CA Gov. Gavin Newsom picks abortion group prez to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat

UPDATE, 10/4/23:  Laphonza Butler has been sworn in to the U.S. Senate.

10/2/23: Last week, Dianne Feinstein passed away at the age of 90, leaving her Senate term unfinished. California Governor Gavin Newsom was then able to fill the seat with a person of his choice, and he has selected the president of a pro-abortion organization to do so.

Newsom announced that he selected EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler as Feinstein’s replacement. EMILY’s List is the country’s largest pro-abortion lobbying organization, dedicated to electing pro-abortion Democratic women into office.

According to the EMILY’s List website, Butler has a background which includes serving as president of a labor union, as well as in leadership positions for both the Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris presidential campaigns. She will be the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate, as well as the first Black lesbian to serve in Congress in American history.

“An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate,” Newsom said in a press release. “As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.”

Politico reported that Newsom is expected to have Butler sworn in by Wednesday. Yet some have raised questions, as Butler is not a California resident.

According to the New York Post, a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing from the end of August for EMILY’s List had Butler living in Silver Spring, Maryland. Other donation records showed that she has not lived in California since 2021. “Butler is a longtime California resident and homeowner,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told the Post. “She moved to the DC area when she became president of Emily’s List. Butler has already re-registered [to vote] in California.”

Many have already begun to question Butler’s nomination, noting that Newsom seemed more concerned about ensuring Feinstein’s replacement is rabidly pro-abortion above all else.

“[C]alifornia democrats see themselves as so immune to any voter backlash and so dedicated to the national progressive agenda that they’d rather appoint a [M]aryland resident who leads a national abortion advocacy group than find a, you know, [C]alifornian,” one person tweeted.

Another added, “California’s senators now exist to represent national left-wing activist causes, not Californians. She’s the Senator from Planned Parenthood.”