Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) wasted little time in appointing Laphonza Butler, the president of the radical pro-abortion group EMILY’s List, as the replacement for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Politico revealed the decision Sunday night, mere days after Feinstein’s passing Thursday.
“The announcement was expected to come Monday, and an adviser to the governor, Anthony York, told POLITICO that Newsom is making his appointment without putting limitations or preconditions on his pick running for the seat in 2024,” the outlet reports. “That means Butler could decide to join the sprawling and competitive field of Democratic contenders seeking to succeed Feinstein, with special elections now layered on top of the March primary and November runoff.”
In appointing Butler, Newsom fulfilled his pledge to nominate a black woman to fill Feinstein’s seat.
Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) have already launched campaigns for Feinstein’s seat in 2024. Newsom reportedly did not want to give any of the declared candidates an advantage. Lee, who had long been angling for a Senate appointment, expressed her disappointment.
“The idea that a black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election,” Lee said last month.
Oh, but Butler isn’t just a black woman. Even more exciting for the identity-obsessed radical reft, Butler is also openly lesbian.
“This means that California will not only get a Black woman Senator but also its first openly lesbian Senator,” Yashar Ali of HuffPost observed on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Laphonza will be the second lesbian to serve in the Senate.”
Because obviously. There’s no word yet if Newsom regrets not being able to nominate a transgender candidate.
Butler may be a Black Lesbian Woman™, but she is not a California resident.
“FEC filings from EMILY’s List record Laphonza Butler’s residence as Silver Springs, Maryland as recently as 31 days ago,” FEC analyst Rob Pyers noted on X. “FPPC and FEC filings indicate that soon-to-be California Senator Laphonza Butler hasn’t been a resident of the state for over two years.”
FPPC and FEC filings indicate that soon-to-be California Senator Laphonza Butler hasn't been a resident of the state for over two years. pic.twitter.com/IejF3ndnPO
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 2, 2023
Butler is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday. Newsom posted a video to social media announcing his selection:
I'm proud to announce California's new United States Senator — Laphonza Butler.
As we mourn the enormous loss of Sen. Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault.… pic.twitter.com/SOnbfVPmXj
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 2, 2023
With the appointment of Butler, the next step following her swearing-in will be for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move to have Butler fill Feinstein’s committee vacancies. Republicans have the power to prevent Butler from being seated, thus leaving various committees evenly split. An evenly split Judiciary Committee won’t be able to move judicial nominees to the full Senate without Republican support.
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