Calif. Gov. Newsom Selects Laphonza Butler to Replace Late Sen. Feinstein

Facts

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed 44-year-old Laphonza Butler, the president of the pro-abortion group Emily's List [also EMILY's List], to fill the seat of Democratic US Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who died on Thursday. She will become the first openly gay Black woman to hold a senate seat.¹
• Expected to be sworn in on Wednesday, Butler was previously the head of California's largest labor union for almost 15 years before she took over at Emily's List. Her appointment comes after Gov. Newsom promised to pick a Black woman if 90-year-old Feinstein's seat were to become vacant.²
• Responding to the news, the White House stated that it respected Newsom's decision to replace the late Feinstein with Butler in the Senate under Californian law. Both state seats will be up for election in 2024.³
• Fellow Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) had all begun 2024 primary campaigns to replace Feinstein in 2025. Butler had neither previously stated her desire to join the race nor has since indicated her future plans.¹
• While, according to her biography on Emily's List, Butler is a resident of Maryland, a spokesperson for Newsom confirmed that the Senator-to-be owns a property in California and is expected to re-register to vote in the state before she is sworn in.⁴
• Writing in a social media post on Sunday, Newsom described Butler as a 'fierce advocate for working people,' as well as an individual who had 'spent her entire career fighting for women and girls.' Her appointment comes as Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate.⁵

Sources: ¹Wall Street Journal, ²New York Times, ³BBC News, ⁴Associated Press and ⁵Reuters.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Los angeles times. Soon-to-be Senator Butler has nothing but a spectacular résumé to back up her appointment. Growing up under challenging circumstances, Butler has herself up through the ranks of labor unions and political campaigning, with her clients including a sitting governor and vice president. Not only did Gov. Newsom keep his promise to appoint a Black woman, but he chose the cream of the crop with respect to Butler's life and political experience.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Federalist. Butler is not the working-class go-getter the liberal media will make her out to be. Gov. Newsom chose her due to identity and her extremely permissive views on abortion. As had been predicted, the Democratic establishment had been planning to install a successor to the late Senator Feinstein who embodies woke, left-leaning ideology.