Appointed U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler Announces She Will Not Run For Full Term In 2024

Senator Lephonza Butler (D-CA) announced on Thursday that she will not be seeking a full term in office, and will instead only serve out the remainder of late Senator Dianne Feinstein’s term.

For the past several weeks, the question of whether Butler will be running for Senator has been front and center in the race. Her possible 2024 run polarized lawmakers. Many urged her not to run, citing Governor Gavin Newsom’s earlier announcements on this being a caretaker position only. Others were worried that Butler running would lead to  an even further fracturing of votes for Democrats in the March primary. Polls following her placement also found that only 34% of Californian voters supported her, a figure that would not fare well against other Senate candidates such as Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA), former baseball star Steve Steve Garvey (R), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), lawyer Eric Early (R), former Google executive Lexi Reese (D), and TV Anchorwoman Christina Pascucci (D.

However, Newsom himself did not have not running in 2024 as a condition for taking the job. Combined with some support from African American groups to run in 2024 and no immediate word from Butler saying that she wouldn’t run, many began speculating that Butler would use her status as an incumbent and a known non-profit leader to get the seat next year.

After a few weeks of consideration, Butler announced on Thursday that she would not be running for a full-term and would only ride out the remainder of this term into January 2025.

“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 offer and what kind of voice I want to bring forward,” said Butler in a statement. “After considering those questions I’ve decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election. Knowing you can win a campaign doesn’t always mean you should run a campaign.”

“I would have been the loudest, proudest champion of California for the remainder of my term but this is not the greatest use of my voice. California voters want leaders who think about them and the issues they care most about. I now have 383 days to serve the people of California with every ounce of energy and effort that I have. Muhammad Ali once said, ‘don’t count the days, make the days count.’ I intend to do just that.”

“My decision may come as a surprise to many because traditionally we don’t see those who have power let it go. It may not be the decision people expected but it’s the right one for me.”

Butler out as a Senate candidate in 2024

While many Democrats and Republicans alike breathed a sigh of relief at her not joining the 2024 race on Thursday, experts noted that Butler still has influence over a possible victor and could parlay her Senate experience into a higher office in California in the mid 2020s.

“Butler saying she won’t run has been good news for everyone running in the 2024 Senate race,” said LA-based pollster Angie Friedman. “Democrats won’t be split as much in the primary, and Republicans won’t have to face an incumbent Senator. And, for Barbara Lee specifically, it would mean that there would be no split on the black vote, which would have decimated both their major bases. This is no offense to Butler, but there was almost no way she could win. She would have to set up a whole political campaign on the fly, bring in a ton of money, and pretty much get enough support to come in at least second in a race filled with people well ahead of her. If she ran, she would pretty much have to neglect her Senate duties for the next few months, and then again throughout much of 2024 for even a shot to win.”

“She still has influence in this election however. An endorsement from her of a candidate would be huge, so she can still tip the scales as to who wins. It just won’t be as a candidate now.”

“The big question for her now is where she will go from here. She’ll be out as Senator in January 2025. She could go back to non-profit work, but with “former Senator” now in her title, she can turn that into, say, a Gubernatorial run in 2026, or a future Congressional run. She would likely be a shoo-in for Mayor wherever she decides to settle down too.”

“She may be out for 2024 now, but this won’t likely be the last major position for her. She’s a known name now.”

Candidate reaction to her not running next year is expected to come in late Thursday and on Friday.