Newsom Hopes Laphonza Butler Appointment Will Solve His Senate Dilemma

Laphonza Butler, the new junior senator from California. Photo: Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Emily’s List

California governor Gavin Newsom really painted himself into a corner before Dianne Feinstein’s death forced him to appoint someone to serve out her Senate term. Back in 2021, in part due to unhappiness over his decision to appoint a Latino man to fill Kamala Harris’s Senate seat, he promised to appoint a Black woman if Feinstein vacated her seat. Then the most obvious choice to fill that role, veteran progressive Oakland congresswoman Barbara Lee, announced she was running for the full Senate term that Feinstein chose not to pursue. With a red-hot 2024 race building steam, also featuring Lee’s House colleagues Adam Schiff and Katie Porter, Newsom announced last month that whomever he named to the seat would be a “caretaker” who wouldn’t seek a full term, so as not to upset the ongoing race. Lee’s allies robustly protested that decision; the congresswoman called it “insulting to countless Black women.”

After Feinstein’s death on September 29, the pressure was on Newsom, as Senate Democrats desperately need a 51st senator to keep full control of the chamber. On Monday, the governor made his move, appointing Laphonza Butler, president of the Democratic fundraising giant EMILY’s List, to the seat. He did so immediately after letting it be known that he was no longer insisting on a “caretaker” role for his appointee.

Butler’s résumé is quite extensive for someone only 44. She was the longtime head of California’s powerful SEIU Local; worked for the consulting firm relied upon by Jerry Brown, Newsom, and Harris; and served as a University of California regent. She is both a Black woman and a married lesbian, making her the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate. She did move to Maryland to take the EMILY’s List job, but is expected to reregister to vote in California instantly. She was an adviser to Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign. In other words, Butler is very tight with the key players in the top leadership of the Golden State’s Democratic Party, most of whom are also close to Adam Schiff.

In accepting the appointment, Butler did not indicate whether she would run for the full seat. The filing deadline for the March 5 primary is December 8. If she runs, Barbara Lee supporters and Lee herself will have to decide whether to criticize her for accepting an appointment, which arguably disrespects the 76-year-old Oakland congresswoman. If Butler does decide to remain a caretaker, the objections to the appointment will likely fade as water under the bridge, though any signs that she’s giving aid to any one candidate will be closely scrutinized.

Until we know Butler’s plans, it’s hard to say whether Newsom has successfully solved the problem he created for himself. But without question, Laphonza Butler has the political chops to navigate the sticky situation and, if she decides to run for a full term, the connections and fundraising ability to run a strong campaign.