‘Pick Padilla’: Why Latino Victory is behind California elections chief for Harris’ seat
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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have yet to win their campaign to unseat President Donald Trump. That isn’t stopping a progressive Latino advocacy group from making plans for Harris’ senate seat.
Latino Victory, a progressive political action committee, announced a five-figure digital ad campaign on Wednesday advocating for the appointment of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla as Harris’ successor in the U.S. Senate if she becomes the next country’s next vice president.
“We want to make sure that we have a diverse voice in that U.S. Senate seat, and I think the earlier that we can coalesce around one leader, the better,” said Nathalie Rayes, president and CEO of Latino Victory. “We want to make history.”
Latino Victory focuses on increasing Latino representation from school boards to government office.
Rayes praised Padilla’s life story as the son of Mexican immigrants, and upwards trajectory from becoming elected to the Los Angeles City Council at age 26, to eventually becoming California’s secretary of state in 2015.
“His trajectory has been impeccable. He’s a man of great virtue, a person who has stood by the community,” she said.
The endorsement comes 69 days before Election Day and two weeks after Democratic presidential nominee Biden selected Harris as his running mate. While Latinos have made representation gains in the state Legislator, they have not been able to win races for the state’s U.S. Senate seats or the governor’s office.
If Biden and Harris win the November election, Gov. Newsom will face pressure from Latino advocates to appoint a Latino for the position, especially as the state is home to more than 14 million Latinos, according to political analysts.
Aside from Padilla, other Latino Democrats believed to be candidates include California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.
A total of nine Hispanic Americans have served in the U.S. Senate, four of which are serving today, including Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV.
Padilla’s appointment would make him the third Latino Democratic U.S. senator serving today and the sixth to have ever served, according to Rayes, “That’s pretty historical.”
The campaign titled, “Pick Padilla” began this month and will run through the November election. The campaign will transition into a “more strategic” six-figure media campaign as Election Day approaches. The campaign will entail an official website and digital ads on social media platforms like Facebook, as well as radio ads. Rayes anticipates the ads will focus on building momentum among Californians and Gov. Newsom to support Padilla.
Last week, the Latino Community Foundation, along with over 500 Latino leaders in California, released an open letter calling on Gov. Newsom to appoint a Latino or Latina to the senate seat if Harris vacates her seat.
“At a moment in history when a public health crisis has revealed deep inequities in health and in our economy, we need you to prioritize this appointment,” the letter stated, citing the disproportionate impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on Latino communities, both physically and economically.
As of August 26, Latinos represent 39% of the state population, but 59.5% of COVID-19 cases and nearly half of COVID-19 deaths.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 4:14 PM with the headline "‘Pick Padilla’: Why Latino Victory is behind California elections chief for Harris’ seat."