Sen.-elect Adam B. Schiff will be sworn in as California’s next U.S. senator on Monday, replacing Sen. Laphonza Butler, according to sources familiar with the arrangements.
Butler, a Democrat, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily fill the seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein after Feinstein’s death in September 2023. Schiff was elected last month, both to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term and to serve a full six-year term beginning in January.
A spokesperson for Schiff, a Burbank Democrat who previously served nearly a quarter of a century in the House, said he was grateful for Butler’s assistance in the transition process, and for the support of Newsom and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York.
A spokeswoman for Butler said she will remain in office until the swearing-in. Former Assemblymember Laura Friedman, a Democrat, won election in Schiff’s House district and will be sworn in to take his old seat next month.
Schiff and Butler are following a similar transition schedule as Sen. George Helmy and Sen.-elect Andy Kim, both Democrats of New Jersey. Helmy, former chief of staff to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, was appointed by Murphy in August to replace Sen. Robert Menendez, after Menendez was convicted of corruption charges and resigned. Kim was elected to the seat last month, and will also be sworn in Monday, a spokesman for Kim said.
Butler rose to prominence in the labor movement and became a Democratic strategist before Newsom tapped her for the Senate post. She did not run to keep the seat.
Schiff beat out Democratic rivals Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in last year’s primary, and handily defeated Steve Garvey, a Republican and former Dodger all-star, in last month’s general election.
Feinstein, who was 90, had held the seat since 1992, when she was elected as California’s first female senator. She died in office.
With Schiff’s swearing-in, California will be without a female senator for the first time since 1993, when former Sen. Barbara Boxer joined Feinstein in representing the state.
Schiff will be California’s junior senator, joining Sen. Alex Padilla, who was appointed to the Senate in 2021 and elected to a full term in 2022. Padilla is also a Democrat.
Schiff gained national prominence during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, namely as a Trump antagonist in the House and a leader in multiple investigations into Trump and his allies. He also helped lead Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Schiff ran in part on that record, but has said he hopes to focus in the Senate on the economic concerns of Californians and Americans across the country, including around housing, homelessness and child care.
It is unclear which assignments Schiff might receive in the Senate. Assignments are based in part on seniority, which Schiff lacks in the Senate despite his long run in the House.
Schiff’s serving out the remainder of Feinstein’s term and Kim the remainder of Menendez’s term will give them a sliver of seniority over the other incoming freshman senators elected last month, who take office next month. The timing also allows Schiff and Kim to serve a few weeks as part of the Senate’s narrow Democratic majority before a Republican majority takes control in January.
