Sen. Laphonza Butler on VP Harris' presidential bid

Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., sat down with ABC News to discuss her friendship with Vice President Kamala Harris and future of Harris' presidential campaign.

Butler met Harris 15 years ago when she was the district attorney of San Francisco. Butler also served as a senior adviser on Harris' 2020 presidential campaign.

After speaking with Harris, Butler said she is as determined as she's ever seen her. Harris is committed to doing the work and earning and winning the nomination, according to Butler, and aims to unify not only the Democratic Party but also the people of this country.

ABC News spoke with Butler about the recent changes for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

ABC NEWS: We're joined now by California Democratic Senator Laphonza Butler. Senator, thank you so much for taking the time tonight. You've known Kamala Harris for about 15 years. You met her when she was district attorney of San Francisco and, of course, was a senior adviser on Harris' 2020 presidential campaign. What have the past 24 hours been like for you??

BUTLER: Thanks for the question, Linsey. It's great to be here. The past 24 hours, really for me, have started with such a recognition of deep gratitude for the servant leadership that is embodied in Joe Biden. President Biden has done this remarkable thing of showing how to put leadership, and the future of our country, ahead of his own personal ego.

He is a leader who we all would aspire to, to emulate any, at any opportunity, we could. And, and it has, it's been pretty busy. It's been a 24 hours of excitement, a 24 hours of pride, 24 hours of communicating with Californians, and and thinking about with my little girl, how just incredibly special this moment is that she gets to think about and see Kamala Harris, the vice president, be positioned to secure the nomination for the Democratic Party and to go on to beat President Trump in November.

ABC NEWS: You said you've communicated with Californians. Have you spoken to one Californian in particular, Kamala Harris?

BUTLER: I did; I have spoken with the vice president. And she is as determined as I have ever seen her. She is committed to doing the work and earning, and winning, this nomination, unifying not only the Democratic Party, but the people of this country, rejecting the future that is reflected in Project 2025 and creating a vision for our country that brings shared economic prosperity and creates a place for everyone. And, you know, I got it. I got to tell you, I just have not heard her be so clear and certain about what is possible when we choose as a nation to do something together. And it just has been and it was an exciting conversation and it's been an exciting 24 hours.

ABC NEWS: Back in May, I asked you if you felt like the Democratic Party has taken Black female voters in particular for granted. And you just mentioned that call last night with tens of thousands of Black women. Do you think that this moment will galvanize what has historically been the Democratic Party's most loyal bloc of voters?

BUTLER: I think this is a moment where, that the backbone of our party, see this as an opportunity to continue to lift this country to its next level of greatness. We have never elected a candidate that is, that is that embodies all of what the vice president brings to the table. It is an incredibly exciting time, Linsey. And I think that Black women and voters of all stripes are going to seize this moment to really win of the future, again, for generations to come.

ABC NEWS: You mentioned it's an exciting time, Senator. Just humor me. Who might you think, if she is to go on to secure the Democratic nomination, might further excite the country as far as a VP pick?

BUTLER: So I think that that it's, it's going to be a pick that really comes down to who can she best work with, who who shares her vision for the country moving forward. Who is going to be committed to demonstrating every single day, that the people of this country are more important than any politic or party. And I think she's got to urgently deliberate, and get to a conclusion there. But, anyone that she chooses, all of the names that have been out there, are committed Democrats, I think, who could share that value set and we would be well served, by, by working with any of them.

ABC NEWS: So before I let you go, I know you're not running for reelection. But since you did work on her 2020 campaign, have to ask: Might you consider joining the Harris campaign if she asked?

BUTLER: Look, if she if she asked, I would stand at the ready. And this is a candidate who I have believed in since the first day that she walked into the office of my union hall back in 2009 and 2010. She has shown to me every day since then that she is committed to doing the right thing for most people and sacrificing herself, and her own personal ambition, to get it done. And if this was a moment that she called me forward, I owe it to the 40 million Californians who sent us both here, to make sure that we are doing the best that we can, for the most people that we can. And to show my little 9-year-old daughter that she can do and be anything. That's the opportunity that's in front of us.

ABC NEWS: Senator Laphonza Butler, we thank you so much for your time, I appreciate it.