Statement on Governor Newsom’s Selection for US Senate Vacancy

Thousand Oaks, Calif. – John Andersen, Chairman of the Ventura County Republican Party, released the following statement on the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein and subsequent appointment of Laphonza Butler by Governor Gavin Newsom:

“As the Chairman of the Ventura County Republican Party, I join with Californians of all political persuasions in mourning the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein. I would like to express my condolences to her family during this difficult time. While her political views were vastly different than those of the Republican Party, Senator Feinstein served honorably during her career of service to California. She leaves behind a legacy which many can admire.

“Unfortunately, while Senator Feinstein served California with class and distinction, the same cannot be said of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Unable to find a single Californian capable of replacing Senator Feinstein among our state’s 39 million residents, Governor Newsom has, instead, chosen to nominate a resident of the State of Maryland as her replacement.

“Rather than appointing a Californian, he has opted to put politics over people by selecting someone whose social media pages listed her as living in Maryland right up until the announcement of the appointment was made. Recent voter records and Federal Election Commission reports also indicate that Laphonza Butler was living, registered to vote, and working full-time in the state of Maryland.

“It’s bad enough that the Governor eliminated most qualified Californians by announcing that he would select an African-American woman before selecting Butler, but then he added insult to injury by effectively saying that he could find neither a single Californian nor even an African-American woman who would be capable of doing the job when he selected someone who wasn’t even living in California at the time of her selection.

“I am confident in saying that a Republican Governor would have certainly selected someone who actually lives in our state to complete the remainder of Senator Feinstein’s term, that a Republican Governor would have taken more than 72 hours to consider potential replacements, and that a Republican Governor would also have selected a replacement based on their qualifications, rather than simply checking off boxes for gender, race, and a belief in Left-leaning policies.

“Frankly, every Californian should take the selection of a Maryland resident to be our next US Senator as a slap in the face.

“In Gavin Newsom’s California, merit has taken a back seat to racial and gender preferences, just as sanity took a back seat to gubernatorial fiat during the COVID pandemic.

“But all hope is not lost.

“The Ventura County Republican Party remains committed to electing individuals who believe criminals belong in jail, who want to support our families, and who want to protect our children from the dangers of fentanyl and being oversexualized without parental consent. We will continue working to elect county and local leaders who will fight to maintain local control over our cities and our schools by fighting Sacramento’s totalitarian edicts.

“We welcome everyone in Ventura County who is sick and tired of crime, inflation and one-party rule in Sacramento to join us by visiting www.venturagop.org/volunteer. Together, we can rebuild California into the Golden State it once was.”