EDITOR'S NOTE: Multimedia journalist Daniela Pardo spoke with a friend of Laphonza Butler about Gov. Newsom selecting Butler to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat. Click the arrow above to watch the video.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will name Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist and adviser to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a spokesman in his office said Sunday.

What You Need To Know

  • Newsom will name Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist and adviser to Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein

  • Newsom fulfills his pledge to appoint a Black woman if Feinstein’s seat became open

  • Butler leads Emily’s List, a political organization that supports women who favor abortion rights

  • According to the White House, Vice President Harris will swear Butler in on Tuesday at the Capitol

In choosing Butler, Newsom fulfilled his pledge to appoint a Black woman if Feinstein’s seat should become open. However, he had been facing pressure by some Black politicians and advocacy groups to select Rep. Barbara Lee, a prominent Black congresswoman who is already running for the seat.

In a post on social media, Butler said that she is "honored" to accept Newsom's nomination "for a state I have made my home and honored by his trust in me to serve the people of California and this great nation."

"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," Butler wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "I am ready to serve."

Per the White House, Vice President Harris will swear Butler in at the Capitol on Tuesday.

In a statement on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that Democrats are "delighted" to welcome her to the upper chamber.

"Senator-designate Butler joins the Senate at a key time in our nation's history," Schumer said in a statement. "I'm confident that her breadth of work, acumen, and public service will meet this moment and be a great help to Senate Democrats as we continue to deliver for the American People."

Butler leads Emily’s List, a political organization that supports Democratic women candidates who favor abortion rights. She also is a former labor leader with SEIU 2015, a powerful force in California politics.

Butler currently lives in Maryland, according to her Emily's List biography.

Democrats control the Senate 51-49, though Feinstein’s seat is vacant. A quick appointment by Newsom will give the Democratic caucus more wiggle room on close votes, including nominations that Republicans uniformly oppose.

Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress and the longest-serving woman in the Senate, died last week at age 90 after a series of illnesses. She said in February she was would not seek reelection in 2024. Lee is one of several prominent Democrats competing for the seat, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Newsom said he did not want to appoint any of the candidates because it would give them an unfair advantage in the race.

Newsom's spokesman Anthony York said the governor did not ask Butler to commit to staying out of the race. Dec. 8 is the deadline for candidates to file for the office.

Butler has never held elected office but has a long track record in California politics. She served as a senior adviser to Harris's 2020 presidential campaign while working at a political firm filled with strategists who have worked for Newsom and many other prominent state Democrats. She also briefly worked in the private sector for Airbnb.

She called Feinstein “a legendary figure for women in politics and around the country,” in a statement posted after Feinstein's death.

Emily's List, the group Butler leads, focuses on electing Democratic women who support abortion rights. With the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn women's constitutional right to abortion, the issue has become a galvanizing one for many Democrats.

It’s not Newsom’s first time selecting a U.S. senator, after being tasked with choosing a replacement for Kamala Harris when she was elected vice president; at that time he selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla for the post. It was one of a string of appointments Newsom made in late 2020 and early 2021, a power that gave him kingmaker status among the state’s ambitious Democrats.

The seat is expected to stay in Democratic hands in the 2024 election. Democrats in the liberal-leaning state have not lost a statewide election since 2006, and the party holds a nearly 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans.