Following the death of Dianne Feinstein, political speculation has been rife in political circles regarding the future of her short-term successor, Sen. LaFonza Butler, who was appointed to the House of Representatives. Will she return to California and run for office? Could he be the next leader of the Democratic National Committee?
Asked on Saturday night whether he saw himself pursuing such a prospect, Butler, 45, offered a rare clarity for a politician.
“I’m not,” she said in an interview after the farewell gala at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. “We have an incredible depth of talent of great thinkers and strategists who can take on the job.”
After gaining national recognition as Los Angeles’ powerful labor commissioner and as president of Emily’s List, a national political organization focused on raising money to elect Democratic women, Ms. He was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Gavin Newsom a month ago. . Had Mr. Butler gone that route, the post would have been the springboard for a strong run to retain his seat in November’s election. But she ruled out that option early, resulting in Rep. Adam Schiff winning the seat. He is expected to take office by mid-December.
Butler departed on a farewell tour of California and met with supporters in the Los Angeles area on Saturday. The event featured a warm and revealing on-stage conversation with Mayor Karen Bass, a longtime ally.
Describing the Senate as a “foreign country,” Butler detailed the unforeseen challenges that characterized his tenure, including Hamas’ stealth attack on Israel in October 2023 and the resulting bloody war. The Senate’s refusal to impeach the Democratic Secretary of Homeland Security by House Republicans. And four votes were called for to stop the government shutdown.
“Nevertheless, when I found out 14 months ago that I would accept this appointment, what I said yes to was that I would give back to you for everything you have given me.” she told an audience that included local elected officials and workers. Activists and other Democratic constituencies.
Sen. LaFonza Butler, left, laughs with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass during a farewell event at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center on Saturday.
(Seema Mehta/Los Angeles Times)
Butler said he would work with Republicans to find areas of cooperation toward common goals, such as maternal health issues with Alabama Sen. Katie Britt and agriculture issues with Iowa Sen. Charles E. Grassley. talked about.
Butler and Bass spoke about their shared experience of being one of the few black women to serve in Congress. Butler said some of her fellow senators seemed surprised by her outspokenness, admiring her outspokenness, and recalled hearing a “blatant Aunt Jemima” joke. Ms. Bass recalled that congressmen often confused her with Reps. Marsha Fudge of Ohio and Barbara Lee of Oakland, who are also black.
Butler, who co-chaired Vice President Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful bid for the White House, later spoke to reporters about the role of race and gender in the presidential race. She said stereotypes and barriers to electing women of color still exist, but it would be “intellectually dishonest” to blame Harris’ defeat solely on racism and misogyny. .
“That’s something that people have thought about, and I’m not going to ignore that compared to women at the top of government, it’s a wall that we as a country have yet to break through,” Butler said. But “when more than 70% of Americans feel our country is heading in the wrong direction, it’s not just about race or gender.”
He said Democrats need to figure out why many of the policies they have adopted somehow don’t resonate with voters, even though they actually help Americans. said.
“The election results show there is a problem with messaging,” Butler said. “There are problems with understanding what is being said and what people feel and want from their government, their lives and their communities.”
Butler isn’t too sure what she’ll do next.
“I don’t know. I’m going to be a mother to a 10-year-old who has developed a new habit of competitive cheering,” she said, adding that she has no intention of moving back to California from Washington, D.C., anytime soon. Her daughter is finishing the school year.
“She just started her senior year. I’m not going to pull her out of her senior year, that’s for sure,” she said. “We’ll see. But you know, the vagaries of my life shouldn’t interfere with hers.”
