Laphonza Butler, appointed to replace late Sen. Feinstein, talks status of Democratic Party
California Sen. Laphonza Butler sat down with ABC News to discuss her unique status as the only Black woman in the Senate, the current state of democracy and the personal reasons behind her decision not to run in the upcoming election.
Butler mentioned that she decided not to run for the upcoming election because of her 9-year-old daughter. She wants to be present in her daughter's life, just like she says her mother was for her.
This follows her appointment to the Senate by Gov. Gavin Newsom following Sen. Dianne Feinstein's death. Butler was still a union leader at the time and president of Emily's List, an organization dedicated to electing candidates who support abortion rights. Butler, who is queer, Black, and a woman, is a distinctive figure within the Democratic Party.
Butler believes the upcoming presidential election is an opportunity for the Biden-Harris administration and other democratic leaders to ensure that Black women's voices and lived experiences are heard. She discussed further the state of the Democratic Party.
ABC NEWS: Shirley Chisholm once said, 'If you don't have a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.' You're Black, you're a woman, you're queer, you're a mother. You bring a lot to the table. Why walk away from that table?
BUTLER: It's not the table I want to be at. I think that's, you know, perfectly I think describes how the example my mother provided. It is about doing your best at what is your purpose. While it is an honor, truly, to follow Senator Feinstein's leadership and, and to represent the incredibly diverse 40 million Californians in the United States Senate, it also is just not the place where I ever wanted to be.
ABC NEWS: I'm curious if part of your consideration, if you thought that this decision could potentially render the Senate without a single Black woman.
BUTLER: It was definitely a concern, as I was thinking about whether or not to say no voting rights being a part of the discussion happening in the Senate, child care, maternal health, making sure that Black women's voices were a part of the consideration right now was an important part of why I said yes.
And because I had confidence in the work that we have been doing as Emily's List in the organization. I'm not concerned that there won't be any Black women in the United States Senate after my departure. I hope that there's more than one. For me, it was the fact that my daughter's 9 years old. One term as a United States senator, and I've missed half of her life. That's not the example that my mother showed me.
ABC NEWS: I want to throw a few stats at you, with regard to Black women in particular. They're six times more likely to be murdered. More than two-fifths will experience intimate partner violence.
They are the most educated group in the U.S., but only make $0.63 to every dollar a white man makes, and they consistently have the highest maternal mortality rate. That being said, Black women also voted more than 90% for Joe Biden in 2020. Regularly, Black women are the most reliable voting bloc for the Democratic ticket.
And yet there are critics who say, 'Look, we're not really getting that much in return for our loyalty.' Do they have a point?
BUTLER: Absolutely, absolutely. When I, you know, the truth is, my mother has been a loyal Democratic voter since the day she could vote, and she was not able to have stable health insurance in her life until she was 60 years old, with the passage of the Affordable Care Act. But she always volunteered. She was a clipboard-carrying organizer in her community.
The statistics that you just outline make it clear that there is a lot of work that needs to be done on behalf of Black women, by both parties, by all parties, and recognizing that we are the backbone of the Democratic Party, I think, is an opportunity right now for the Biden-Harris administration, for leaders like me, for, you know, those of us who lead and chair committees in the Senate to ensure that the voices and lived experiences of Black women are heard.
This is a moment where I think it is imperative for Black women to be represented at every level of government and for Black women who are voting and volunteering in these campaigns, to make sure that they don't just stop when the campaign is over.
ABC NEWS: According to a recent ABC News poll, 15% of Black men say that they plan on voting for Donald Trump in November. 12% voted for him in 2020. So what do you count that increase for that preference for Trump over Biden? In particular, when it comes to Black men?
BUTLER: I think it's frustration. I think it is frustration. I think it's mis- and disinformation, about what this administration has done. I think, you know, there have been a number of reports, where some of those very communities think that it was the Trump administration who passed the bipartisan infrastructure laws. I think there's frustration, in terms of being, you know, left out and left behind, not talked about, not taken seriously as a part of the Black vote in the electorate.
ABC NEWS: You created the Youth Advisory Council, made up of 16- to 28-year-olds. So some of them too young to vote. But for those who are voting age, what do they think of their two choices for president?
BUTLER: We haven't had a political discussion, but, you know, just not related to that advisory council. And, but, just in my travels across the state and across the country talking to young people, there's there is a sense of frustration. But I also think a sense of hope. I was just with a group of young leaders at from the University of California last night. They believe in this country. They are optimistic about what is possible.
ABC NEWS: You were just talking about college students, obviously UCLA, USC, at the forefront of protesting the war in Gaza. You, as you mentioned, supported sending money to Israel. Obviously, it was part of a foreign a larger foreign aid package. How do you square that with regard to the young people who you're hearing from?
BUTLER: I square it by focusing on what I believe to be true. What I believe to be true is we all have an innate desire to see and respect the humanity of everyone. I don't believe the anti-war protesters wish ill on the people of Israel. I don't believe that the people of Israel wish death and destruction to Palestinians, who live in Gaza. I try not to get distracted from what I think unifies us the most, and that is the humanity of others.
ABC NEWS: Are you still able to do some kind of work toward salvaging reproductive rights?
BUTLER: We have to; we have to. This court has now said that half of Americans don't have the right to make decisions about their own bodies.
There is no sitting on the sidelines and no twiddling our thumbs or navel gazing. You know, this is a Senate where I have seen my colleagues really search to figure out what can we actually pass. We have Sen. Tammy Duckworth to introduce legislation simply to support IVF. We have to be in this fight and on this path. We cannot let women continue to die. Because they can't get access to the health care that they need.
ABC NEWS: You recently passed the Pride in Mental Health Act plus two other bills, really to help young people who are struggling with mental health and substance abuse. Explain the purpose and why you feel it's so important.
BUTLER: If you're an LGBTQ plus youth, and in many states in this country, there are no mental health resources directly dedicated to the challenges that you might be trying to navigate. And we can't let that be.
And so I have introduced these three pieces of legislation to get resources to communities of young people who have been left out of traditional service models. I have introduced these bills to to try to make more accessible the resources that people need.
We don't have enough mental health care workers right now, but, you know, what can we learn about peer support and, you know, helping other young leaders to be of support to their friends and colleagues who might be in danger?
ABC NEWS: You've been the head of a major union. You helped with the presidential campaign, the president of Emily's list and Senator, all before the age of 45. What's next?
BUTLER: I don't know, I don't know this this, opportunity, truly, to serve California in a way that and the country, really in a way that I never imagined that I would is giving me the space to pause, and to evaluate the lessons of all of those experiences. And so I get to stop now and just think about how do I want to use the next 45? But I'm not rushing. I'm going to take my time, do well on behalf of 40 million Californians, and figure out my journey later.
