California Secretary of State Alex Padilla was chosen this week as the replacement for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris , according to an announcement from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. While many praised Newsom's choice, advocacy groups and political leaders had spent months pushing the California governor to choose a Black woman for the spot, considering Harris is the only Black woman in the U.S. Senate. Advocates lobbied Newsom to choose either Reps. Barbara Lee or Karen Bass , two of the most powerful Black women in Congress. According to insiders who spoke to The New York Times, both were at the top of Newsom's list along with Padilla, a Latinx man. Aimee Allison, the founder of advocacy group She The People, slammed Newsom's decision in a statement to The 19th, telling the news outlet that "we need to keep marching forward and not reverse progress.” “Sen. Harris cannot be the only woman of color at the table… It’s not enough for her to break this glass ceiling — there...
