I’m seeing Katie Porter mentioned a bunch, but some would rather she stay where she is.
I’d love some ideas to mull over.
Most likely a CA Dem house member or maybe the AG of California or maybe LA mayor.
Karen Bass or Barbara Lee. There is currently not a single black woman in the Senate. That’s just awful, and should be rectified.
I like 'em both, but Garcetti (mayor) is pretty controversial, that is to say, even among Democrats. He could do the job, but there’s baggage. Of course, the same is probably true of anyone even conceivably eligible…
Agreement with iiandyiiii that a woman of color would be a very nice signal of support for the new civil rights era.
I meant that once Kamala becomes VP, there will be no black women in the Senate, of course.
When does she resign? January 20?
Politically, Newsom pretty much has to name a woman of color or face a serious backlash from state and national Democrats.
She defeated fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez in the 2016 Senate race. But i think California would want someone more liberal.
It’s more about internal California politics than it is national politics. Remember a senator represents the interests of their state, it would be different if they were chosen at-large. California has a Latino plurality but has never had a Latino senator, I think the pressure in that direction will be intense. Alex Padilla is getting a lot of push.
There are constituents pushing for a Black senator, constituents pushing for a female senator, constituents pushing for a LBGTQ+ senator, constituents pushing for a thoroughly progressive senator (to balance the more moderate Feinstein) and on down the road. No matter who he picks Newsome is going to piss off somebody.
Any Black Latinas in Dem CA politics?
None that I’m aware of, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. But probably safe to say there are none that are especially prominent to the point they’d be considered for a senator’s slot.
Kevin de Leon?
He’s been mentioned, though doesn’t seem to be quite at the top of anyone’s list. There have already been a bucket load of names tossed out:
State Bureaucrats
Alex Padilla, linked above.
Betty Yee
Fiona Ma
Xavier Becerra
State-level Politicians
Lorena Gonzalez
Toni Atkins
Kevin de León
Congress folk:
Barbara Lee
Ro Khanna
Karen Bass
Katie Porter
The Mayors:
Eric Garcetti
Robert Garcia
London Breed
Libby Schaaf
And I’m sure I’m missing a dozen more. I think some of these are less likely than others. Newsom is going to want someone who can win a statewide re-election campaign in a couple of years. But the doors are certainly wide open.
I’d imagine this is gonna hinge on what Newsom’s longer term ambitions are. Does he see a run for President in his future? Is there a constituency he’d want to court? I’m not suggesting he’ll go the Blago route, but any Governor getting the chance to make a Senate appointment has to think about what’s in his/her best political interest.
They’re 67 and 74, respectively. That’d work if the intent is to appoint a placeholder and let the voters decide in '22, but if Newsome wants to appoint someone who can hold the seat long-term, he’d probably go younger. And yes, I know Senators are often up in the years, but that’s still awfully old to start.
If he has designs on the seat himself, that might not be a bad strategy.
Whenever she wants, as long as it’s before she takes the oath of office for VP. My guess: it’ll be between when Congress certifies the electoral college count (should be 12/23) and the start of the new Congress (1/3.) That’ll make sure no shenanigan can cost her both the VP and her Senate seat, and let her replacement have seniority over the other Freshmen, which is good for California. The former consideration is < 1% chance, I’d wager, and the latter is good for California, but not for anyone else. So maybe she won’t really care about either of those. But that’s my guess.
That’s a good point. Probably a smarter way to go about it than appointing himself.
Whoever he appoints the seat will be up in 2022. Feinstein is up in 2024 and almost certain to retire, so he might have a couple of opportunities in relatively short order.
I really doubt Newsom is interested in being a senator in that time period. Governor of CA trumps senator any day as a power position/bully pulpit and barring a career-ending scandal he should sail to an easy re-election in 2022 if he so chooses. I’d say only a presidential run might distract him, but with Kamala Harris in the way even that might not be in the cards in 2024.