California Gov. Newsom will appoint Laphonza Butler to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat (Breaking)

[Gefn]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY’s List, to fill the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, his office confirmed Sunday evening.

Butler will become the sole Black female senator serving in Congress and only the third in US history. Feinstein, the longest-serving female US senator in history, died last week at 90.

The selection of Butler, first reported by Politico, comes as Democrats hold a narrow Senate majority and uncertainty looms over New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s political future amid outcry from his Democratic colleagues over his federal indictment.



https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/01/politics/laphonza-butler-dianne-feinstein-successor/index.html

[Gefn]

breaking.

[Free Vulcan]

Have never heard of her, mostly an activist resume. She seems like a bolt out of the blue. Any inside baseball here?

[Hoodat]

Just another proxy vote for Schumer.

[Right_in_Virginia]

A little more -----

CNN — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY’s List, to fill the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, his office confirmed Sunday evening.

Butler has been the president of EMILY’s List, which works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, since the group’s board of directors appointed her in 2021, when she became the first woman of color to lead the organization. She previously worked at Airbnb as a director of public policy and campaigns and advised Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, but much of her background is in the labor movement, serving as a union president in California.

California will hold two Senate elections next November: a special election for the remaining months of Feinstein’s term until January 2025 and another for a full six-year term.

Primaries for both races will be held in March, and, under the California system, all candidates will run on the same ballot, with the top two, regardless of party, advancing to the general election.

More:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/01/politics/laphonza-butler-dianne-feinstein-successor/index.html

[Right_in_Virginia]

(Politico)

Butler is expected to be sworn-in to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday by Vice President Kamala Harris.

The swift nature of Newsom’s appointment cuts politicians and their allies off from mounting more sustained efforts to lobby the governor and his inner circle over his pick. And it halts interest groups that were starting to apply pressure on him, including over the question of whether he would require them to serve only temporarily. On Sunday, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford wrote to Newsom urging him to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee, a candidate for the Senate whom the governor recently ruled out over worries about giving someone a leg up.

Butler is a veteran organizer and well-known in Newsom’s orbit. He contemplated hiring the Southern Mississippi native to be his first chief of staff, and she was a one-time partner in the San Francisco-based consulting firm, now known as Bearstar Strategies, with his top political advisers. She has remained a confidant of Vice President Kamala Harris, after serving as a senior strategist on her 2020 presidential campaign.

Butler is the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate.

More:
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/01/newsom-senate-pick-butler-00119360

[Right_in_Virginia]

@Gefn  ♥️

[jafo2010]

With her selection, maybe the Republicans will have a chance if they select someone of note when the election roles around.

Based on what is written above, she has zero credentials.  I am sorry, but being black, being female and being a member of the alphabet soup is NOT qualifications to be a US Senator.  Not now, not ever.  But in this upside down, inside out world we live in, she is just perfect!!!!!!!!!

[Smokin Joe]

With her selection, maybe the Republicans will have a chance if they select someone of note when the election roles around.

Based on what is written above, she has zero credentials.  I am sorry, but being black, being female and being a member of the alphabet soup is NOT qualifications to be a US Senator.  Not now, not ever.  But in this upside down, inside out world we live in, she is just perfect!!!!!!!!!

Hey, now. She checks as many boxes as the press secretary...

[Kamaji]

[catfish1957]

Hey, now. She checks as many boxes as the press secretary...

Yep, the proverbial three-fer.  An EEOC Record Keeper's Wet Dream.

[Wingnut]

Hey, now. She checks as many boxes as the press secretary...

Those are the keys to success in today virtual signaling party. 

[mystery-ak]

Gavin Newsom Will Appoint EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to Fill Feinstein’s Senate Seat



Paul Bois 1 Oct 2023

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will reportedly appoint EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate seat that Dianne Feinstein vacated upon her recent death.

“Newsom is moving swiftly to name the next senator, two days after Feinstein’s death and just as a perilously split Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown. Senate Democrats are in need of every vote in the closely divided chamber,” reported Politico on Sunday.

The New York Times confirmed on Sunday that Newsom would be appointing Butler to fill the U.S. Senate seat.

Anthony York, an adviser to Newsom, told Politico that Newsom would make his appointment so as not to shift the momentum of the current Democrats running for the seat in 2024. Butler would have to battle it out with the likes of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) if she wants to secure the seat again for another six years.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/10/01/report-gavin-newsom-will-appoint-emilys-list-president-laphonza-butler-to-fill-feinsteins-senate-seat/

[mystery-ak]

Black Democrats Furious at Newsom for Not Picking Barbara Lee

Several leading black Democrats are criticizing California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for nominating Laphonza Butler of Maryland to fill Dianne Feinstein’s Senate vacancy instead of current Senate candidate Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA).

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/10/02/black-democrats-furious-at-newsom-for-not-picking-barbara-lee/

[mystery-ak]

Incoming California Sen. Laphonza Butler's address shows her living in Maryland
by Rachel Schilke, Breaking News Reporter
October 02, 2023 07:31 AM

The appointment of Laphonza Butler to become California's newest senator is already raising some eyebrows as she appears to be registered to vote in Maryland with an address in that state.

