Airbnb and Emily’s List alum Laphonza Butler is California’s newest senator following the death of longtime leader Dianne Feinstein.
Butler appeared at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit on Monday, in her first public appearance since taking the Senate seat.
Butler told Emma Hinchliffe, senior writer, about her plans for California—and avoided questions about the 2024 Senate race.
Watch the video above or read the full transcript below.
Ellie Austin: I’m very honored to have with us this evening, the newest member of the United States Senate. As you all know, Senator Laphonza Butler was sworn in just last week to fill the seat left by Dianne Feinstein, the late Dianne Feinstein now, Senator Butler obviously has very big shoes to fill, but she comes with an incredibly impressive resume reflecting her experience serving the people of California to name a few of her treatments. She has a long history in working in the state’s politics. She’s a well-known strategist in high stakes campaigns. She led California’s largest labor union for over a decade. And recently she served as president of Emily’s List, an organization that works to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates. And with her appointment to the US Senate, she’s making history because Senator Butler is the first openly lesbian Black senator to serve in Congress. And she is also the only Black woman currently serving in the Senate. Senator Butler joins us tonight for a conversation with Fortune’s Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe: Hello, Senator, thank you so much for being here with us.
Laphonza Butler: Good evening Fortune.
Emma Hinchliffe: So last time you were with us at an MPW event, which was not that long ago, you were the president of Emily’s List working to elect Democratic women. Today you’re here as a US senator. Was this on your vision board?
Laphonza Butler: Not on my vision board not on my bingo card. Not in the wildest dreams of…