EMILYs List Statement on Sen. Laphonza Butler’s U.S. Senate Farewell Address
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sen. Laphonza Butler delivered her Senate farewell address following her Senate appointment after the passing of Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The former president of EMILYs List, Butler is the third Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:
“We are grateful for Sen. Laphonza Butler’s groundbreaking leadership in the U.S. Senate over the past 13 months, and her lifetime of service. She brought strength, tenacity, and pragmatism to Congress that is desperately needed and fought hard for the American people during her tenure. Through sponsoring legislation to expand voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, gun safety, and reproductive health care or protesting Republican book bans, she fought to make sure our government works for and represents all of us. Her leadership is a constant reminder of the power of Democratic pro-choice women in government.
“As a leader in Democratic politics, campaign strategy, and the labor movement for decades, Sen. Laphonza Butler has dedicated her life to empowering women and girls, inspiring young leaders, and fighting for workers and unions, and struggling families. As the third president of EMILYs List, Sen. Laphonza Butler contributed greatly to our organization’s legacy. She led us through the fall of Roe v. Wade and the midterm elections that followed, securing wins for Democratic pro-choice women candidates in highly competitive races all across the country.
“EMILYs List has ensured Sen. Butler will not be the last Black woman to make history in the U.S. Senate as she bids farewell to the chamber. Sens.-elect Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester will stand on the shoulders of Carol Moseley Braun, Kamala Harris, and Laphonza Butler as they become the first two Black women to serve in the U.S. Senate at the same time. And we’re not stopping there — EMILYs List will elect more Democratic pro-choice women in years to come to continue the legacy of those who came before them.”
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Over nearly 40 years, EMILYs List has raised nearly $950 million to help Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the most impactful independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 192 women to the House, 29 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,600 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.
