California’s Gavin Newsom will appoint EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to fill the US Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein last Thursday, the governor’s spokesman said Sunday.
The selection means Newsom will keep his past promise to pick a black woman for Feinstein’s seat if it becomes open.
Butler will be the only black woman in the US Senate.
Butler, who heads a political organization that supports pro-abortion-rights women candidates, is also a former adviser to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
He served as a labor leader with SEIU in 2015, a powerful union that represents more than 400,000 long-term care workers in California, as well — though he never held elected office.
She will be the first LGBTQ person in the Golden State to openly represent California in the chamber.
Laphonza Butler, a former adviser to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, will be the only black woman in the US Senate for Feinstein’s seat.Getty Images
Newsom has faced growing pressure from black activists and lawmakers to elect Rep. Barbara Lee for the chair.
The prominent black congressman is already campaigning for the seat against others like Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Adam Schiff.
Another name mentioned as a potential contender for the seat – although her chances of appointment are slim – is Meghan Markle.
After Feinstein’s death, the phones were “buzzing” with speculation that the Duchess of Sussex might appear to be appointed to fill the seat. Getty Images
Within minutes of Feinstein’s death, the phone was “buzzing” with speculation that the Duchess of Sussex might be appointed to fill the seat until Feinstein’s term ends in January 2025, sources told the Daily Mail.
Newsom has previously said he doesn’t want to nominate someone running for office in 2024 because it would give them an unfair advantage in a highly contested race.
But Newsom’s spokeswoman said the governor had not asked Butler to commit to staying out of the race.
A statue of former San Francisco mayor and US Senator Dianne Feinstein in front of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office at City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2023. JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Candidates must file paperwork to contest the seat by Dec. 8.
Butler called Feinstein “a legendary figure for women in politics and across the country” after her death at age 90.
Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992, although she faced pressure to step down recently after a series of health problems.
Before her death, Feinstein said she would not run for re-election next year.
Newsom previously selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve in the Senate after Kamala Harris was selected as vice president with President Biden in 2020.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
