Politics
Mike Pence again pledges to ban transgender military personnel
Trump ahead of DeSantis by 52.4-15.5 percent margin in latest poll

Thirteen Republican presidential candidates attended the Iowa GOPās annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines Friday night.
While most of the eveningās focus was the sparring between GOP frontrunner Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trumpās former vice president, Mike Pence, stuck to his hardline conservative social policies including stating he would reinstitute a ban on military service by transgender Americans.Ā
According to a FiveThirtyEight poll released this past week, Trump leads with 52.4 percent, over DeSantis with 15.5 percent and the rest of the current GOP field at under 10 percent in the race for the partyās nomination at the Republican National Convention scheduled to be held July 15-18, 2024, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Each candidate was slotted 10 minutes to speak at the Republican party fundraiser, after which at the 10 minute mark the microphone was to be turned off. The speaking order for the event was in order save for Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, who skipped the fundraiser as he focuses on New Hampshire:
- Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
- Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
- U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)
- Businessman Perry Johnson
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd
- Miami Mayor Francis Suarez
- Businessman Ryan Binkley
- Conservative talk radio host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder
- Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy
- Former President Donald Trump
In his remarks to the more than 1,200 people in the huge ballroom the former vice president said:
āWe can embrace our role as leader of the free world to confront Russian aggression and Chinese provocations with a new military fitted to the challenges in the 21st century. And we can end the political correctness at the Pentagon, including reinstituting a ban on transgender personnel in the United States military.ā
That brought cheers from the audience.

A motion to declare the chair vacant submitted by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) succeeded on a 216-210 vote Tuesday after an at times contentious debate between House Republicans on the floor.
The last to vote in the full order of the roll call was McCarthy, who voted against the motion to remove him from his post. U.S. Rep. SteveĀ Womack (R-Ark.), who chaired the proceedings, declared the speaker vacant after the House chamber went silent, after it had asked if anyone wishes to change their vote, then read off the tally submitted by the clerk.
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a close McCarthy ally, will serve as speaker pro tem, or as temporary acting speaker.
With a sharp bang of the gavel, he declared the chamber in recess.
This is a historic action by the House as never before has a House speaker successfully been voted out of the chair. The last time the House had a vote to oust the speaker was in 1910.
The vote that year stemmed from angst among progressive Republicans that the speaker at the time, Joseph Cannon, a conservative known as āUncle Joe,ā refused to bring progressive legislation to the floor for a vote.
The House Cannon Office Building, which was completed in 1908 and isĀ the oldest congressional office building ā a significant example of the Beaux Arts style of architecture is named for Cannon,Ā who had served as House speaker.Ā
Earlier Tuesday afternoon the chamber voted 208-218 with Democrats supporting a motion to table Gaetzās resolution to oust McCarthy, setting the stage for a vote on whether McCarthy should remain in the top spot. Democratic leadership had told reporters earlier that their conference would be united in an effort to remove the House speaker.
Congress
Laphonza Butler sworn in as California’s newest senator
Former vice president advisor will succeed Dianne Feinstein

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday swore in Democrat Laphonza Butler as California’s newest U.S. senator during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.
The first Black lesbian to serve in the Senate, Butler was president of the nation’s largest organization dedicated to electing women to public office, EMILY’s List, and previously was a senior advisor to the vice president during her 2020 bid for the Oval Office.
Harris, the country’s first woman vice president as well as the first Black and South Asian person to serve in that role, also made history with her tenure as attorney general and then senator for California.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Butler to fill the vacancy caused by the death, on Friday, of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who had represented the state in the upper chamber since 1992.
Per the terms of her appointment, Butler will be eligible to run for the seat during next year’s elections, in which case she would face competition from three high profile Democrats now representing California in the House: U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.
Newsom in 2021 pledged that he would appoint a Black woman to Feinstein’s seat. Lee, so far the only Black woman among the declared candidates, congratulated Butler in a statement in which the congresswoman said she is āsingularly focused on winningā her Senate campaign.
California ādeserves an experienced senator who will deliver on progressive priorities,” she said. “Thatās exactly what Iām running to do.”
Consistent with her work in progressive politics, Butler was previously a labor leader with Service Employees International Union, SEIU, the powerful union where her wife, Neneki Lee, serves as director of the Public Services division.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson and Claire LucasĀ and Judy Dlugacz were among those who attended the swearing in alongside Butler’s wife.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) escorted Butler into the chamber. Lee and Schiff were among those who attended the ceremony.
“It’s a good day,” Lucas told the Washington Blade as she left the chamber.
Michael K. Lavers contributed to this story.
Politics
Laphonza Butler appointed as California’s first openly LGBTQ U.S. senator
Dianne Feinstein died in D.C. on Sept. 28