Registration records indicate that Butler lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her mailing address the same as her residential. She registered as a Democrat as of Sept. 12, 2022.

https://twitter.com/MatthewFoldi/status/1708681338511917083

Butler is the president of EMILYs List, the self-described "nation's largest resource dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women to office," and a longtime leader in California before her move to Maryland.

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/incoming-california-senator-laphonza-butler-living-in-maryland

[PeteS in CA]

Noisome is trying to split a political hair. On one hand he had promised to appoint a black woman, should DiFei resign (that was a year or two ago), but more recently he had said he would not appoint one of the candidates for DiFei's seat, so as to be neutral among those candidates. The Congressional Black Caucus had asked (demanded?) that Noisome appoint Baa-Baa- Lee, who is a black woman, but she is an announced candidate for DiFei's seat. Appointing Butler splits the hair between Noisome's two promises. Whether that mollifies the CBC remains to be seen.

[mountaineer]

She checked all the boxes except actually being a California resident. Oh well, close enough for Democrat gubmint work.

[mountaineer]

 Emily’s List literally says that Butler LIVES IN MARYLAND

https://twitter.com/MatthewFoldi/status/1708680753859424414

[Wingnut]

Emily’s List literally says that Butler LIVES IN MARYLAND

https://twitter.com/MatthewFoldi/status/1708680753859424414

Where is she registered to vote

[PeteS in CA]

FWIW from https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2022-primary/section-1-general-info.pdf :

At least 30 years of age, citizen of the United
States for at least nine years, and resident of
California when elected
U.S. Const., art. I, §§ 1, 3; 20th Amend., § 1

Since Laphonza Butler won't be elected, that puts her in No (Wo)Man's Land wrt requirements for US Senator from California. Then again Emily's List isn't California's voter registration rolls. So Butler might, in fact, be a resident of California.

[Wingnut]

Where is she registered to vote

Newsom's office told Fox News Digital that Butler moved to the suburbs near Washington, D.C., when she became EMILY's List president in 2021, and that she has a house in California. The governor's office added that Butler will re-register to vote in California before she is sworn in.

[Gefn]

@Gefn  ♥️

Thank you @Right_in_Virginia 🩷

[libertybele]

Does it really matter? Calalifornia will continue to stay Blue.

[mystery-ak]

Gavin Newsom: Laphonza Butler Will Be ‘First Black Lesbian to Openly Serve in the U.S. Senate’

Laphonza Butler will be the “first black lesbian to openly serve in the U.S. Senate,” California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom touted on Monday after nominating Butler to fill the Senate seat that Dianne Feinstein vacated upon her death Friday.



more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/10/02/gavin-newsom-laphonza-butler-will-be-first-black-lesbian-openly-serve-u-s-senate/

[mystery-ak]

Political Operative Laphonza Butler Has Longtime Ties to Harris, Clinton, and Newsom

U.S. Senate nominee Laphonza Butler is a longtime political operative with ties to Vice President Kamala Harris, failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — the man who nominated her to fill the seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).



https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/10/02/political-operative-laphonza-butler-has-longtime-ties-to-harris-clinton-and-newsom/

[Fishrrman]

Gotta give greasy gavin credit for this one:
He's actually appointed a Senator likely to be worse than kamala (sutra)...!

[mountaineer]

Gotta give greasy gavin credit for this one:
He's actually appointed a Senator likely to be worse than kamala (sutra)...!

And he didn't give Adam Schiff a moment's consideration, which is kind of priceless.

[PeteS in CA]

And he didn't give Adam Schiff a moment's consideration, which is kind of priceless.

He has the wrong skin color, and, he claims, the wrong reproductive plumbing.

[mountaineer]

Fat lot of good all this pandering did you, Adam.

[mystery-ak]

GOP lawmaker Issa demands answers from Newsom, Senate leaders on Laphonza Butler's Maryland residency
Issa says Butler's appointment a potential violation of California constitution
By Jamie Joseph Fox News
Published October 2, 2023 3:00pm EDT

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., is expected to send a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday afternoon expressing concern over Newsom’s recent appointee to replace the late Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Newsom tapped Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY's List – a Democratic political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing pro-abortion Democratic women to office – for the vacant interim Senate seat late Sunday evening.

However, Butler's home address is listed in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Issa is questioning the constitutionality of her ability to take office while residing in a different state than the one she will represent.

"We're not talking about the question of majority, we're talking about 38 million Californians who have an absolute right to have somebody who puts California first – not who puts the District of Columbia first or Maryland, where she's a resident, first," Issa told Fox News Digital in an interview Monday.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-issa-demands-answers-newsom-senate-leaders-laphonza-butlers-maryland-residency

[Wingnut]

Lallapaloosa Butler might be in for a fight.

[Free Vulcan]

I know in Iowa you must be a resident of the district the day you take office, but not to be a candidate or be appointed.

