Three days after the passing of veteran senator Dianne Feinstein, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced today (Monday) that Laphonza Butler will replace her as a senator until the next elections. With this appointment, Butler will become the only Black female senator in the American Congress, marking only the third time in history that a Black woman has been elected to serve as a senator.
45-year-old Butler began her career as the president of SEIU, considered one of the largest workers' organizations in California with over 2 million member workers. In 2021, she was appointed as the chairwoman of the 'Emily's List' organization, which operates throughout the United States to encourage the inclusion of women in politics.
As mentioned, Butler will replace Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away last Friday at the age of 90. Feinstein served as a senator on behalf of the state of California since 1992 and held the longest-serving senatorial position. In February of this year, she announced that she would not seek re-election and planned to retire at the end of her sixth term, which was supposed to conclude in 2025.