San Francisco Chronicle: Who should fill Kamala Harris' Senate seat if she becomes VP?
Now that Election Day has finally halted, buzz is going around about who the next Senator of California could be. Kamala Harris will be leaving her seat empty starting Inauguration Day in January, and only one vote will determine who will sit in it and fill the spot as part of the U.S. Senate. Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, is currently deciding who is valuable enough to partake in the Senate and to represent California. His vote is the only one to count, so many have been influencing him with numerous names and colleagues to possibly choose from. For instance, many friends, lawmakers, and other advisers keep spreading Alex Padilla's name. California's secretary of state and Latino, Padilla has emerged as a favorable candidate. However, some active campaigns also argue to replace Harris with another woman. Representative Karen Bass from Los Angeles has been mentioned as well as Representative Barbara Lee from Oakland, two very well educated Black females.
California, a state with a high population of Latinos, would do well with a Latino representative in the Senate. The Latino Victory Fund agrees with the statement, and has been promoting the #PickPadilla hashtag on their website to lean Newsom to choose Padilla as the next Senator.
Polls across the internet have been created to see who the rest of the public believes should be the next Senator. Yet, while the public is consumed with this new contest between a wide variety of diverse candidates, only Gavin Newsom has the final say. And because of the next election in 2022, Newsom would want to elect someone who would therefore support him as he runs for re-election.
Who do you believe will be chosen? Who would you want to represent California?
7 comments:
I personally think Alex Padilla would be a good selection. California has a high latino population and having them represented in government is important. Also from the articles that were attached it seems that Padilla has earned the repect of his collegues which is important. The fact that he is a male replacing a female senator would be problematic but its also unfair to reject someone just because of their gender.However, I understand though that since only about 20% of congress is female so thinking about gender is important in newsoms descion.
It's hard to say who I'd prefer to be our next senator, but I predict that it'll be Padilla. Bass, Lee, and Padilla are definitely qualified for the job. Bass and Lee currently serve in Congress, which perhaps makes them more qualified, but their seats would also have to be replaced if one of them gets chosen as senator. Both latinxs and women are heavily underrepresented in the Senate, so it's difficult to decide who should replace Harris in terms of representation. The argument to replace Harris with another black woman is definitely valid considering the fact that there has only been two senators who were black women, including Harris herself. However, it is also important to consider California's large latinx population and the fast growth of said population. Ultimately, though, I think that Padilla will be chosen, especially because Dianne Feinstein openly endorsed him.
With the intention of substantive representation, it is important to elect a new senator who will reflect the desires and needs of the larger body and diverse community. With this in mind, it is also necessary that this senator has enough work experience in public policy, working on legislation and politics. California's current senator Dianne Feinstein has been very vocal about her support of Alex Padilla and has publicized her communications with Gov. Gavin Newsom about her desired appointee. Being the first latino to possibly serve in the Senate, Padilla seems as though the ideal fit, providing the more than 39.4% of latinos/ hispanics in California with a lager voice. With Padilla's stance on many key issues being favorable to most Democrats, such as his belief on the legality of abortions, his main focus remains on addressing many societal inequities, such as education and employment. If elected, he vows to prioritize equal access to education and school supplies necessary, better access to jobs and fair wages, as well as building up and ultimately protecting vulnerable communities from violence through improved infrastructure projects.
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/59742/alex-padilla
I agree with Zion. I think Alex Padilla would be a pretty good selection too. Although I think it's important to get more women in office, I do think that Padilla would do well in the role due to his ethnicity and resulting representation for the Latino community. Additionally, Padillo has been generally well regarded by others and that respect and resulting connections is a very strong quality necessary to be a good senator. Gender representation is extremely important and we do need more women in politics, but women aren't the only underrepresented group and if someone has really good qualifications and fits the role, I don't see why they shouldn't get the position. That being said, there needs to be greater efforts to get underrepresented groups as a whole into the senate.
I am pretty certain Padilla will win, which is expected because of California's high Latin American population. That being said, I personally haven't done much research besides pre-comment research just to get a better grasp on the situation. I don't know who I would prefer. I think with a growing Latino population in the U.S., we do need more representation for them in the federal government. I agree with Pariya that all three candidates look like qualified choices. That being said, with the strong BLM movement this past summer, Newsom may be more pressured into voting for an African American in order to gain more media support and attention. If Padilla does win, I think the thing I would be most excited about his intense focus on Climate Change issues.
I agree with Peter that it seems very likely that Alex Padilla will be picked. Increased Latino American representation in the Senate is important, especially for a state like California where Latin Americans are the largest ethnic group. I think his relationships with Newsom and Diane Feinstein will help him secure the role. The KPIX article talks about how Newsom and Padilla are friends, and I think Newsom's more personal knowledge of Padilla's character and abilities will give Padilla an advantage over the other candidates. Feinstein's endorsement also carries a lot of weight, and I think that her endorsement is an indicator that Newsom will likely come to the same conclusion about who to choose.
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