By Ray Cardello for October 3, 2023, Season 22 / Post 20

With the passing of Senator Barbara Feinstein last week, the responsibility of replacing the late Senator falls on Governor Gavin Newsom of California to name an individual to serve the remainder of Feinstein’s term on an interim basis. Newsom’s nominee will serve until a Senator is elected in 2024 and sworn in in January 2025. Newsom had made two stipulations when it became apparent that Senator Feinstein was failing and would not survive the remainder of her term. Newsom committed to naming a Black Woman and would insist the nominee not run for the Senate seat in 2024. He has made good on one but may change his tune on the other.

On Sunday night, Gavin Newsom named Laphonza Butler to fill the Feinstein seat. Butler is not a household name and is unfamiliar to most, not just outside California but inside, too. Laphonza Butler is what you get when the person making the appointment paints themselves into a corner with specific promises. Butler is not new to politics as a campaign organizer and operative who has never held a public office. She may not be qualified to be a Senator, but she did check off the two essential boxes. She is Black and a woman who comes to the table with a bonus box checked. Laphonza Butler is a Black Woman who happens to be a Lesbian. She is a trifecta for Governor Gavin Newsom. She is not the best person available for the Senate, but she checks boxes, which is more critical in this Woke World of Politics.

Nobody enters the political world quickly; something is always in their closet. In Butler’s case, she had a huge flaw that had to be rectified Sunday night before the announcement. Laphonza Butler was not a legal resident of California but of Maryland. Butler cannot serve as a Senator of a state she does not live in. So, Butler and Newsom miraculously found a Town Clerk working on a weekend and registered the appointee as a California voter on Sunday night. When will someone throw the Red Challenge Flag and call foul on this process?

From the first stipulation by Newsom, where but in politics can you narrow the search for an employee to a specific Race or Gender? To do so in a private business environment would land you a civil rights or equal opportunity employment violation. Not for the President with his Vice President pick and his Supreme Court nominee, and now we see it is perfectly legal for a Democrat Governor. Is it legal, or is it a case of nobody having the guts to challenge these selections?

Anyone must prove residence to register to vote in a new city or state. There is no way that she could produce the documents to show that she lived in California and not in Maryland, as was detailed in her biography on the website of Emily’s List, where she is the organization’s president. Emily’s List is a political action group focusing on abortion rights.

Aside from the technicalities, Butler’s real issue is whether she checks boxes or is she qualified to be a United States Senator. Nothing in her resume indicates her ability to perform the job, but she will probably be in D.C. for 15 months and will only need to vote, however, she is directed by Chuck Schumer. That she can probably handle. She just needs to watch John Fetterman and do as he does.