“I try to engage women who are thinking about running for office or up-and-coming leaders to embrace the power they do have, and not think about it from a place of weakness, but really from a place of strength.”

American labor union official and former politician

Laphonza Butler is an American labor union official and former politician. She served as a United States senator from California from 2023 to 2024, and has worked in labor and Democratic politics for much of her career. She began as a union organizer and later led the California SEIU State Council from 2013 to 2018. Butler was also a regent of the University of California system from 2018 to 2021, and served as president of EMILY's List from 2021 to 2023.