A little over two weeks after being sworn in to serve the remainder of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term, Sen. Laphonza Butler announced she will not join the already crowded and fierce race to fill the seat for a full six-year term.
“I’ve spent the past 16 days pursuing my clarity - what kind of life I want to have, what kind of service I want to offer and what kind of voice I want to bring forward. After considering those questions I’ve decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election,” Butler said in a statement.
“Knowing you can win a campaign doesn’t always mean you should run a campaign. I know this will be a surprise to many because traditionally we don’t see those who have power let it go. It may not be the decision people expected but it's the right one for me,” the statement continued.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Butler to the position last month following the death of Sen. Feinstein – a move that allowed the governor to fulfill his pledge of to choose a Black woman should the state see another Senate vacancy. Newsom made the pledge following his appointment of Sen. Alex Padilla to fill Kamala Harris’ seat after she was elected vice president. There have been no Black women in the Senate since Harris departed to serve as vice president in 2021.
Butler made history as the first Black lesbian to openly serve as a U.S. Senator.
“California voters want leaders who think about them and the issues they care most about. I now have 383 days to serve the people of California with every ounce of energy and effort that I have,” the statement from Butler read. “Muhammad Ali once said, ‘don’t count the days, make the days count.’ I intend to do just that.”
The former California labor leader most recently served as the president of the political organization EMILY’s List, which seeks to help elect women and candidates who favor abortion rights. Until her swearing in on Oct. 3, Butler had never held public elected office.
By taking her name out of contention to succeed Feinstein for a full term, Butler will not join Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and Katie Porter in a race that is seen as close and already contentious. All three of the House Democrats announced their bids for the seat months ago. Before her death, Feinstein had announced that she would not seek another term, setting off a mad dash to replace her.
Just last week, former professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced his bid for the seat as a Republican. This week, another Democrat, television news anchor Christina Pascucci, launched her run.
Upon appointing Butler, Newsom said it was completely her decision whether she runs for the full term. That represented a shift for Newsom who last month, before the death of Feinstein, called a potential pick an “interim appointment,” indicating he did not want to pick someone who would potentially crash the already established race.
Lee, who the Congressional Black Caucus had urged Newsom to appoint, called the governor’s comment on his pick being a caretaker insulting.
On the day of her swearing in earlier this month, Butler told the LA Times she had 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.”