SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs his pick to serve out the rest of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' Senate term, he's facing pressure to name a Latino or a Black woman.
California has never had a Latino senator even though the state is nearly 40% Latino. But without Harris, who is Black, there will be no Black women in the 100-member Senate.
The situation has some observers frustrated with the persistent lack of racial diversity in the Senate and what they view as both parties' failure to do much about it. With the pressure on Newsom, those with a stake in his choice are lobbying openly.
