET ALL THOSE STUPID WHITE MEN OUT –

    PUT THAT AWFUL TRUMP IN PRISON FOR SOMETHING –

    ANYTHING !

    ***

    WE SIMPLY MUST DO SOMETHING..!

    SIGNED:

    PRETTY POLLYANNA

    * VISUALIZE WORLD PEACE EVERYONE !!!

    ***