California Gov. Gavin Newson named abortion-rights leader Laphonza Butler to fill the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat, selecting a Democratic operative who checks all the boxes except for one — she doesn’t currently live in California.
Ms. Butler was appointed to complete the Senate term even though she has resided for the last two years in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she moved after becoming president of Emily’s List, a super PAC aimed at electing pro-choice Democratic women.
She was also registered to vote in Maryland before being named Monday to assume the seat left by Mrs. Feinstein, who died Friday. Campaign donations made earlier this year list Ms. Butler’s residence as Maryland, as shown on the Federal Election Commission website.
Ms. Butler, who was born in Mississippi, attended Jackson State University, and got her start as a union organizer in Baltimore, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, moved to California in 2009, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Republicans were quick to dust off the “carpetbagger” label, starting with Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, who accused Mr. Newsom of appointing “Maryland’s third U.S. senator.”
“Out of 40 million California residents, Gavin Newsom seriously couldn’t find one to serve in the Senate?” asked Mr. Gallagher. “Heck, if he wanted someone with California roots and legislative experience, he could have given me a call.”
He said Californians “deserve real representation, not a political favor for a well-connected campaign operative who doesn’t even live here.”
Mr. Newsom’s office defended the selection, saying that Ms. Butler owns property in the state. Before joining Emily’s List, she served as president of the Service Employees International Union Local 2015 in Los Angeles, the state’s largest union, and worked on Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential bid.
“Butler is a longtime California resident and homeowner,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon told The Washington Times. “She moved to the DC area when she became president of EMILY’s List in 2021. She has re-registered to vote in California.”
Evidently Republicans weren’t the only ones who viewed her Maryland address as a drawback. Screenshots indicate that Emily’s List scrubbed a sentence from her online biography that said she “lives in Maryland with her partner Neneki Lee and their daughter Nylah.”
EMILY’s List appeared to scrub its website of a reference to Laphonza Butler’s Maryland residence in the hours after her appointment was announced.https://t.co/JMcd9CE5QJ
— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) October 2, 2023
Democrats cheered the appointment as groundbreaking. Ms. Butler becomes the first Black lesbian to serve in Congress, and the “first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate,” said the governor’s press release.
“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,” said Mr. Newsom.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Ms. Butler as a “great choice for California and for the Senate.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called her a “lifelong champion for women and girls and working families.”
“Senator-designate Butler will be effective from the start in delivering for the people of California,” tweeted Ms. Pelosi.
Ms. Butler emphasized her Golden State bona fides in her acceptance statement.
“I’m honored to accept Gov. @GavinNewsom’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,” she posted.
California primary implications
The flap over Mr. Newsom’s decision to appoint a woman who no longer resides in California topped off a vacancy-filling process fraught with political bungling.
Mrs. Feinstein announced in February she would not seek reelection in 2024, after 31 years in the Senate. A month later, Mr. Newsom said he would fill any vacancy with a Black woman.
That made the obvious choice California Rep. Barbara Lee, who had already announced her candidacy for the 2024 Democratic Senate nomination. The primary is March 5.
Last month, however, Mr. Newsom said he intended to make an “interim appointment” to avoid putting his thumb on the scale in favor of any of the Democratic hopefuls, who include Reps. Katie Porter and Adam B. Schiff.
“That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Mr. Newsom’s latest condition earned him a rebuke from Ms. Lee, who said she found the remarks troubling.
“If the Governor intends to keep his promise and appoint a Black woman to the Senate, the people of California deserve the best possible person for that job. Not a token appointment,” Ms. Lee said on Sept. 10 on social media.
That doesn’t mean that Ms. Butler has agreed to stay out of the race.
“There are no conditions related to the governor’s appointment of Senator-Designate Butler,” said Mr. Gardon. “That decision is entirely hers.”
With her extensive campaign experience and Democratic fundraising connections, Ms. Butler could be a formidable candidate if she decides to throw her hat in the ring. The deadline for entering the primary race is Dec. 8.
Ms. Lee, who lives in Oakland, took the high road Monday, saying that “I wish @LaphonzaB well and look forward to working closely with her to deliver for the Golden State.”
“I am singularly focused on winning my campaign for Senate,” she said on X. “CA deserves an experienced Senator who will deliver on progressive priorities. That’s exactly what I’m running to do.”
Meanwhile, pro-life advocates accused Mr. Newsom of being more concerned about appointing a pro-choice “extremist” than someone who actually lives in California.
“The pay-to-play system couldn’t be more obvious, with an unelected Senate seat as the ultimate reward,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America. “Newsom even passed over staunch pro-abortion candidates who reside in California, in favor of a Beltway insider and the biggest pro-abortion extremist he could find.”
Houman David Hemmati, a California ophthalmologist, quipped that “Laphonza Butler’s street address, voter registration address, drivers license address, tax return address etc do NOT matter.”
“She IDENTIFIES as a Californian,” Mr. Hemmati posted. “Stop criticizing the governor’s choice and please stop mis-residencing her.”
The “carpetbagger” label has been cited as a key factor in Mehmet Oz’s 2022 loss to Democrat John Fetterman in the Pennsylvania Senate race. The Republican bought a home in Pennsylvania shortly before running for office, but had long lived in New Jersey.
“Fun comparing journalist important coverage of Laphonza Butler’s residence not being in California, with say, Mehmet Oz,” posted conservative media critic Stephen L. Miller.
Mr. Newsom also appointed Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla to fill the seat Ms. Harris vacated when she became vice president in January 2021. Mr. Padilla was born in Los Angeles.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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