California Senator Alex Padilla said on Monday that he would advocate for Black women while in the senate in response to him filling the senate seat of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Padilla sat down with DC Today host Del Walters and addressed chatter that Governor Gavin Newsom should have filled Harris’s seat with a Black woman.
“I will be an advocate for further diversifying the United States Senate and ensuring that the voices of Black women are heard and represented here,” Padilla said. “I am proud to be the first Latino to represent the state of California. A state that has the population of 40 percent Latino.”
There are currently no Black women serving in the senate.
Padilla, who’s been in public service for over 20 years, said that he proudly accepted the position when Newsom nominated him to replace Harris.
Padilla added that he has no inside knowledge about Newsom’s recent comments that he would appoint a Black woman as a senator if Sen. Dianne Feinstein were to retire.