In a fitting scene given their past ties, Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday swore in Laphonza Butler at the U.S. Capitol to fill the Senate seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. 

There have been no Black women in the Senate since Harris departed to serve as vice president in 2021. Butler is the first since Harris' exit.

What You Need To Know

  • Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday swore in Laphonza Butler at the U.S. Capitol to fill the Senate seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein

  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Butler to fill the seat following the death of Feinstein last week 

  • Butler was most recently serving as the president of Emily's List, a political organization that seeks to help elect women and candidates who favor abortion rights; she spent years as a labor leader in California and was an advisor to Harris in her 2020 presidential bid

  • Butler told the LA Times she has not decided if she if going to run for the seat once her appointment expires; three Democratic House members have are already running for the seat

Harris delivered the oath to Butler as she presided over the Senate. Butler received a standing ovation and cheers after she was sworn in.

Butler makes history as the first Black lesbian to openly serve as a U.S. Senator.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the Emily's List president to fill the seat following the death of Feinstein last week. 

"From her time as President of EMILY's List to leading the state's largest labor union, she has always stood up for what is right and has led with her heart and her values," Newsom wrote in a social media post. "I have no doubt she will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington."

In tapping Butler, Newsom fulfilled a pledge he made following his appointment of Sen. Alex Padilla to fill Harris’ seat when she left for the vice presidency to choose a Black woman should the state see another Senate vacancy. 

Butler said Monday she had accepted Newsom’s nomination to serve “a state I have made my home.”

“No one will ever measure up to the legacy of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, but I will do my best to honor her legacy and leadership by committing to work for women and girls, workers and unions, struggling parents, and all of California. I am ready to serve,” she said.

Although she is currently based in the Washington area leading Emily's List, a political organization that seeks to help elect women and candidates who favor abortion rights, Butler, now 44, spent years in the golden state. 

She was a leader with the Service Employees International Union, where she pushed for policies such as raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. In 2018, she was appointed to the University of California Board of Regents and later served as an advisor to Harris during her 2020 presidential campaign. 

Democrats narrowly control the Senate and a quick appointment by Newsom will give the Democratic caucus more wiggle room on close votes, including nominations that Republicans uniformly oppose. The urgency to fill Feinstein’s seat was on full display over the weekend as Congress raced to avoid a government shutdown. 

Fairly quickly upon taking the seat, Butler will have to decide whether to add her name to a robust list of Democrats hoping to fill Feinstein’s seat for a full term. Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and Katie Porter all announced their intentions to assume the role months ago. Feinstein had announced in February of this year that she would not seek another term. 

Butler told the LA Times she has not decided whether she will run for the seat.

“I have no idea," she told the outlet. "I genuinely don’t know. I want to be focused on honoring the legacy of Sen. Feinstein. I want to devote my time and energy to serving the people of California. And I want to carry her baton with the honor that it deserves and so I genuinely have no idea.”

Newsom on Monday said it is completely her decision. That represented a shift for Newsom who last month, before the death of Feinstein, called a potential pick an “interim appointment,” adding he would not want to veer into the race. 

Lee, who the Congressional Black Caucus had urged Newsom to appoint, called the governor’s comment on his pick being a caretaker insulting. 

Newsom on Monday emphasized that when he made the comment he did not expect Feinstein to die in office. 

Adding perhaps another layer to the mix, California voters will see the Senate seat on their ballots in the March primary and November general elections twice. Voters will be asked to choose a candidate to fill the seat for the last few weeks of the current term and then choose again to fill the seat for the full term starting in Jan. 2025. 

The filing deadline for Senate candidates to appear on March’s primary ballot is Dec. 8.