Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Sunday night appointment announcement of Laphonza Butler to fill the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat potentially upends what has largely been a three-way contest that began early this year among three of the state’s Democratic congressional representatives.
The selection came with no preconditions that Butler not seek to keep the job when voters go to the polls next year to choose a senator to serve the Golden State for a full-term starting in January 2025, as Newsom had suggested last month.
It wasn’t immediately clear Monday whether Butler, president since 2021 of EMILY’s List, a Washington, D.C., political organization that supports Democratic women candidates who favor abortion rights, would run to hold on to the appointed seat. She did not respond to a request for comment.
In a statement on social media Monday, Butler said, “I’m honored to accept Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nomination to be U.S. Senator for a state I have made my home and honored by his trust in me to serve the people of California and this great nation.”
But it was widely assumed she’d consider giving voters a chance to keep her in the job. Butler would have until 5 p.m. Dec. 8 to file paperwork to enter the March 5 primary race for the U.S. Senate seat, and should she do so, which many see as likely, she’d be a formidable contender. She’d not only be the appointed incumbent, but has considerable political experience and connections.
“She certainly has deep policy experience, huge political experience, seems like now with this platform she will absolutely be at the front of the conversation for 2024,” said Thad Kousser, political science professor at the University of California-San Diego.
Feinstein’s death last Thursday night forced an appointment decision on Newsom that he’d hoped to avoid. Black leaders objected to his 2021 appointment of California’s other U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla, to replace Kamala Harris, the…
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