Michael R. Blood
This photo taken from video provided by the Office of the Governor shows California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right during a virtual meeting from his home in Sacramento, Calif., with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Newsom appointed Padilla as the state s next U.S. senator to fill the seat being vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. (Office of the Governor via AP) December 23, 2020 - 7:38 AM
LOS ANGELES - California is getting its first Latino U.S. senator. For Gov. Gavin Newsom, itâs a political gamble.
The Democratic governor Tuesday named Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants, to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris. When Padilla goes to Washington, the former state legislator will become Californiaâs first Latino senator since the stateâs founding 170 years ago.
California Governor picks Alex Padilla to fill Kamala Harris Senate seat nbc-2.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nbc-2.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
California’s Dilemma: Latino or Latinx?
California’s Gov. Gruesom announced his pick to replace Kamala Harris in the Senate today, and it’s going to be the secretary of state Alex Padilla. There were widespread rumors that Gov. Gruesom was dreading the appointment, because the various Democratic Party identity factions were pressuring him to pick from among their ranks, as CNN reported a month ago:
A cross-country lobbying campaign for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat has pitted factions divided by race, gender and geography against one another and heightened internal tensions within at least one influential caucus on Capitol Hill.
2020/12/20 21:30 FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2020, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility in Valencia, Calif. As California Gov. Ga. FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2020, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility in Valencia, Calif. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs whom to appoint to the Senate to fulfill the rest of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris term, he s facing pressure to name a Latino or a Black woman. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Pool, File) FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2020, file photo Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. and Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio wave to emp.
Gov. Newsom challenged to address Senate s lack of diversity
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Noah Berger/AP
and last updated 2020-12-20 10:12:36-05
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) â As California Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs his pick to serve out the rest of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Senate term, he s facing pressure to name a Latino or a Black woman.
California has never had a Latino senator even though the state is nearly 40% Latino. But without Harris, who is Black, there will be no Black women in the 100-member Senate.
The situation has some observers frustrated with the persistent lack of racial diversity in the Senate and what they view as both parties failure to do much about it. With the pressure on Newsom, those with a stake in his choice are lobbying openly.