California governor appoints pro-abortion PAC leader to U.S. Senate

California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend selected Laphonza Butler to serve the remainder of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term. Feinstein died late last week at the age of 90. She was not planning to run for reelection at the end of her current term in early 2024. Butler is the president of EMILY’s List, a political action committee working to elect pro-abortion Democratic women. She also served as an adviser to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during her failed 2020 presidential campaign. The Senate is expected to swear Butler in this week.

Why did Newsom appoint her? Newsom pledged to fill any vacant congressional seats with a black woman, and he said he would not choose someone already running for the seat. Butler will be the only black woman in the Senate and the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the chamber. Butler currently resides in Maryland, but a spokesman for Newsom said she also owns a home in California.

Dig deeper: Listen to Leo Briceno’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about how Americans are concerned about aging politicians.