Gov. Gavin Newsom will select EMILY’s List president Laphonza Butler to fill the seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, per a Sunday night report from Politico.
Butler, a longtime labor leader who joined the Democratic fundraising juggernaut, was rumored to be the selection by Newsom, who had previously vowed to select a black woman not running for the seat in 2024.
Driving the news: The move to select Butler, a powerhouse fundraiser in Democratic circles undoubtedly shakes up the three-man 2024 race to replace Feinstein.
- Per the report, Newsom tapped Butler ”without putting limitations or preconditions on his pick running for the seat in 2024.”
- That provision would enable Butler to seek the seat herself in 2024 against a field that includes Reps. Adam Schiff (D–Pasadena), Katie Porter (D–Irvine), and Lee.
Whoops: Despite the rumors, Butler’s current social media presence did not seem to be prepared for the late Sunday night news, with her X profile listing her home as being in Maryland.
Interesting that Newsom’s reported choice for Senator from California lists her state of residence as Maryland in her X bio. pic.twitter.com/gFxU95HCjF— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) October 2, 2023
1. Curious if any LA based reporter will head to the county registrar tomorrow & see if a current Maryland resident has changed her address back to SoCal.
2. This will be a multi-car pile up, do certain candidates re-run for their House seats. 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🍿🍿🍿 https://t.co/8tPWBOX7Ny— Michael Trujillo (@mikehtrujillo) October 2, 2023
