Who replaces Kamala Harris in the Senate?
KAMALA Harris has resigned her Senate seat days before she'll be sworn in as Vice President of the United States alongside President-elect Joe Biden.
But weeks before she sent her resignation letter, California Gov Gavin Newsom selected a replacement for , who represented the state in Congress from 2017 to 2021.
The 47-year-old politician was born March 22, 1973, in .
He is one of three children raised by Santos and Lupe Padilla, who both emigrated from to the United States and settled in California.
He most recently served as the secretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021.
On December 22, 2020, Padilla was appointed US Senator for California by Governor Newsom.
He will be the first Latino in the state's history to serve the role.
"I can think of no one better to represent the state of California as our next United States Senator," Newsom told Padilla in a video conversation.
In a tribute to his parents, Padilla choked up when speaking to Newsom saying he would "absolutely" accept the position.
"I'm honored, man, and I'm humbled, because of them," Padilla said.
What happens to Kamala Harris’ Senate seat?
On January 18, Harris officially resigned her US Senate seat, ending her four-year Senate career.
The move comes two days before she's inaugurated, making history as the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president.
The 17th amendment to the US constitution explains that, when “a vacancy occurs due to a senator's death, resignation, or expulsion," the legislature of the senator’s respective state is allowed to replace them.
Padilla will likely be sworn in on January 20, or in the following days.
What did Kamala Harris say in her resignation letter?
"I hereby resign as Senator from the State of California, effective January 18th, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. EST," Harris wrote in her resignation letter addressed to Gov Newsom.
"As I assume my duties as Vice President of the United States, I would like to thank the people of California for the honor of serving them in the U.S. Senate over the past four years."