California Gov. Gavin Newsom has picked Butler, the president of Emily’s List, as the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s successor.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday that he will appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of the abortion rights group Emily’s List, as the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s replacement, helping Democrats retain control of the closely divided chamber.
Butler fulfills two criteria that Newsom sought in Feinstein’s temporary successor: She is a Black woman, and she is not currently campaigning in the 2024 Democratic primary for Feinstein’s seat. Since Kamala Harris became vice president, there has not been a single Black woman serving in the Senate — a void Newsom had promised to fill.
However, most Californians said in a September Berkeley IGS poll that they wanted Newsom to appoint someone who was prepared to run for a full term in 2024. Butler is free to jump into the race, but she could face an uphill battle against well-known and well-funded opponents who have already been campaigning for months.
California Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter are the current frontrunners in the primary, polling at 20 percent and 17 percent support, respectively, in the Berkeley survey. That’s in line with other, limited polling that’s available. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford wrote to Newsom on Sunday urging him to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee, who he presented as the most qualified Black woman for the job. She was polling in third at 7 percent support in the same Berkeley survey, and tends to run roughly 10 percentage points behind Porter in other polls as well. All three have sizable war chests for the campaign, with Schiff, Porter, and Lee having $29.8 million, $10.3 million, and $1.4 million on hand, respectively, at the end of the second quarter.
Should she choose to run, Butler’s extensive experience in advocacy and political campaigns could help her overcome Schiff, Porter, and Lee’s head start.
