California Sen. Laphonza Butler will not seek a full term

Newly appointed California Sen. Laphonza Butler will not seek a full Senate term next year, avoiding a contest that features three high-profile Democrats jostling for the once-in-a-lifetime job.

"I’ve spent the past 16 days pursuing my 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 statement Thursday. "After considering those questions I’ve decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election. Knowing you can win a campaign doesn’t always mean you should run a campaign."

The news, first reported by the New York Times, means Gov. Gavin Newsom avoids another political quandary of his own making — deciding whether to endorse the candidate he had elevated to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The governor had previously signaled his appointee, whom he pledged would be a Black woman, would be an interim pick. Most observers interpreted that as a desire for that person not to run in the 2024 Senate race that was already well underway. But he later insisted he would not pressure Butler to stay out of the contest.

Butler’s decision also means California’s marquee race in 2024 remains centered on the three Democrats who for months have been mounting a campaign in a state as sprawling as California. Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee have spent much of the year criss-crossing the state courting political activists and raising money.

Each has carved their own niche in the crowded field. Schiff has flexed institutional heft, outraising his competitors by tens of millions and drawing on the formidable political network of his fierce ally, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Porter has parlayed her viral crusades against corporate greed into an uncommonly high profile for a three-term Congress member. And Lee, though lagging substantially in polls and fundraising, has the support of the influential Congressional Black Caucus who want to see a Black woman occupy that Senate seat.

Butler’s candidacy threatened to cut into each candidate’s lane.

Butler’s announcement caps a whirlwind stretch for the senator since Newsom picked her as the short-term replacement for Feinstein, a move that thrust the often behind-the-scenes power player into the public eye.

Before her stint running EMILY’s List relocated her to the Washington, D.C. suburbs, Butler was best known in California as a longtime labor organizer based in Los Angeles who led the statewide operation of the powerful Service Employees International Union. She then worked as a political strategist for candidates, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and corporations such as Uber and Airbnb.

That work put her in the orbit of the state’s most powerful politicians, namely Harris and Newsom. Her familiarity with the latter’s circle made her an appealing, if unanticipated, choice for Newsom after Feinstein’s passing.

In her statement, Butler did not address if she’d seek public office sometime in the future — although chatter was already underway in Sacramento that a governor’s run in 2026 could be in the future.

“California voters want leaders who think about them and the issues they care most about,” she said. “I now have 383 days to serve the people of California with every ounce of energy and effort that I have. Muhammad Ali once said, "don’t count the days, make the days count.’ I intend to do just that.”