Senate Career
In 1894, Butler was elected as United States Senator from North Carolina, serving alongside Senator Jeter C. Pritchard. As a United States Senator, Butler continued to advocate for workable reforms from the Populist Party Platform, including the regulation or outright ownership by the United States Government of railroads and telegraphs, as well as for a silver-based currency system.
In 1896, Butler strongly supported William Jennings Bryan, a Democrat, in his quest for the Presidency, while ironically continuing to encourage cooperation between Populists and Republicans in North Carolina. After Bryan's loss, Butler continued to work for reform on the national stage which would benefit farmers, but this work would soon be cut short by the "white supremacy" campaigns of the Democratic Party in North Carolina. Butler lost his bid for re-election in 1900, and would later formally leave the Populist Party in 1904, officially becoming a Republican.
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