Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to swear in Laphonza Butler as California’s president

47th next

senator Tuesday at

3:00 PM Eastern Noon Pacific Time

at the U.S. Capitol

on the Senate floor.

Gov. Gavin Newsom tapped Butler on Sunday to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, making good on his promise to appoint a Black woman to the Senate. The appointment will ensure that Democrats retain their one-seat majority in the Senate.

Butler never served as a public servant, but has done so

a

worked behind the scenes for the Democrats and their causes for decades. She worked for

the

Service Employees International Union Local 2015 for more than a decade and was appointed in 2018 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown as UC regent

for a term of twelve years

. She left the role in 2021, the same year she became president

Emily’s by EMILY

List, a political action committee that helps elect Democratic women who support abortion rights.

Butler also served as an adviser on Harris’ 2020 presidential bid and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 bid for the White House. She also recently served as Airbnb’s director of public policy and campaigns.

Not a single Black woman has served in the House since Harris left to become vice president. Newsom was then appointed

California

Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Harris’ seat and promised his next Senate appointment would be a Black woman.

Butler will become the nation’s twelfth black senator and the first gay person of color to serve in the House. She is also the third black senator and

the first openly

First

openly outside

LGBTQ+ person representing California in the House.

Some Californians

wanted Newsom to choose another black woman for the role.

After Feinstein’s death, advocates and lawmakers urged Newsom to nominate Rep. Barbara Lee as the state’s next senator.

The Oakland representative is the only prominent Black woman seeking to replace Feinstein. Opinion polls in September show this to be the case

tr

two fellow white Democrats also vying for the seat: Adam B. Schiff of Burbank and Katie Porter of Irvine.

Newsom sidestepped pressure to appoint Lee last month, saying the role would be temporary. It would be completely unfair to Democrats who have done their best, Newsom said in September. Those primaries are only a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance.

Shortly before Sunday’s announcement, however, Newsom clarified his provision, saying the new senator could be a nominee, fueling speculation that Butler could throw her hat into the hotly contested Senate race.

Butler told The Times on Monday that she has not yet decided whether to run in the Senate race. I have no idea. I honestly don’t know, Butler

said

in her first interview since her

appointment.appointment

. I want to focus on honoring Senator Feinstein’s legacy. I want to dedicate my time and energy to serving the people of California. And I want to carry her baton with the honor it deserves, which is why I really have no idea.

In a tweet, Lee said she wished Butler well and that she “looks forward to working closely with her to deliver results for Golden State.”

“I am extremely focused on winning my campaign for Senate,” she wrote. “CA deserves an experienced senator who will deliver on progressive priorities. That’s exactly what I want to do.”

Times writers Taryn Luna and Hannah Wiley contributed to this article report.