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The inside story of how Newsom picked Butler for Senate
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Oct 09, 2023 08:00pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Christopher Cadelago and Melanie Mason |
| News Date | Monday, October 9, 2023 12:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom knew he needed a succession plan for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat. He just didn’t want to believe it.
Few people had better visibility into the late senator’s worsening condition than Newsom. And yet, he didn’t want to contemplate her dying. Even when the Senate appointment was on his agenda, Newsom viewed the hypothetical scenario as becoming a reality only if Feinstein stepped down before her term ended next year.
Early last Friday morning, as Congress careened toward a government shutdown, Newsom got a call from Sen. Alex Padilla, once an aide to Feinstein who was appointed to the Senate by the governor in 2021. Feinstein had died, Padilla told Newsom.
He was now on the clock to name her replacement. But he needed time to mourn.
The next 48 hours would come to define a transformational chapter not just in the career of Newsom, a last-term governor who is widely seen as a future White House aspirant, but also for the woman he pursued to fill the open Senate seat. Laphonza Butler, a longtime labor leader, was described by confidants and coworkers as eager to take chances, yet loath to make snap judgements. |
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