Leader Gloria Butler is the Leader of the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus, and the first Black woman to lead either Senate Caucus in the Georgia State Senate.

Butler was first elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1998. After 19 years of service in various Caucus leadership positions, Butler was first elected Leader in 2020. Under Butler’s guidance, the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus has gained seats in the Senate, increased fundraising, and continued pushing to make Georgia a more progressive state.

Leader Butler is a tireless advocate for health care reform, abortion rights, and Georgia’s public schools. She has led the fight against Republican resistance to expand Medicaid in Georgia. In recent years, she sponsored legislation to protect the right to abortion under the Georgia Constitution. She continues her vigorous support of Georgia’s public schools, resisting all efforts to privatize Georgia’s educational system. She is currently working to help Georgia’s students recover from pandemic era learning loss.

Leader Butler began her political career by directing a get-out-the-vote effort for a congressional campaign. She later became a legislative assistant in the United States House of Representatives, providing advice on education, agriculture affairs, environment issues, foreign agriculture and hunger issues, space and technology, and welfare reform. Butler continued her policy work internationally when the United States Information Agency recruited her to participate in the U.S. Speaker Program, which entailed travel to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.

Leader Butler remains active in several national organizations. She is the state director for both Women in Government and Women in Legislative Lobby. Butler is also a lifetime member of the NAACP.

She is the mother of two daughters, Felicia and Leslie. She is also blessed with three grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.