California Gov. Gavin Newsom has chosen who will replace Sen. Kamala Harris after Harris leaves the Senate to become this nation’s next vice president. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a longtime fixture of California Democratic politics, will take on the role. His term will serve until 2022, when he may face Democratic rivals in his bid to keep the post.
Padilla, an MIT-trained engineer, will become the first Latino California senator in the state’s history.
