“Laphonza has spent her entire career fighting for women and girls and has been a fierce advocate for working people,” Newsom said.
“From her time as President of EMILY’s List to leading the state’s largest labor union, she has always stood up for what is right and has led with her heart and her values,” the governor added. “I have no doubt she will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington.”
Emily’s List is a powerful Democrat-aligned political action committee (PAC) that supports the election campaigns of Democratic women in races across the US, in particular those who place abortion at the center of their campaigns. Butler has led the PAC since 2021.
Before that, Butler was a regent of the University of California system and spent many years as an organizer for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), becoming President of SEIU Local 2015, which represents 325,000 nursing home and home-care workers. She and her wife live in Maryland, but reportedly own a home in California as well, according to US media reports.
In choosing Butler, Newsom spurned the recommendations of several leading Democrats, including Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford, and Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, both of whom publicly urged Newsom to pick Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents California’s 12th District in the US House of Representatives.
Feinstein died on Friday at the age of 90, the oldest and longest-serving member of the US Senate. Her death came after a prolonged and increasingly public degeneration of her health that included her handing over control of her estate; however, she refused to yield her office despite the pleadings of both fellow Democrats and her constituents.