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Laphonza Romanique Butler (/ l ə ˈ f ɔː n z ə / lə-FON-zə; born May 11, 1979) is an American labor union official and politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since 2023.
- Laphonza Romanique Butler, May 11, 1979 (age 44), Magnolia, Mississippi, U.S.
- Dianne Feinstein
Learn about Senator Laphonza Butler, a Democrat from California who represents the state in the US Senate. She is a former labor leader, a pro-choice advocate, and a champion of fairness and justice for working families and marginalized communities.
Oct 2, 2023 · Laphonza Butler, appointed to fill Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat, would be California’s first openly LGBTQ U.S. Senator and the first Black lesbian to openly serve Congress.
Sep 16, 2021 · Laphonza Butler, a longtime union leader and Democratic strategist, is the group's next president, the first Black woman and first mother to hold that role since EMILY's List was founded in...
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- Overview
- What is Laphonza Butler's professional background?
- What did Butler do with EMILYs List?
Laphonza Butler officially sworn in as California's newest senator 03:21
Laphonza Butler was sworn in Tuesday as a new U.S. senator representing California, replacing Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died last week at the age of 90. Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath of office at the ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said afterwards that Feinstein is "looking down at this moment with pride now that her seat is in good hands."
President Biden called Butler to congratulate her, the White House said.
Butler, a Democrat, was sworn in less than 48 hours after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced her appointment.
Butler tweeted on Monday that she was "honored" to accept Newsom's appointment and said, "I am ready to serve."
According to her biography from EMILYs List, Butler grew up in Magnolia, Mississippi, and attended Jackson State University, a historically Black university.
In an interview with Elle in 2021, Butler said that her family wasn't the kind "that talked about elections or politics at the dinner table, but we were the family that talked about what it meant to be in service to others. What do we do to help somebody?"
In that same interview, she said that while she was working with the SEIU labor union, she was able to "connect it with the jobs my mom had."
"There have been parallels in my career and what I knew my mom experienced as a worker herself," Butler said. "I always felt like the work I've done has been my opportunity to continue my mom's journey and to make those jobs better for the children of those workers."
At the age of 30, Butler was elected the president of the biggest union in California, and the nation's largest homecare workers union, SEIU Local 2015. She also served as SEIU International's vice president and president of the SEIU California State Council.
Butler's biography says she spent 20 years in the labor movement, including working on the campaign to raise the minimum hourly wage to $15 in California, the first state in the country to do so.
Until being appointed to the Senate, Butler served as the president of EMILYs List, the group that supports women in office who support abortion rights. She was the first woman of color to hold that position.
EMILYs List is fundraising juggernaut for Democrats, having raised nearly $68 million in the 2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.
Butler told the news organization Capital B News in an interview in Feb. 2022 that after the 2016 election, "more than 60,000 women reached out to us from all over the country and wanted to offer themselves for public service."
"From a tactical point, we have created online communities for them to connect with each other, we have offered online training and made it accessible no matter what community that person is reaching out to us from, we have made sure that we are working to expand the state and local work of EMILYs List," she said.
EMILYs List issued a statement on Monday praising Butler as a "groundbreaking leader."
According to the statement from Newsom's office, Butler will step down from her role at EMILYs List when she joins the Senate.
- caroline.linton@paramount.com
- CBS News
- Senior Editor, Digital Politics
Sep 13, 2021 · Emily’s List, the fund-raising powerhouse that has helped elect hundreds of women who support abortion rights, has chosen Laphonza Butler, a former union leader and well-connected Democratic...
Oct 2, 2023 · Laphonza Butler, president of Emily’s List and a former labor leader, is Gov. Gavin Newsom of California’s choice to fill the Senate seat of Dianne Feinstein, who died at 90 on Thursday in...
