NEWSOM TAPS PADILLA FOR US SENATE SEAT
SACRAMENTO » California Gov. Gavin Newsom selected Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Tuesday as the state’s next U. S. senator, a historic pick that sends a Latino to the Senate for the first time in the state’s history.
While Padilla had been the favorite, a video released by Newsom’s office shows him getting emotional after Newsom offered him the job, reflecting on the hard work of his parents, who came to the United States from
Mexico and worked as a cook and a housekeeper.
“It’s a hell of an important perspective to bring to Washington,” he told Newsom.
Padilla, 47, was appointed to fill out the remainder of Vice President- elect Kamala Harris’ term. She plans to step down from the seat in January ahead of Inauguration Day, on Jan. 20. Padilla will need to run for a full term in 2022. The appointment gives him an advantage, but he’s still likely to face challengers; California’s top- two primary system allows two Democrats
to face off in a general election.
“Through his tenacity, integrity, smarts and grit, California is gaining a tested fighter in their corner who will be a fierce ally in D. C., lifting up our state’s values and making sure we secure the critical resources to emerge stronger from this pandemic,” Newsom said in a statement.
Padilla’s appointment gives a new level of representation to Latinos, who make up the state’s single largest demographic group at nearly 40% of the population. But Newsom’s choice of Padilla also means
there will be no Black women in the 100- member Senate. Harris, who is Black and Indian, was the only Black woman in the Senate, and Black leaders had been lobbying Newsom to appoint either Reps. Karen Bass or Barbara Lee to replace her.
“Secretary Padilla has a track record as a skilled legislator and a steadfast advocate for justice, and I believe he will be a powerful voice in the Senate for those who continue to be denied our country’s promise of equality,” Lee said in a statement.
Bass, who had been vocal about the need for the Senate to have a Black woman, said Padilla would be a “champion following a distinguished line of individuals who have shattered glass ceilings and hurdled obstacles in their way.”
About six hours after the Senate announcement, Newsom’s office said he would nominate Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who is Black, to fill Padilla’s seat once he goes to the Senate. Weber, of San Diego, heads the California Legislative Black Caucus. The nomination is subject to approval in the Legislature.
If confirmed, she would become the first Black person to hold the office. Weber presided over the Electoral College that met in Sacramento earlier this month.
Newsom called Weber, the daughter of sharecroppers, “a tireless advocate and change agent with unimpeachable integrity.”
Padilla was first elected as California’s top elections official in 2014 and won a second term four years later. In that position,
he has overseen California’s vast elections apparatus, including the rollout of a more robust vote- bymail system. In the November election, California mailed a ballot to every registered voter. Prior to that, he oversaw the implementation of the Voter’s Choice Act, a 2016 law that allowed counties to mail all registered voters a ballot. The state now has 22 million voters.
Padilla lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three sons, ages 5, 7 and 13.
His appointment will bring geographic diversity to California’s representation in Washington. Dianne Feinstein, California’s other senator, is from San Francisco, and politicians from Northern California have held some of the state’s highest political offices for decades. Harris built her political career in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles.
Feinstein, whom Padilla once worked for, announced her support for his nomination in early December.
He and Newsom have a long relationship. When Newsom first ran for governor in 2009, Padilla chaired his campaign. Newsom dropped out when former Gov. Jerry Brown entered the race and instead ran for lieutenant governor, a job he held for eight years. When he ran again for governor in 2018 in a competitive primary, Padilla endorsed him over other prominent Democrats, including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.