Recently appointed Democratic Senator for California Laphonza Butler will not run for a full term in 2024, according to a statement. The announcement was first reported by The New York Times.
Butler has never been elected to office and is the former president of the political action committee EMILY’s List.
Her appointment came after the death of longtime U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and fulfilled a promise from Newsom to appoint a Black woman to the seat.
Butler was sworn in earlier this month and there had been speculation that she could enter the race from the formidable position of incumbent.
In an interview with the New York Times Thursday, Sen. Butler shot down any idea she might pursue the seat permanently.
Butler issued a statement saying in part, “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 officer and what kind of voice I want to bring forward. After considering those questions I’ve decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election.”
Three Democratic members of the House are the frontrunners in the race for a partial and full U.S. Senate term: Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.
Former television reporter Christina Pascucci and former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey announced their candidacy in the last two weeks.
Republicans Eric Early and James Bradley are also running for the full term.
