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Political News
A close associate of Harris accuses Biden of not keeping his word
An interview with Senator Laphonza Butler, a Democrat from California, in her last week serving in the Senate.
Written by Lisa Lerer
Laphonza Butler has been a senator for California for a short period of around 15 months. However, she has been a strong supporter and friend of Vice President Kamala Harris for a much longer period of 15 years.
During this week, I had a conversation with Butler, who has been in a longstanding partnership with Harris since they first met when Butler was a union leader in Los Angeles. Butler’s unique perspective sheds light on why her party lost the presidential election and offers insights on how it can move forward and rebuild.
Harris has not publicly discussed the reasons for her loss. According to Butler, part of the blame lies with President Biden for breaking a campaign promise by running for re-election. However, simply blaming Biden is not sufficient. Butler suggests that Democrats need to stop talking and truly listen to others.
Governor Gavin Newsom chose Butler to take over the vacant U.S. Senate seat after Senator Dianne Feinstein passed away in September 2023. Feinstein chose not to seek re-election, and this week marks her final days in office. On Monday, Representative Adam Schiff will officially become California’s newest senator.
The interview underwent editing to make it shorter and easier to understand.
LL asked for the reason why Harris was not successful.
LB: The people in America desired a shift in leadership. They were looking for a candidate who they believed could bring about change. That seems to be the main reason behind their choice.
Was it a mistake for Biden to run for
At first, President Biden indicated that he would serve as a transitional leader, which was the expectation of many. It may have been more effective for him to continue in that role. Despite this, we cannot ignore the accomplishments of his presidency. In the future, his time in office will be seen as highly influential. However, when you set expectations with people, it is important to uphold them.
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