Should Butler decide to run, and win a full term, it will be interesting to see who she endorses in a primary between Newsom, who has started Butler’s career in public office, or Harris, who Butler…
California democratic candidate for governor, Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom, takes a selfie picture with Laphonza Butler, president of SEIU local 2015, before speaking at Greater Zion Church in Compton, CA, with Pastor Michael Fisher, June 03, 2018. California Gov. Gavin Newsom fulfilled his long standing promise to appoint a Black woman to the United States Senate when he selected Laphonza Butler to assume the seat of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away at age 90 last week.
Principally, Newsom had to make good on his prior commitment or he would have been excoriated by members of his own party. Butler belongs to Democrats’ two most important demographic groups; African Americans and women. Further, Butler is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, an increasingly influential voting bloc for Democrats.
Additionally, Butler worked for nearly 20 years at the Service Employees International Union, and, as president of its California chapter helped raise the State minimum wage to $15. Newsom has had a rocky relationship with labor throughout his tenure as Governor, so appointing Butler could go a long way to smoothing those issues over.
If President Biden bows out of the race, Harris would be the obvious Democratic frontrunner and the California governor would have to make up significant ground quickly, and appointing a black woman would certainly help Newsom vis-à-vis Harris in a primary. The caucus had urged Newsom to select Lee, but the governor was – wisely – wary of wading into an open Senate race and did not want to lend any of the three declared candidates an upper hand. Picking an outsider insulates Newsom from potential attacks that he played favorites and sought to influence next year’s election.
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