Capitol Weekly Podcast: Senatorial Speculation

Sen. Kamala Harris looms large on Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden’s list of potential VP picks – he has said that he will pick a woman as running mate, and Harris is leading the ‘pundit polls’ as the most likely choice. If Harris is selected, and the Biden/Harris ticket goes on to win the November election, she will vacate her Senate seat in Jan. 2021, leaving Gov. Gavin Newsom tasked with appointing her successor.

Therein lies the theme of today’s podcast: WHO would Gavin Newsom pick for California’s open Senate seat if Kamala Harris does become Vice President?

Capitol Weekly’s Tim Foster and John Howard spoke with half a dozen political players from across the state, including Garry South, former state Sen. Fran Pavley, Roger Salazar, Adama Iwu, Karen Skelton and Joel Fox, to get their thoughts on who the Governor is likely to appoint, and who they think he SHOULD appoint. Wild speculation was strongly encouraged, and our interviewees did not disappoint, proposing a fascinating and diverse array of potential candidates and laying out the political machinations behind their reasoning.

What do YOU think? We’d love to see your suggestions for California’s next potential senator in the comments.