The news shocked California Friday morning: the state’s legendary senator, Dianne Feinstein, had died at the age of 90.

Her death brought an outpouring of mourning and memories for the towering figure.

But it also created a more fundamental political dilemma: who would be the government? Elect Gavin Newsom to replace her?

This was the question Newsom had been grappling with for more than a year as Feinstein’s health deteriorated dramatically and some called for her to resign.

Newsom’s choice to replace Feinstein could come into play in the 2024 Senate elections

With several prominent Democrats already vying for Feinstein’s seat in 2024, Newsom made a choice that would shape his slate of candidates.

Here’s a look at how the 72 momentous hours after the senator’s death unfolded, from reporting in The Times.

Who were Newsom’s choices?

Newsom’s decision on a possible appointment has some history.

Three years ago, he promised to appoint a black woman to the U.S. Senate if a vacancy opened up.

There is no Black woman in the 100-member Senate, a void that arose when California’s Kamala Harris left her seat to become vice president in 2021 and Newsom tapped then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla to the coveted post.

A longtime political ally, Padilla made history as California’s first Latino senator. Newsom was criticized at the time for not selecting a Black person, so he promised the next opening would go to a Black woman.

Column: Newsom’s cynical pitch: Hey, you there, black woman. Can you keep Feinstein’s chair warm? What role did the Senate race play?

Newsom was also under pressure not to unduly influence the hotly contested 2024 U.S. Senate race. He later announced that there would be no successor among the candidates to replace Feinstein.

Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland is the only Black woman among a number of high-profile candidates seeking to fill Feinstein’s seat in 2024.

In the wake of Feinstein’s death, some called on Newsom to change his position and confront Lee.

The most qualified person on day one to fill Senator Dianne Feinstein’s legacy is none other than Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Representative Steven Horsford said in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday.

The caucus too sent Newsom a letter He advocated for Lee, and Horsford said he spoke to Newsom about it by phone and in person.

We asked him to understand the timing of this appointment not only for the people of California, but also for the people of the United States, Horsford said.

As the weekend progressed, Newsom faced more criticism for his decision to appoint a short-term caretaker. Times columnist Erika Smith on Saturday described his pitch to black candidates this way: Hey, you there, black woman. Can you keep this chair warm for a few months? Vote and do things in the Senate. You know, until we elect a white man to replace you?

A UC Berkeley poll in September showed Democrats leading the way. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank and Katie Porter of Irvine are neck and neck, with support from 20% and 17% of likely voters, respectively. The two have a significant lead over Lee, who stands at 7%.

Despite several months of campaigning, Lee remains less known, with half of likely voters having no opinion of her. Although she is the only black candidate in the race, she trails among likely black voters with 16% support, behind Schiff’s 30% and Porter’s 21%. Newsom has not endorsed anyone in the Senate race.

Political observers said the stakes were high for the governor.

Newsom is in trouble here, said Steven Smith, a political science professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Has Newsom’s position changed?

On Sunday, Newsom’s office issued a clarification, saying whoever he chose would be free to run for the seat in 2024.

If that person decides she wants to pursue a full term in office in 2024, she is free to do so. There is absolutely no litmus test, no promise, Newsom spokesman Anthony York told The Times.

However, mounting a successful national campaign just six months before the March primary, when other candidates have been raising money all year, would be a huge challenge. While incumbency is a powerful force in elections, there is no guarantee that Newsom’s appointee would be a viable candidate.

How did the choice come about?

Because Democrats had a slim majority in the Senate, Newsom was under pressure to make his choice quickly.

So he announced Sunday night that Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist who rose to prominence in the labor movement and is also president of Emily’s List, would fill the void.

Butler, a lesbian, will be the first person of color to serve in the Senate and the first LGBTQ+ senator from California.

Who is Laphonza Butler? What to know about Newsom’s pick for Feinstein’s Senate seat

An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation warrior for working people, and a trusted advisor to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and will proudly represent us in the United States Senate, Newsom said in a statement.

As we mourn the tremendous loss of Senator Feinstein, the freedoms she fought for reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence have never been under greater attack. Laphonza will pass the baton from Senator Feinstein, continue to break the glass ceilings and fight for all Californians in Washington, DC

Little is known about Newsom’s process in selecting Butler.

Some names that sparked speculation included California Secretary of State Shirley Weber; San Francisco Mayor London Breed; civil rights leader Angela Glover Blackwell; and human rights activist Lateefah Simon, who is running to replace Lee in Congress.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said they are not interested. A representative for LA Mayor Karen Bass dismissed speculation earlier this year that she might consider the job.

Who is Laphonza Butler?

Before joining Emily’s List, a political organization dedicated to electing women to political office, Butler was director of public policy and campaigns at Airbnb. She also worked at the political consulting firm SCRB Strategies (now Bearstar Strategies), whose clients included Newsom, former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and then-Sen. Kamala Harris. The company is led by the Governor’s experienced strategists Ace Smith, Sean Clegg and Juan Rodriguez.

Butler also served for more than a decade as president of Service Employees International Union Local 2015, which represents more than 325,000 nursing home and home health care workers throughout California. SEIU Local 2015 is the largest union in California and the largest local representative of long-term care workers in the country.

She also served as a senior adviser to Harris’ presidential campaign.

In 2018, Butler was appointed UC regent by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, a position she held until 2021. She served on the board of the Childrens Defense Fund, a national children’s advocacy organization; political action committee BlackPAC; and the Bay Area Economic Council Institute think tank. She is a former director of the board of governors of the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve System.

Butler was born in Magnolia, Miss. Her father died after a series of heart attacks when she was 16, leaving her mother to work as many as three jobs at once to support her three children.

She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Jackson State University, a historically black university, where she told The Times Mark Z. Barabak in 2021 that she was inspired by her instructors, many of whom were veterans of the civil rights movement. They instilled in her a propensity for activism and a commitment to social justice, she said.

What are you doing for freedom? That was always the question, Butler told Barabak. What are you doing for freedom today?

Butler moved to California in 2009 after working as a labor organizer for nurses in Baltimore and Milwaukee, janitors in Philadelphia and hospital workers in New Haven, Conn.

Senator Feinstein lies in state at San Francisco City Hall. What now?

Mourners can pay their respects to Feinstein this week when her body lies in state at San Francisco City Hall, where her political career began.

The public can gather Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. to say goodbye to the California senator and sign a book of condolence, her office said.

The late senator’s funeral will be a private affair Thursday at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at the Herbst Theater. It will be streamed live and broadcast for public viewing at San Francisco City Hall.

Meanwhile, Butler could be sworn in as soon as this week.

Times writers Laurel Rosenhall, Hannah Wiley, Taryn Luna, Kevin Rector, Susanne Rust, Noah Goldberg and Sarah Wire contributed to this report.