Not saying I agree with that, but Cali may be like that.

[mountaineer]

I recall that Dick Gephardt never lived in the district he "represented," either. A lot of House members don't.  But a Senator not living in the state is really pathetic.

[Elderberry]

NEWSOM JUMPS THE SHARK

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/10/newsom-jumps-the-shark.php

California Governor Gavin Newsom promised to appoint a black woman to replace the late Dianne Feinstein in the Senate, so you know this is a man who has his priorities in order. Politico reveals that Newsom will appoint Laphonza Butler to fill Feinstein’s seat. Butler apparently does not reside in California — Politico reports that she is registered to vote in Maryland.

However, Butler owns a home in California. When it comes to her declaration of residence, she’d rather switch than fight. She will change her voter registration to California. On this point, the Wall Street Journal reports, Butler didn’t respond to a request for comment.

In a state of some 40 million residents, Newsom could not find one who fit the bill quite like Laphonza Butler. Butler is the president of the pro-abortion fundraising group EMILY’S LIST. That’s how you know her heart is in the right place. She is a devout believer in the abortion orthodoxy.

Politico also doesn’t say whether Butler will stand down from the pending 2024 election contest for the seat she is to occupy. The Democratic candidates running for the seat constitute a parade of horribles: Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee. I am not familiar with Phonzie, as I would guess her friends call her, but I sense that she would fit right in. If she went for it, she would not be jumping the shark. Considering the number of boxes he has checked in making her appointment, however, I think Newsom may have done it.

[mountaineer]

Donny Ferguson
@DonnyFerguson
ABC News just did a segment on Laphonza Butler that never mentioned abortion.
They described EMILYs List as “a group that elects women.”
That’s a surprise to the 10 pro-life congresswomen they tried to defeat last year, three of which they tried to replace with men.
6:59 PM · Oct 2, 2023

[Polly Ticks]

Donny Ferguson
@DonnyFerguson
ABC News just did a segment on Laphonza Butler that never mentioned abortion.
They described EMILYs List as “a group that elects women.”
That’s a surprise to the 10 pro-life congresswomen they tried to defeat last year, three of which they tried to replace with men.
6:59 PM · Oct 2, 2023

That is very interesting, considering pro-life positions are supposedly a millstone around conservative candidates' necks.  You'd think they'd be shouting it loud and proud that she is a pro-abortion activist.

[mountaineer]

If men aren't supposed to have an opinion on abortion because they lack vaginas, why should lesbians? Not that lesbians can't get pregnant, but I doubt it could happen unexpectedly or accidentally.

[rangerrebew]

Newsom replaces vacant Feinstein senate seat with wealthy black lesbian from Maryland
10/04/2023 // Ethan Huff // 2.1K Views
 

Keeping true to his COVID-era promise to replace the next vacant U.S. Senate seat in California with a black woman, regardless of her qualifications – or lack thereof – Gov. Gavin Newsom is commemorating the recent death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein with Laphonza Butler, a black lesbian who worked as senior adviser to Kamala Harris's failed 2020 presidential campaign.

Butler is the first black lesbian to ever openly serve in Congress – because why not? Modern America seems to worship at the altar of LGBT. She is also not a resident of California, but rather lives in Maryland – because again, why not? American politics in 2023 is a clown circus, after all.

Another "qualification" that drew Newsom to appoint Butler as one of the two U.S. senators representing California is the fact that she is president of the pro-abortion organization EMILY's List.

Butler will finish out the remaining term that Feinstein would have served, which lasts until 2024. After that, should she choose to formally run, Butler could challenge pervert and "pencil neck" Rep. Adam Schiff, who himself was hoping Feinstein would live at least until the next election so he could rise to the Senate.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-10-04-newsom-replaces-feinstein-senate-black-lesbian-maryland.html

[andy58-in-nh]

"Pro-abortion, wealthy black lesbian labor union organizer" is basically the face of today's Democrat Party.

[DCPatriot]

Puzzled how Californians feel about this...  Do they care?  Are they even aware it happened?

How would you feel if your governor appointed somebody outside his/her State to be a U.S. Senator?

Furthermore...they couldn't find a black lesbian woman who lives in California?   

Makes me wonder if Newsome ever read Andrew Carnegie?

[Mod2]

Merged threads

[GtHawk]

Puzzled how Californians feel about this...  Do they care?  Are they even aware it happened?

How would you feel if your governor appointed somebody outside his/her State to be a U.S. Senator?

Furthermore...they couldn't find a black lesbian woman who lives in California?   

Makes me wonder if Newsome ever read Andrew Carnegie?

The democrat Californians probably don't give a rats ass because...democrats, as for the rest of us what choice have we? Those who can leave the state do, but there are a great many like me, who for one reason or another can't leave(my wife would never ever move away from our children and grandchildren), so are stuck making the best of a crappy situation. The best thing that could happen in California is for the SMOD to strike the state capitol while a joint session with The governor and lieutenant governor were in attendance.....at least we would get a reprieve and shot at a reset