>>21753655
Appointed U.S. Senator from California decided not to run for re-election at the end of the term for the seat formerly occupied by the late Feinstein, hence we have Schiff and Garvey vying for it now.
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" Butler won’t run for California Senate seat in 2024
by Al Weaver - 10/19/23 5:11 PM ET
The Hill's Headlines – October 11, 2024
Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) announced Thursday she will not run for a full term in the Senate next year after she replaced the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) earlier this month.
Butler told The New York Times in an interview that she realized during her initial weeks in the upper chamber the seat is “not the greatest use of my voice” and plans to be the “the loudest, proudest champion of California” throughout her year in office.
“I’ve always believed elected leaders should have real clarity about why they’re in office and what they want to do with the responsibility and power they have. I’ve spent the past 16 days pursuing my own 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,” Butler said in a subsequent statement.
“After considering those questions I’ve decided not to run for a full term in the U.S. Senate,” Butler said. “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.”
Butler recently left her post as president of EMILY’s List to accept California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) appointment to replace Feinstein, who was a titanic figure in Democratic and California politics for more than three decades.
The move also likely sets in stone the Democratic field for the seat, which includes Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).
Steve Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres first baseman, has announced a bid as a Republican in the coming jungle primary."
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4265696-laphonza-butler-california-senate-2024-gavin-newsom-adam-schiff-dianne-feinstein/
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"Pressed in a national television interview about whether he would appoint a Black woman to a future Senate vacancy, Newsom replied, “I have multiple names in mind. We have multiple names in mind – and the answer is yes.”
As Feinstein’s health deteriorated, the issue arose again and in early September, appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Newsom said that he would honor his pledge but only as an “interim appointment.”
“Yes. Interim appointment,” Newsom told interviewer Chuck Todd. “I don’t want to get involved in the primary. It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”
That statement appeared to declare that his appointee would not run for a full term, and Lee, a Black woman, called it “insulting.”
“I am troubled by the governor’s remarks,” Lee said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election.”
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/10/newsom-senate-hole-laphonza-butler/