California Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint Laphona Butler, the president of radical abortion group EMILY’s List, to fill the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat following her death last week. As Matt reported on Monday, critics have focused on the fact that despite having a house in California, she’s a resident of Maryland and will need to reregister to vote in The Golden State.
FEC filings from EMILY's List record Laphonza Butler's residence as Silver Springs, Maryland as recently as 31 days ago. https://t.co/FjZkJ9Ugf0 pic.twitter.com/2FzA8MVqfU
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 2, 2023
Given the optics, Butler quickly got to work scrubbing references to that fact, which was listed on her X page and her EMILY's List bio.
Emily's List confirms Laphonza Butler lives in Maryland.
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) October 2, 2023
It just scrubbed this from its web site. pic.twitter.com/RIeAmMdAJp
BREAKING: Laphonza Butler just removed her Maryland residency from her Twitter bio. pic.twitter.com/BAxmiYxjaM
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) October 2, 2023
In a statement about Newsom's decision, Butler said she was "honored...to be U.S. Senator for a state I have long called 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.
— Laphonza Butler (@LaphonzaB) October 2, 2023
“I am humbled by the Governor’s trust," she said. "Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s leadership and legacy are immeasurable. I will do my best to honor her by devoting my time and energy to serving the people of California and the people of this great nation."
Laphonza Butler statement on becoming California's newest senator>>>https://t.co/its73MqRcj pic.twitter.com/TRhDWwGc4b
— Max Cohen (@maxpcohen) October 2, 2023
Prior to her work with EMILY's List, Butler previously served as a senior adviser to Kamala Harris's 2020 presidential campaign and worked for other prominent Democrats in the state. She also spent more than a decade as president of California's largest labor union, SEIU Local 2015.
According to Politico, she is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday.