California Gov. Gavin Newsom selected Jackson State University political science graduate Laphonza Butler to fill the seat of the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
“We are certainly proud to have Sen. Laphonza Butler as a history-making JSU alumna who is leaving a legacy of service for others to follow. She is a testament to the exceptional students JSU attracts and how our faculty and staff help them become the changemakers of tomorrow. On behalf of Jackson State University, I extend congratulations to Sen. Butler,” said Acting President Elayne Hayes-Anthony, Ph.D.
Butler is the president of EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in
politics devoted to helping pro-choice Democratic women run and win at every
level of government.
Butler will make history as the third Black woman to serve in the Senate and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in the chamber representing California.
Butler grew up in Magnolia, Mississippi, and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Jackson State University in 2001. In April, she returned to her
alma mater to serve as a keynote for the 50th Anniversary of the Department of
Political Science.
Mary Coleman, Ph.D., served as chair of the JSU political science department from
1996-2005. She recalls Butler excelling as a student and a human being. She
described her as a trailblazer and citizen of the world.
“Laphonza entered JSU in 1997 with a clear commitment to be useful. She studied and joined organizations, but mostly, she read, listened, and probed with a desire
to think about how to translate book learning into consequential actions for
herself and others,” Coleman said.
The retired professor described Butler as one who sought to chart her own path and
build durable pathways for Americans not-to-the-manor born.
“As a second-generation college student from modest beginnings, she was
intentional, focused, and analytical. Her mother’s educational journey informed
her own; it motivated and pushed her into greater self-efficacy. She imagined
herself in the future of the community and nation and did not surrender to
hollowed-out opportunities,” Coleman said. “I was honored to know her, to teach
and mentor her along with scores of other faculty at JSU.”
For two decades, Butler’s leadership in Democratic politics, labor movement, and
campaign strategy empowered women as she devoted her life to helping them find
their voices.
Butler has built her professional career primarily in California, where she led the
nation’s largest union homecare workers’ union, SEIU Local 2015.
Before her role at EMILY’s List, Butler was the director of Public Policy and
Campaigns in North America for Airbnb. Additionally, she was a partner at SCRB
Strategies, a political consulting firm, where she collaborated with various
candidates and served as a senior advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris’s
presidential campaign.