Governor Newsom
We share your enthusiasm in celebrating the historic victory of President-elect Joe Biden and California’s own Vice President-elect Kamala Devi Harris. In the midst of our nation’s intersecting crises, over 80 million Americans made their desire to rebuild and reconcile our fragile nation known. You now have the opportunity to appoint the next U.S. Senator from California. We urge you to make history by appointing California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to be our next U.S. Senator who would also be the first Latino Senator from California.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla has led the fight against the Trump administration’s voter suppression and election meddling. The son of Mexican immigrants, Padilla was raised in the working-class community of Pacoima, and went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Padilla was the youngest President of the Los Angeles City Council and served in the California Senate for almost a decade, advancing legislation on health initiatives, education, climate change, and infrastructure. He is committed to advancing policy that supports and empowers working people while also having a strong track record of policies that help grow business throughout California and the United States.
The time is ripe to ensure that California's voice in the U.S. Senate represents the state’s communities of color. Prior to this election, only nine Latinos have served in the U.S. Senate since it first convened in 1789. Latinos represent over 60 million Americans and more Latinos live in California than in any other state. Despite that, California has yet to elect a Latina/o to the U.S. Senate or to serve in the Governor’s Office, and no Latina has ever won statewide office. Unlike other states, neither major political party in California has even endorsed a Latina/o for U.S. Senate or the Governor’s mansion since the 19th century.
The inevitability of Latino population growth makes the country’s long-term recovery inseparable from the recovery of Latino households, workers, and businesses. Following the devastation of COVID-19 and four years of ill-advised federal leadership, our resiliency and success as a nation and as a state are inextricably tied to Latino ingenuity and economic output. The contributions of the nation’s growing and youthful Latino population is estimated at $2.6 trillion GDP, making it the eighth largest GDP in the world. Latinos will play a decisive role in the efficacy of recovery, but also who occupies the White House and which party retains control of the U.S. Congress. The Latino community and communities of color are embedded within the fabric of California’s and the U.S. economy— their unique needs, and their power, must be recognized by Washington, D.C.
You can be a powerful catalyst for Latino representation and American recovery by appointing Hon. Alex Padilla to be our next U.S. Senator. You have built your administration on the bedrock of building up ALL Californians. Latinos have cemented their outsized role in safeguarding our democracy and fueling our economy; this community must be elevated to our nation’s most important governing roles.