SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla as the state’s next U.S. senator.
He will fill the seat being vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Padilla is the child of Mexican immigrants and will be California’s first Latino senator.
His appointment gives a new level of representation to the demographic group that makes up nearly 40% of the state’s population.
Padilla has been California’s top elections official since 2015. In that position, he’s overseen California’s vast elections apparatus, including the rollout of a more robust vote-by-mail system.
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