Governor Gavin Newsom Appoints Laphonza Butler to Complete Senator Feinstein's Term in the U.S. Senate

 Governor Gavin Newsom Appoints Laphonza Butler to Complete Senator Feinstein's Term in the U.S. Senate

On October 1, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of Laphonza Butler to complete the U.S. Senate term of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, who died on September 26, 2023. Butler will be the first Black lesbian to openly serve in the U.S. Senate.

Butler is a longtime advocate for women and working people. She served as president of EMILY's List, the nation's largest organization dedicated to electing women, from 2021 to 2023. She also served as a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and as president of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the largest labor union in California representing more than 325,000 nursing home and home-care workers.

In a statement announcing the appointment, Newsom said, "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."

Butler will serve in the Senate until the next regularly scheduled statewide general election in November 2024. She will then have to run for election to a full six-year term.

Butler's appointment has been praised by Democrats and labor unions, who say she will be a strong voice for working people and women's rights in the Senate. Republicans have criticized the appointment, saying Butler is too liberal and will not represent the interests of all Californians.

Butler's appointment to the Senate is a significant moment in American history. She will be the first Black lesbian to serve in the Senate, and she will be a strong advocate for the interests of working people and women.