Laphonza Butler was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to replace longtime Senator Dianne Feinstein who died last week at the age of 90. Butler is the first Black lesbian to serve in Congress and the first openly LGBTQ senator from California.
In 2021 Butler became the President of EMILY’s List, which works to elect Democratic women. She led SEIU Local 2015, the largest labor union in California.
Butler has also been a member of the University of California Board of Regents and the director of public policy and campaigns in North America for Airbnb.
“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. “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 lives in Maryland but says she plans to switch her voter registration.