California Sen. Laphonza Butler will not seek election to a full term in 2024

Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., is seen during a re-enactment of her swearing-in ceremony to the Senate to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., is seen during a re-enactment of her swearing-in ceremony to the Senate to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Newly appointed California Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler will not seek election to a full term in 2024.

Butler — who was named earlier this month by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to complete the remaining term of the late Dianne Feinstein — says in a statement she made the decision after considering “what kind of life I want to have, what kind of service I want to offer and what kind of voice I want to bring forward.”

Her candidacy would have complicated an already crowded race that includes several other prominent Democrats — U.S. Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee.