Laphonza Butler is a prominent Democratic activist and labor leader who was appointed by the Senate to fill Dianne Feinstein’s seat following her death. She announced on Thursday that she will not be running for a full Senate tenure in 2024.

Butler, despite a successful career in politics, had never served as a public official and was largely unknown by California voters. She would have had to raise the millions needed for a successful campaign across such a large state.

Butler stated in a press release that “knowing you can win an election doesn’t mean you should run one.” “I’m sure this will surprise many, because we haven’t seen those in power relinquish their position before. It’s not the decision that people expected, but it is the right choice for me.

California’s Senate race in 2024 already has a crowded list of candidates. They include Democratic U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee from Oakland, Katie Porter from Irvine, and Adam B. Schiff from Burbank. All three have been crisscrossing California since the winter to court voters and raise money. Steve Garvey is a former Dodgers player and a Republican. He recently announced that he will be running.

In the polls, Schiff and Porter lead. The two have the most money raised in the race and will be spending tens or even hundreds of millions in the next few months. California’s “jungle primaries” system allows the two candidates with the highest number of votes to compete in a runoff in November, regardless of their political party.

Matt Lesenyie is an assistant professor at Cal State Long Beach who teaches political science. He said Butler had a tough battle ahead of him to win this seat. He said that he studied appointed senators in the U.S. and found out that appointees, who run for their seat later on, almost always lose.

Lesenyie stated that it is very difficult to win an election if you’ve never done so before. It’s not a knock on her abilities personally, but it does speak to the difficulty in being a novice and beating experienced politicians.

Butler’s name was not well known among Californian voters. Candidates who don’t have a household name need to spend millions — or to form political committees that have their own warchest — on advertising campaigns to reach voters in the metro areas of California.

Lesenyie added that Butler’s late entrance into the race would also have placed her at a major fundraising disadvantage.

This week, Schiff announced that his campaign raised $6 million over the past three months. He also reported having $32 million in cash on hand. Porter’s campaign has $12 million in its bank.

Governor Gavin Newsom, who appointed Butler to fill Feinstein’s seat, was the only exception. Many of the state’s political leaders, donors and influential unions had already cast their lot with one of three prominent Democratic candidates. Gavin Newsom who nominated Butler to fill Feinstein’s seat had been the only exception. Many of the state’s political leaders, unions, and donors already backed one of three prominent Democratic candidates.

Schiff is supported by six labor unions in the state, including the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Both he and Lee, who are trailing in the polls, have the backing of the majority of elected officials in Sacramento as well as the state’s delegation to Congress.

In a recent forum for candidates, all three House Democrats said that they would continue to run regardless of Butler’s choice, and added that a healthy race benefits the voters.

Porter stated, “I believe this race has galvanized California and given it the energy to hold important discussions about what we want from Washington.”

Feinstein spent more than 30 years as a senator in the U.S. Senate until her death on September 29. Porter entered the race even before Porter decided to not run for re-election in this year. Schiff and Lee quickly followed.

When Feinstein missed work in the spring due to health problems, the Democratic candidates for her seat did not criticize her. They sent her good wishes and wished her a speedy recovery.

The race was dominated by the question of whether Feinstein would finish her term or if Newsom would nominate a successor. After Kamala Harris’ election as vice president, the governor filled California’s other Senate Seat as well as the vacancies at California Secretary of State and Attorney General.

In these cases, the appointees effectively cleared the field once they ran for their full terms. Newsom seemed to be aware of this dilemma in the Senate race, saying last month in an interview that he would not pick any candidate who was running for the position.

Newsom told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it would be unfair to the Democrats who have worked so hard.

Newsom, however, stressed that Butler was not barred from running after his appointment.

“That’s up to her.” “I look forward to her taking that decision at her own pace,” he said last Friday in Los Angeles. “I was very clear that when we discussed the appointment,… it wasn’t an obligation and her decision is hers,” he said to reporters in Los Angeles last Friday.

Butler was appointed to fill Feinstein’s seat only days after her death. Immediately, speculation began to swirl about whether Butler would run for the seat again in 2024.

Some political strategists questioned her ability to raise money in order to compete. Butler may be well-known to political circles but she is virtually unknown by most California voters. To change this, Butler would have needed to spend millions of dollars on advertising.

Butler’s connections to two major Democratic Party fundraising bases could have helped her chances.

Butler was the former president of Emily’s List. The organization spends millions each election cycle to support female Democratic candidates that favor abortion rights. Butler previously served as president of SEIU California, a powerful union with 700,000 members who can contribute campaign funds, door-knockers, and votes.

Butler said to The Times that, a day after she was appointed, she “had no idea” if she would run for the 2024 elections. She only knew she wanted to dedicate her time to serving the citizens of California.

Butler made her decision on Thursday after spending more than two full weeks in careful consideration.

She said, “I spent the last 16 days working on my clarity – what kind life I wanted to live, what service I wanted to provide and what voice I wanted to present.” “After weighing these questions, I have decided to not run for Senate at the next election.”

Newsom put himself in a political perilous position when he pledged more than two year ago to name a Black women to Feinstein’s post if she could not complete her term. This promise was partly influenced by the reactions to his decision to nominate then-Secretary Alex Padil