California Governor Gavin Newsom will reportedly appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of far-left EMILY’s List, to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in the U.S. Senate after Feinstein passed away last week.
Politico broke the news on Sunday evening, which comes after Feinstein died Thursday night at 90 years old, noting that the appointment comes “without putting limitations or preconditions on his pick running for the seat in 2024.” This means that Butler can join the existing field of contenders for the party’s nominee in 2024.
The current contenders for the 2024 include Democrat Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee.
Various reports published on Sunday, before Newsom’s selection was revealed, indicated that Feinstein’s replacement was expected to be sworn in this week.
“This means that California will not only get a Black woman Senator but also its first openly lesbian Senator,” noted journalist Yashar Ali. “Laphonza will be the second lesbian to serve in the Senate.”
Journalists online noted that Butler listed her state of residence on her X account as Maryland.
“FEC filings from EMILY’s List record Laphonza Butler’s residence as Silver Springs, Maryland as recently as 31 days ago,” said FEC analyst Rob Pyers. “FPPC and FEC filings indicate that soon-to-be California Senator Laphonza Butler hasn’t been a resident of the state for over two years.”
FPPC and FEC filings indicate that soon-to-be California Senator Laphonza Butler hasn't been a resident of the state for over two years. pic.twitter.com/IejF3ndnPO
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 2, 2023
Pyers noted that EMILY’s List was already cleaning up their website to hide where Butler allegedly lives. The organization removed the following line from their website: “She lives in Maryland with her partner Neneki Lee and their daughter Nylah.”
EMILY’s List is a political action committee that helps elect pro-abortion activists to political offices across the country.
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