Laphonza Butler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laphonza Butler
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Official portrait, 2023
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| United States Senator from California |
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| In office October 1, 2023 – December 8, 2024 |
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| Appointed by | Gavin Newsom |
| Preceded by | Dianne Feinstein |
| Succeeded by | Adam Schiff |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Laphonza Romanique Butler
May 11, 1979 Magnolia, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Neneci Lee |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Jackson State University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Laphonza Butler (born May 11, 1979) is an American leader who worked with labor unions and served as a United States Senator for California. She was appointed to the Senate in 2023 and served until 2024.
Butler started her career helping workers organize into unions. She led the California SEIU State Council from 2013 to 2018. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She also served on the board of the University of California system from 2018 to 2021. From 2021 to 2023, she was the president of EMILY's List, an organization that helps women run for political office.
Laphonza Butler has been a close supporter of Kamala Harris for a long time. In October 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom chose Butler to fill a Senate seat. This seat became empty after Senator Dianne Feinstein passed away. Butler became the first openly gay African American to serve in the Senate. Soon after taking office, she decided not to run for a full term in the 2024 election. Adam Schiff was elected to take her place. After leaving the Senate, she became an advisor for OpenAI, a company that makes artificial intelligence like ChatGPT.
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Early Life and Education
Laphonza Butler was born on May 11, 1979, in Magnolia, Mississippi. She was the youngest of three children. Her father passed away when she was 16 years old.
She graduated from South Pike High School in 1997. She was the second-highest-ranking student in her class. In 2001, Butler earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Jackson State University.
Career Highlights
Butler began her career as a union organizer. This means she helped groups of workers come together to improve their jobs. She worked with nurses in Baltimore and Milwaukee, janitors in Philadelphia, and hospital workers in New Haven, Connecticut.
In 2009, she moved to California. There, she helped organize caregivers and nurses. She became the president of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers, SEIU Local 2015. In 2013, Butler was chosen as president of the California SEIU State Council. She worked to increase California's minimum wage. She also worked to raise income taxes for the wealthiest people in California.
As president of SEIU Local 2015, Butler supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Butler was one of California's electors who voted for Clinton in that election.
In 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Butler to serve on the board of the University of California. She served a 12-year term but resigned from this role in 2021.
Butler also worked at SCRB Strategies, a political consulting firm. She helped with Kamala Harris's 2020 presidential campaign. She had been a political supporter of Harris since 2010. Butler also advised the company Uber on how to work with unions. In 2020, Butler left SCRB to join Airbnb. She became their director of public policy and campaigns in North America.
In 2021, Butler became the third president of EMILY's List. She was the first Black woman and the first mother to lead this organization. In February 2022, Butler joined the board of directors for Vision to Learn, a group that helps children get eye care.
Serving in the U.S. Senate
How She Was Appointed
In February 2023, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein announced she would not run for re-election in 2024. On September 29, 2023, Senator Feinstein passed away. At that time, several people had already announced they wanted to run for her seat.
On October 1, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom chose Laphonza Butler to fill the empty Senate seat. He had promised to appoint a Black woman to the position. Butler was living in Maryland at the time, but the U.S. Constitution only requires senators to be "inhabitants" of the state they represent. Butler re-registered to vote in California before taking office.
After being sworn in, Butler announced on October 19, 2023, that she would not run for a full Senate term. Adam Schiff won the elections to succeed her.
When she was sworn in on October 3, 2023, Butler made history. She became the first openly gay Black woman in Congress. She was also the first openly gay member of the U.S. Senate from California.
Her Time in the Senate
Butler gave her first speech on the Senate floor on January 17, 2024. Since February 2024, she has read aloud from books that have been banned in some places. She did this to bring attention to the issue of book banning.
In January 2024, Butler voted for a proposal by Bernie Sanders. This proposal aimed to apply human rights rules to U.S. aid given to Israel's military. The proposal did not pass.
Butler resigned from the Senate on December 8, 2024. Adam Schiff took her place. He was elected in November 2024 to finish the rest of Feinstein's term and to serve a new full term starting in January 2025.
After the Senate
After leaving the Senate, Butler joined a public affairs company called Actum in 2025. She also became an advisor for OpenAI, the company known for creating ChatGPT.
Personal Life
Laphonza Butler is openly gay. She and her wife, Neneci Lee, have a daughter. In 2021, they moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, when Butler became president of EMILY's List. They still owned a home in View Park, California. In October 2023, when she was appointed to the Senate, she officially moved back to her California home and re-registered to vote there.
See also
In Spanish: Laphonza Butler para niños
- List of African-American United States senators
- List of LGBT members of the United States Congress
- Women in the United States Senate
