A group of California's biggest political female donors are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill Democrat Sen. Kamala Harris' Senate seat with a "woman of color" if she becomes the next vice president.
According to Vox, 150 female donors signed their names to a letter published as a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle on Monday. The letter asks Newsom "to continue this Californian tradition by appointing a woman of color to Vice President-elect Harris' U.S. Senate seat."
"Women of color are the core drivers of electoral progress in our country, and their voices should be heard in the nation's highest governing body," the letter stated. "California is fortunate to have a strong pipeline of women of color in elected office who are prepared to serve; as Californians and political supporters, we look forward to you selecting one of them."
The letter comes as a Hispanic male front-runner has come into the picture. According to the New York Post, reports have swirled Gov. Newsom is eyeing California Secretary of State Alex Padilla for the seat.
If selected, Padilla, a Hispanic male, would be the first Latino to represent California in the Senate.
Women are not the only ones hoping to see another woman of color in the seat. Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown is also pushing for a woman of color to fill the seat.
During an interview with Politico, he said California Reps. Barbara Lee, Karen Bass, and Maxine Waters, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, and state Sen. Holly Mitchell would be his top picks for the opening.
"There's no way that Gavin Newsom should allow anyone other than a black woman to fill the seat of Harris, who's only the second black woman in the history of the U.S. Senate," he told Politico. "There should be no contest."
He said he plans to organize black churches, pastors, civic leaders, fraternal organizations, and members of the Black press to urge Newsom to pick a woman of color.
Newsom has said he has been lobbied to fill the seat since Harris became Joe Biden's running mate in August. He said choosing her replacement is "not something I'd wish on my worst enemy."
Marisa Herman ✉
Marisa Herman, a Newsmax senior reporter, focuses on major and investigative stories. A University of Florida graduate, she has more than a decade of experience as a reporter for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
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