OC GOP Freaks Out on Laphonza Butler’s Appointment to US Senate

Statement on California’s Senate Vacancy

Orange County, CA – Hon. Fred M. Whitaker, Chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County, released the following statement on the passing of Diane Feinstein and subsequent appointment of Laphonza Butler by Governor Gavin Newsom:

“With the tragic passing of Senator Diane Feinstein, the State of California has been left with a huge leadership void. I would like to take a moment to honor Senator Feinstein’s legacy of service to our state and to express my condolences to her family during this difficult time. While her political views came in sharp contrast to ours in the GOP, Senator Feinstein served honorably as an elected official for nearly 53 years. She will leave a lasting legacy.

Unfortunately, Senator Feinstein’s death was met with nothing less than shameless, brazen political opportunism from our Governor. Late last night, Gavin Newsom chose to appoint Laphonza Butler to replace Senator Feinstein in the US Senate. If you have never heard of or met Ms. Butler, you have good reason for that. Upon investigation, it has been revealed that Butler does not even live in the State of California. Voter records and FEC filings show that as recently as weeks ago, Laphonza Butler was living, registered to vote, and was working full-time in the state of Maryland. On her multiple social media pages, she also lists Maryland as her home state. Out of 40 million Californians, Gavin Newsom couldn’t find a single one to represent our state?

While this may come as a shock to some, there is a reason that Gavin Newsom selected Laphonza Butler. She is the leader of the far-left, pro-abortion group known as EMILY’s List. This organization’s main goal is to provide funding for Democrat candidates for state and federal office in order to advance radical abortion policy. Last night, EMILY’s List was caught deceptively editing Butler’s biography from their website, removing the section that describes her as a resident of the State of Maryland. Why else would Gavin Newsom select a non-Californian? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. If and when Gavin Newsom decides to run for President, he will need the financial support of such an influential left-wing group in order to win. Selecting Laphonza Butler will go a long way as he continues to curry favor with the key players on the radical left.

Under Gavin Newsom, California is devolving into a totalitarian state. With each passing day, the grassroots movement to attempt to recall him in 2021 becomes more and more prescient. Governor Newsom has now personally hand-picked both of our US Senators, our Attorney General, and our Secretary of State. He has surrounded himself with powerful people loyal only to him and the Democrat party. Make no mistake: every move that this man makes is with a long-term vision to set himself up become President of the United States. We cannot let that happen.

So, what can we do now? Saving California will take a lot of effort, a lot of money, and a lot of time. We must redouble our efforts to break up the Sacramento supermajority to stop Newsom’s agenda in its tracks. We must elect Republicans to our State Senate and our State Assembly. And we must provide a firewall against our Governor’s authority by electing local leaders to the Board of Supervisors and to all of our City Councils to ensure local control of our communities. Furthermore, we must continue to register voters through community outreach and our Voter Reclamation Project in order to build our party.

All hope is not lost. We are going to stay in the fight to save California. If you are ready to join us, please visit www.ocgop.org/volunteer. Thank you.”
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Editor’s note:  Maybe the GOP can explain why Alabama’s US Senator Tommy Tuberville doesn’t have a residence in Alabama and instead owns a home in Florida?