California Sen. Laphonza Butler says she won’t seek a six-year term
Sen. Laphonza Butler will not seek a full six-year term next year, the California Democrat said Thursday.
“I’ve decided not to run for a full term in the US Senate. Knowing you can win a campaign doesn’t always mean you should run a campaign,” she said on X, formerly Twitter. “I know this will be a surprise to many because traditionally we don’t see those who have power let it go.”
Butler added: “California voters want leaders who think about them and the issues they care most about. I now have 383 days to serve the people of California with every ounce of energy and effort that I have.”
The former labor leader and Democratic operative, sworn in to office earlier this month to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, was seen as a potential challenger because of her deep connections to party insiders.
But she faced a huge task. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, has $32 million on hand. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, has $11 million to spend. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, has a strong grassroots following among progressives.
To run a competitive campaign would be very difficult, analysts said.
“The Democrats in California I’ve talked to are skeptical of such a quick turnaround,” said Jessica Taylor, Senate editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
While she could probably raise decent amounts of money quickly, “she starts with no name ID,” Taylor said.
Schiff, Porter and Lee are all veteran members of Congress well known in their districts.
What got Butler quickly into the Senate conversation was her resume.
When Newsom appointed her — a surprise choice — she was president of EMILY’s List, which has for a long time promoted Democratic women candidates.
She had also worked at SCRB Strategies in California, which had consulted for some of the state’s most successful Democratic candidates, and worked on then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 2:16 PM.
.jpg)