Newly appointed Senator Laphonza Butler speaks at Fortune Summit in Laguna Niguel | CPT PPP Coverage

Cryptopolytech (CPT) Public Press Pass (PPP)
News of the Day COVERAGE

200000048 – World Newser
•| #People |•| #World |•| #Online |•| #Media |•| #Outlet |

View more Headlines & Breaking News here, as covered by cryptopolytech.com

For the first time since she was selected to replace the late-Dianne Feinstein, Senator Laphonza Butler made a public appearance, speaking at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel on Monday. 

It hasn’t even been a week since she was hand selected by California Governor Gavin Newsom to replace Feinstein after she died on Sept. 29. 

“Not in my ancestors wildest dreams did I ever believe that I would be the third Black woman to serve in the United States Senate,” Butler said while speaking to the crowd, who met her with a standing ovation.

She says that the six days since her appointment have been extremely surreal. She was sworn into the position, which was previously held by Feinstein for the last 30 years.

“The governor called on that Saturday, you all may recall at that time, just last weekend, we were facing an imminent shut down,” she joked. “The governor did not have a whole lot of time for me to think through the call, there were no phone a friend options.”

Though she knows she has a tall task in front of her, filling the seat of one of American politics most influential women over the last century, she’s not going to try to outdo Feinstein. 

“Look, if I try to measure my service to Senator Feinstein — I fail,” she said, calling on her previous political experience as a way for her to use her new position to make life better for the American people. “I have had the opportunity to serve the economic empowerment of women; the political power of women. And this is just another opportunity for me to do that and to do it in the spirit of Senator Feinstein.”

Prior to her appointment, Butler was known for her time strategizing political campaigns, most notably for Vice President Kamala Harris during her 2020 presidential campaign. For the last decade, she’s acted as President of SEIU in California, the union that represents nearly two million healthcare and public service workers nationwide. 

“Having had the experiences of working to build those coalitions, to make significant change in one of the most dynamic places and economies in the country, and dare I say in the world, I think it’s an asset I can bring and will bring to my service in the US Senate,” she said. 

Her appointment comes at a time as the primary race for her Senate seat heats up, with the likes of Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Representatives Adam Schiff and Katie Porter vying for the position.

When asked if she would throw her hat in the ring, she was reluctant to give a solid answer, still trying to grasp her historic appointment, as she is now the first LGBTQ+ Black woman to serve in the Senate. 

“It’s an early job for me. It is day six, I literally went through orientation, which is three days, in four hours,” she said.

In the meantime, she’s going to use the seat to hopefully give other women inspiration. 

“Hopefully serve as an example for other Black women, other lesbian women and others who just want to live their life their own way,” she said. 

Butler is expected to stay in the Los Angeles area for the next week, where she plans to meet with several local Jewish community leaders to hear what they have to say and what help they need after war broke out in Israel over the weekend.