African-American prominent officials would like California Governor Gavin Newsom to elect MP Karen Bass or Barbara Lee to replace Harris, who is the only black woman in the Senate. But many Latinos, who are made up of many California people, want Newsom to elect the first Latin or Latin senator in the state’s history, such as California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, Mayor Robert Garcia of Long Beach or Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Amusement between the various groups to promote their preferred candidates has already led to a tense struggle within the Spanish Caucasus of Congress, with some members privately criticizing what they saw as a cumbersome tactic in approving Padilla’s political army, several sources involved. said CNN.
State power figures were delighted that California had such a deep, diverse bench from democratic leaders. Asked if there was a consensus list, Andrew Byrnes, one of the most important packers of California democracy, joked: “It just depends on what you mean by ‘short’.”
But with Harris leaving, there will be emptiness, ”Bass told CNN.
“It’s a concern that there won’t be an African-American woman in the Senate,” the five-term congressional woman said. “And this is a concern for many individuals and organizations across the country.”
But Padilla told CNN that the state’s first Latin senator will be a “historic milestone,” and said California’s “rich diversity” is “certainly one of the many considerations the governor will consider when making that decision”.
“A lot of people get excited about a potential for the first time,” he said.
The defining moment of Newsom
The impending decision comes at a key moment for Newsom as it faces health, economic, housing and climate crises, as well as its own political future. The governor is known for both his political career and private life, and for his pioneering steps – from 2004, when he soon became mayor of San Francisco, he ordered a city official to begin issuing marriage permits to same-sex couples. Until 2019, when he was a first-term governor, he issued a moratorium on the death penalty. A Newsom spokesman declined to comment on this story.
But his election to the Senate could strengthen his support among the crucial constituencies. Steve Westly, Biden’s top vendor and former California state inspector, said it was “very likely” that Newsom would choose a colorful person and praise Padilla, Lee, Bass and Ro Khanna by name.
Padilla, 47, is “at the top of most lists,” Westly said. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering, 25 years ago with Senator Dianne Feinstein and the then MP, an assistant to the current MP. Tony Cárdenas. Padilla then served as president of Los Angeles City Council during the September 11, 2001 attacks, and a senator from a California state focused on combating climate change and broadband access.
Padilla told CNN it was “an honor to consider.” He proclaimed his work as Secretary of State by increasing the number of registered voters while maintaining the security of the process amid an epidemic. California first sent postal ballot papers to more than 22 million registered voters in excess of Florida’s population, leading to record turnout. If elected, Padilla is likely to help Newsom turn to Latinos, who make up 30% of the state’s voters.
There are a number of other factors that Newsom needs to consider, including giving increased political influence to Southern California – which has been alienated from the Senate for decades.
Bass, president of the Congressional Black Caucasus, was the first African-American woman to be elected president of the California state assembly. He told CNN that he was considering what options he thought he might have for leadership positions in the Senate and the Biden administration, including foreign policy, housing, and health and human services.
Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Lives Matter, says the governor should choose Bass or Lee. He said he understood the argument that it was time for the first Latin senator in the state: “We also need to understand the current place where we are.”
“We are at a time when the Black Lives Matter has been called the largest racial and social justice movement in global history, and Kamala Harris, or who has a black woman in the U.S. Senate, is also important outside of California,” Abdullah said.
Some liberal activists are pushing for other women than MP Katie Porter, who raised more money in her first term than almost any other House of Representatives, State Senate President Tempore Toni Atkins – the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ leader in the upper house of the legislature – and Lieutenant Eleni Kounalakis, the first woman to be elected to her post. Other advanced as well as Indian Americans are urging Khanna, whose parents migrated from India to the United States, to follow Harris, the first South Asian American senator in U.S. history. “The community can still be proud if Ro is chosen,” said Ajay Jain Bhutoria, an Indian-American entrepreneur.
The battle erupts within the Spanish electorate
The private campaign of influence has confused democratic allies.
The Spanish Caucasian political faculty of Congress, known as the Bold PAC and led by Cárdenas, supported Padilla after a process that angered several members for moving too quickly and without proper coordination – a number of sources are said to be known.
According to sources, California Democrat Linda Sánchez was particularly disappointed at how Cárdenas pushed through the group’s influential approval. Sánchez told CNN he would not comment on “internal procedures” but “would like the Latin or Latin of the southern half of the state to be chosen”, adding that there are “many well-trained Latinx candidates” including Padilla in the Senate date conciliation.
“People were nervous, it was a terrible process,” said a member of the CHC who asked for anonymity to detail the private conversations. The member added that “there is a lot of heartburn” because “Latinos were not even considered” and “Latinos were not even consulted”.
Another source familiar with the case said, “The BOLD PAC came up with a name without discussing it and had to check it first.”
BOLD PAC Managing Director Gisel Aceves told CNN he “sent the same approval process that we’ve already used and used it more than 100 times to approve candidates this cycle.”
“Foreign Minister Alex Padilla’s long history, civil service history and work to defend the vote made him an overwhelming favorite in our generation’s most consistent election cycle, and the House of Representatives proudly voted to support him,” he added.
Sánchez said Maloney “asked for his support early and gave him my word – which I will not return to”. He said he “has deep experience in recasting the DCCC and is personally committed to making Latin voting a priority.”
Lawmakers find it surprising to see two Caucasian Spanish members of Congress work in one of the governing body’s key races against another prominent member of the House of Representatives, with one Democrat saying Cardenas is handling the Padilla Senate’s approval “really ruined the pen”.
“Governor Newsom is a historian and I look forward to supporting anyone he chooses,” Garcia said in a statement.
“Governor Newsom not only had a tough call on his part,” Becerra said in a statement. “I have no doubt that his election as California senator will be right for our state.”
