California Governor Gavin Newsom made an interim appointment October 1, replacing the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein's seat with 44-year-old Laphonza Butler. However, this appointment complicates an already complex campaign, according to CalMatters: For one thing, there will be a special election to decide who serves the final two months of Feinstein’s term, and it will be held at the same time as the regularly scheduled election. So voters will have two U.S. Senate decisions, one in the March primary, and again in the November presidential general election.

Butler was sworn in October 3 by Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black U.S. senator to represent California and the most recently-elected Black woman to the Senate. Butler will be making history as the first openly LGBTQ person and the second Black woman to represent California in the Senate. Although never holding office, Butler also advised Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign before becoming the president of EMILYs List in September 2021.

And if Butler does run, it will throw another wild card into the campaign, in which three big-name Democrats — U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee — are already vying to push aside Republican candidates and make the top two for next November’s general election.