California’s newest senator is a resident of the state of Maryland.
Democratic Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday evening that he was tapping EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to serve out the term of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who died last week at the age of 90.
However, records indicate that Butler has spent recent years far from the constituents she will represent for the next 15 months.
A Federal Election Commission filing from the end of August for the abortion rights advocacy group listed Silver Spring, Md. as Butler’s place of residence.
Individual donation records for Butler further indicated she had not lived in California since at least September of 2021, when she was tapped to head up the powerful Democratic-supporting organization.
“Butler is a longtime California resident and homeowner. She moved to the DC area when she became president of EMILY’s List. Butler has already re-registered [to vote] in California,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told The Post Monday.
Butler’s X, formerly Twitter, account previously indicated that she lived in Maryland before being scrubbed around the time Newsom’s announcement went public.
Some iterations of her Wikipedia page also had her living in Maryland as well, though that appears to have been edited to reflect her Los Angeles roots.
California is the most populous state in the nation and has no shortage of heavyweight Democrats.
Newsom’s choice of Butler was mocked by conservatives like New Hampshire state Senate Deputy Chief of Staff Grant Bosse, who cracked: “So many people have moved out of California under Gavin Newsom that he’s appointing one of them to the Senate.”
“California’s senators now exist to represent national left-wing activist causes, not Californians,” another user said. “She’s the Senator from Planned Parenthood.”
Butler, who worked on Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed 2020 presidential campaign, was part of the Service Employees International Union for nearly two decades and served as a leader in its California wing — the largest labor union in the state.
She later worked at Airbnb’s policy operation, before being elevated to EMILY’s List president.
Harris is expected to swear Butler into the upper chamber on Wednesday.
Newsom had faced pressure over his long-standing promise to appoint a black woman to replace Feinstein if she could not finish her term.
Scrutiny over the governor’s pick grew last month after he promised not to select anyone currently running to replace Feinstein.
This rankled Senate hopeful Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) who knocked Newsom for teeing up a “token” appointment.
“If the Governor intends to keep his promise and appoint a Black woman to the Senate, the people of California deserve the best possible person for that job. Not a token appointment,” Lee said at the time.
The race to replace Feinstein is shaping up to be one of the most expensive primary races of the 2024 Senate election cycle. On Monday, one of the candidates — Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) touted a $6.4 million haul for the third quarter of this year.
Butler, who will also be the first openly LGBTQ person to serve as a senator from California, is free to vie for the seat of her own accord, according to a Newsom adviser.
Lee, who seemingly wanted Newsom to appoint her as a boost against rivals Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), congratulated Butler on Monday.
“I wish @LaphonzaB well and look forward to working closely with her to deliver for the Golden State,” Lee posted on X.
“I am singularly focused on winning my campaign for Senate. CA deserves an experienced Senator who will deliver on progressive priorities. That’s exactly what I’m running to do.”
Should Butler decide to jump into the sprawling and contentious Democratic primary process, she could face accusations of being a carpetbagger given her Maryland ties.
During the 2022 election cycle, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) famously made a campaign issue of his Republican rival Dr. Mehmet Oz’s New Jersey residency.
Butler’s appointment could also prove to be of strategic value for Newsom if he decides to run for president in 2028 due to the power of EMILY’S List as a Democratic constituency.
Newsom, who crashed last week’s Republican debate in Simi Valley and has been the face of blistering left-wing ad campaigns in red states, insists he is not running for president — at least for now.