Riding on the coattails of Senator Dianne Feinstein‘s recent death, California Governor Gavin Newsom was eager to find her replacement. And now, he has fulfilled his pledge of appointing a Black woman in fill the now empty seat.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has recently appointed Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY’S LIST and advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris, to fill the seat of deceased Senator Dianne Feinstein.
This appointment has taken heat due to the fact that Butler is registered to vote in Maryland. This reveals just how far identity politics have gone wrong in this election year.
Congratulations to Maryland on getting their third Senator.
Pretty shocking that Gavin Newsom couldn’t find a black woman actually in California to appoint. https://t.co/SdTqzpUd0Q
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) October 2, 2023
It all started when Gov. Newsom pledged back in March of 2021 to appoint a Black woman. Political groups increased their pressure on him as months went by without any news about his decision. In the end, he declined requests from the Congressional Black Caucus to appoint longtime Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA).
It was then that Rep. Lee issued a statement criticizing him for using a Black woman as a “caretaker” for the Senate seat saying it was insulting to countless other women across America who had worked hard in order for Democrats to succeed in elections over the years.
Unfortunately, Gov. Newsom’s identity politics have failed again with this latest appointment and once more put into question whether he can truly make decisions based on merit rather than skin color or gender identity. It is even more concerning since he still hasn’t found suitable talent within his own state when filling this important position.
As if this wasn’t enough, his choice will be sworn in Wednesday by Vice President Kamala Harris which only furthers questions on what criteria were used during her selection process given their close relationship outside of politics too.
As we enter yet another election year, it’s essential that candidates are chosen based solely off their merit rather than anything else such as race or gender identity; otherwise we risk slipping further down an endless spiral towards an ever corrupt political system where only those with privilege get ahead while others are completely overlooked regardless of their qualifications or abilities.
Whether Gov. Newsom will learn from his mistake and start considering meritocracy instead remains uncertain yet hopeful at best given how much attention he has been receiving lately for touting Biden’s candidacy and caricaturing GOP candidates running for office too.
