California governor chooses labor leader and Democratic insider to fill Feinstein's Senate seat

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Speaking to reporters Monday in San Francisco, Newsom praised Butler's “deep knowledge” of the legislative process and said she was the kind of candidate he would build “if I had to literally design from my imagination.” “She’s the only choice,” he added. Newsom said he told Butler to "do what you think is best for you and the state of California, and you make that judgment completely independent of any expectations from me.” Her selection drew swift criticism from Republicans, who have long struggled in a liberal-leaning state where Democrats haven’t lost a statewide election since 2006. State Sen. Steven Bradford, vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, said he was disappointed Newsom bypassed Lee, “who is simply unmatched in her values, vision and lived experiences.” Aimee Allison, who founded She the People, a political advocacy network for women of color that also supported Lee, said in a statement she would be “delighted by the prospect of multiple talented Black women running for the Senate” in California and elsewhere. “Laphonza had this ability to get to what was in people’s hearts,” said Arnuflo De La Cruz, the union’s current president who at the time was elected with Butler as the union’s executive vice president.