Kamala Harris’s replacement in the Senate has already worked hard for LGBTQ voters

Secretary of State Alex Padilla speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.
Photo: Gage Skidmore

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has announced who he will appoint to serve the rest of Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D-CA) term after her inauguration as Vice President of the United States.

The state’s Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, is slated to become the Golden State’s first Latino U.S. Senator. “Through his tenacity, integrity, smarts and grit, California is gaining a tested fighter in their corner,” Newsom said in his statement. “He will be a Senator for all Californians.”

Related: HRC President Alphonso David on how Joe Biden & Kamala Harris should advance LGBTQ rights

Padilla, 47, is in his second term as California’s secretary of state, an elected position. Previously, he served two terms in the state senate, and seven years on the Los Angeles City Council — five of them as the body’s elected President.

As Secretary of State, he oversaw California’s elections, business operations, and public or political agendas. He is a “decades-long” associate of Gov. Newsom. In that role, he went out of his way to work with LGBTQ organizations and further support LGBTQ rights under Newsom’s agenda.

Last year, Padilla worked with Equality California to make the state the first to ever…

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