Laphonza Butler has been named by California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) to complete the Senate term of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein (D). Butler, president of EMILYs List, the nation’s largest organization for electing women, will become the first out Black lesbian member of Congress and the first out LGBTQ parent senator.
“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 Governor Newsom in a press statement. “As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for—reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence—have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.”
Butler, a long-time political strategist and labor leader, will step down from her position at EMILY’s List to take up her Senate seat. She said in a tweet, “No one will ever measure up to the legacy of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, but I will do my best to honor her legacy and leadership by committing to work for women and girls, workers and unions, struggling parents, and all of California. I am ready to serve.”
Butler and her partner Neneki Lee, the national division director for public services at SEIU, have an 8-year-old daughter.
Butler grew up in Magnolia, MS, and attended Jackson State University, a historically Black university in Mississippi, per her biography at EMILY’s List. Her father, a small-business owner, was diagnosed with a terminal illness and died when she was 16, the Governor’s statement noted. Her mother became the sole provider for Butler and her two siblings, working as a classroom aide, a home care provider, a security guard, and a bookkeeper.
Prior to joining EMILYs List, Butler was Director of Public Policy and Campaigns in North America for Airbnb. She also was a partner and strategist at political consulting firm SCRB Strategies and a senior advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
Additionally, Butler spent nearly 20 years in the labor movement, ultimately serving as the president of the biggest union in California and the nation’s largest homecare workers union, SEIU Local 2015. She was elected at 30 years old, one of the youngest to take on the role. As president, Butler led efforts to address pay inequity for women in California and was a top advocate for raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour (the first state in the nation to do so) and to giving hundreds of thousands of home workers access to paid time off. She also served as an SEIU International Vice President and President of the SEIU California State Council.
Butler was a senior advisor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in California during the primary and general elections. Most recently, she was an operative behind the campaign to make the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors all-women for the first time in its history, with the election of Holly Mitchell.
She has been a member of the University of California Board of Regents and a member of the board of directors for the Children’s Defense Fund and BLACK PAC.
Senators Tammy Baldwin (D) of Wisconsin and Kyrsten Sinema (D) of Arizona precede Butler as out senators, but Butler is the first out senator of color, the first out Black lesbian member of Congress, and the first LGBTQ parent senator.
Why is it important that we note her parental status? It’s not that parents necessarily make better (or worse) elected officials—but sometimes being a parent can give those in public service a better sense of the challenges that parents face. Additionally, for the rest of us, she offers an example of balancing both family and service, and may help more people to see LGBTQ parents and our children as part of the fabric of our nation.
There is no word yet as to whether Butler will seek reelection when Feinstein’s term runs out in 2024. Three Democrats—Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff—are already in a primary contest for the seat. Regardless, Butler is making history by her appointment, and I would bet that no matter what, she will continue to serve her state and our country in some capacity.
