Two Silicon Valley legislators eyeing run for California Secretary of State December 24, 2020 Secretary of State Alex Padilla speaking about voter suppression in Santa Clara County. File photo by Katie Lauer. With speculation swirling that California Secretary of State Alex Padilla could be selected to fill Kamala Harris’ U.S. Senate seat once she becomes vice president next month, some local politicians are lining up to potentially replace him. Five California legislators have opened exploratory committees looking into a run for secretary of state, including two South Bay leaders: Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) and Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont), whose district covers parts of North San Jose and all of Santa Clara.