On Sunday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he is appointing Black openly lesbian EMILYās List President, Laphonza Butler, to the vacant seat of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein who died Friday at age 90.
Butler’s wife is Neneki Lee, the D.C.-based director for labor union SEIU’s Public Services Division.
News of Butler’s selection by Newsom was first reported by Politico’s California Bureau Chief Christopher Cadelago. A source knowledgeable on the governor’s team told Politico there were no preconditions about whether she could run in 2024.
Newsom’s office confirmed that he has picked Butler, a Democratic strategist who rose to prominence in the labor movement, to fill Feinstein’s seat.
In an emailed statement, Newsom said:
āAn advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and sheāll represent us proudly in the U.S. Senate. As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for ā reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence ā have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.ā
SCOOP: Gavin Newsom will appoint EMILYās List President Laphonza Butler to fill the seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, elevating the head of a fundraising juggernaut that works to elect Dem women who support abortion rights, per a person familiar.https://t.co/FtOv4fneAk
— Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) October 2, 2023
Equality California tweeted a statement praising Newsom’s action:
Executive Director @TonyHoang on Governor @GavinNewsomās selection of @LaphonzaB to serve as the next U.S. Senator from California: pic.twitter.com/6RYB1SUyEr
— Equality California (@eqca) October 2, 2023
Democrat Alex Padilla, now serving as California’s senior U.S. senator, released the following statement after Newsom appointed Butler to fill the vacancy created by the late Senator Feinstein:
āThroughout her career, Laphonza Butler has been a strong voice for working families, LGBTQ rights, and a champion for increasing womenās representation in politics. Iām honored to welcome her to the United States Senate.
āGovernor Newsomās swift action ensures that Californians maintain full representation in the Senate as we navigate a narrow Democratic majority. I look forward to working together to deliver for the people of California.ā
Butler is a longtime leader in Democratic politics in California and beyond. She has been involved in campaign strategy, and the labor movement for two decades, and according to her official biography she has dedicated her life to empowering women and supporting them in finding their voice, and using it to make meaningful change.
Newsom’s office noted in its statement:
“Butler, a longtime senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, labor leader and advocate for women and working people, will be the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate. She will also be the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress in American history and the second Black woman to represent California in the Senate following Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Prior to joining EMILYs List, Butler served as Director of Public Policy and Campaigns in North America for Airbnb. She also was a partner at SCRB Strategies, a political consulting firm where she was a strategist for candidates running up and down the ballot and a senior advisor to Vice President Kamala Harrisā presidential campaign.
With nearly 20 years in the labor movement, Butler has served as the president of the biggest union in California, and the nationās largest home care workers union, SEIU Local 2015. She was elected to this position at just 30 years old, one of the youngest to take on this role. As president, Butler was the leading voice, strategist, and architect of efforts to address pay inequity for women in California and a top advocate for raising the stateās minimum wage to $15 an hour ā the first state in the nation to do so, benefiting millions of working women in low wage jobs. That effort also gave hundreds of thousands of home workers access to paid time off. She also served as an SEIU International Vice President and President of the SEIU California State Council.
Throughout her career, Butler has been highly regarded as a strategist working to elect Democratic women candidates in political offices across California and nationally. A long-time supporter of Kamala Harris in her California runs, Butler was a key leader in Vice President Harrisā presidential campaign. She served as a senior advisor to Hillary Clintonās presidential campaign in California during the primary and general elections. Most recently, Butler was a campaign operative behind the campaign to make the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors all-women for the first time in its history with the election of Supervisor Holly Mitchell.
She has been a member of the University of California Board of Regents and a member of the board of directors for the Childrenās Defense Fund and BLACK PAC.
Laphonza grew up in Magnolia, Miss., and attended one of the countryās premier HBCUs, Jackson State University. She lives in Maryland with her wife, Neneki, and together they have a daughter, Nylah.
EMILY’s List is an American political action committee that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group’s name is an acronym for “Early Money Is Like Yeast.” Malcolm commented that “it makes the dough rise.”
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