Former union leader and Democratic insider Laphonza Butler was sworn in on Tuesday as the newest member of the Senate, becoming the third in history to succeed California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death. Black female senator.
Butler was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, two days after Feinstein died at her home in Washington. Butler is a longtime fundraiser and strategist in the state’s Democratic circles and the director of Emily’s List, a national organization that raises money for female candidates who support abortion rights.
The new senators were sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris, the second Black female senator until she resigned in 2021 to join President Joe Biden in the White House. The first was Illinois Democratic Senator Carol Moseley Braun, who served one term in the 1990s.
As dozens of supporters and family members looked down from the gallery, Butler walked the Senate’s center aisle alongside Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. , with a bright smile on his face. After Harris was sworn in, members of both parties in the Senate gathered around her and shook her hand.
“Today, the Senate takes another step toward fully reflecting our vibrant democracy,” said Schumer, D-N.Y.
He said Butler “has dedicated her entire career to fighting for others — fighting for women, fighting for working families, fighting for just causes.”
The White House said Biden called her to congratulate her after she was sworn in.
The Congressional Black Caucus also held a swearing-in ceremony for Butler. “Her background and years of experience will bring a much-needed perspective to the Senate, which currently has no Black women,” CBC Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said in a statement after her appointment.
Butler is also California’s first openly LGBTQ+ senator.
Although she has never held elected office, Newsom praised her “deep knowledge” of the legislative process and said she was the kind of candidate he would build “if I had to draw it from my own imagination.”
“She’s the only option,” Newsom added.
Butler is well known within the California Democratic establishment. Her credentials include nearly two years working at a consulting firm with close ties to Newsom and founded by his top political deputies. She also served as a senior adviser to Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.
It’s unclear whether Butler will run for re-election when Feinstein’s term ends next year. Three prominent House Democrats, Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, who is black, have begun vying for Feinstein’s seat. The governor said he doesn’t want to tip the balance of the 2024 race by choosing among those candidates.
Newsom said he told Butler to “do what you think is best for you and California, and your judgment is completely independent of any expectations I have.”
Butler, 44, comes from a working-class family. Her father, a small business owner, died of a terminal illness when she was 16. Her mother worked in the governor’s office as a classroom aide, home care worker, security guard and bookkeeper while caring for Butler and her two siblings. explain. She was elected president of the state’s largest union in the early 2010s, just as the country was suffering from the Great Recession.
Butler has also worked for corporate clients, including Airbnb and Uber.
In a statement released by Emily’s List following her appointment, Butler said she was honored and ready to get to work.
“For women and girls, for workers and unions, for struggling parents waiting for our leaders to bring opportunity to their homes, and for all of California, I am ready to serve.”
Newsom, who was elected governor in 2018, has now elected the state’s two U.S. senators. Butler’s choice is similar to last time, when Harris resigned in 2021 and he chose Padilla, his close friend and confidant, to take her seat.
Feinstein, who died months after her health deteriorated, had held the seat since 1992, when she joined California Sens. Barbara Boxer, Moseley Braun and others Elected together, that year became known as the “Year of the Woman.”she is a California political giantwho was San Francisco’s first female mayor and a force in the state’s Democratic circles.
In the Senate, Feinstein was the first female chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first female top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her Senate colleagues gathered on the floor Friday to commemorate her impact and her experiences. personal friendship.
When Newsom announced Butler as his candidate, he said the priorities Feinstein fought for in Congress — reproductive freedom, equal protection and safety from gun violence — were under attack across the country.
“LaFonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein and continue to break glass ceilings and fight for all Californians in Washington, D.C.,” Newsom said.
After Butler was sworn in, Schumer said Feinstein “looks down at her proudly at this moment because her seat is in good hands.”
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