Shortly into her term, Senator Laphonza Butler was hailed for a magnanimous gesture that threatens to eclipse her entire legislative agenda. Butler decided not to run for re-election.

Butler had been appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as interim Senator for the state of California after the exit of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, who’d occupied the role for three decades. Because of Feinstein’s gradually declining health, several prominent California Democrats in Congress had been lining up to become her replacement. But not wanting to take sides, Newsom sidestepped Representatives Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee and instead awarded the role to Butler.

According to political analysts, the appointment gave Butler a legitimate opening for Butler to properly campaign for the Senate seat. Bill Carrick said that Butler “could have been a player.” But Butler decided that the best thing to do for her family and for the state would be to relinquish her seat at the end of her term. Butler said in her announcement “Knowing you can win a campaign doesn’t always mean you should run a campaign.”

She included a motivational quote from one of her sports heroes: “Muhammad Ali once said, ‘Don’t count the days, make the days count.’ I intend to do just that.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

It's amazing what we can accomplish when we care more about helping others than helping ourselves.