Thread by @ChadPergram

1) The race is on to succeed Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the Senate. Fox has been told for months that California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) is the odds-on favorite to step into Harris’s seat.

2) But Fox is also told to watch California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Hse Intel Cmte Chair Adam Schiff & Long Beach, CA Mayor Robert Garcia.

3) California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) picks Harris’s Senate successor. And Fox has been told that it’s not out of the question for Newsom to appoint himself.

4) That said, there is intense pressure in California to tap a Latino or Latina for Harris’s sat. Forty percent of California is Latino.

5) There are also geographic considerations. Southern California has more people. But someone from southern California hasn’t represented the Golden State in the Senate since former Sen. Pete Wilson (R-CA) in the early 1990s – and he was from San Diego.

6) The Los Angeles metro area has long felt left out compared to the Bay area to the north. Moreover, there are concerns that Padilla in particular may not be progressive enough to satisfy liberal groups.

7) And, it’s possible (possible) that California may soon be looking at two open Senate seats.

8) Multiple Congressional sources tell Fox that they expect 87-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to bow out before the end of her term. Feinstein was re-elected in 2018 and is the oldest senator.

9) There was significant outcry among liberals over how Feinstein handled the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. Many liberals criticized Feinstein for not being more aggressive.

10) They were particularly outraged at Feinstein hugging Senate Judiciary Cmte Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at the end of the hearing. They also took issue with Feinstein telling Graham that the Barrett exercise was “one of the best sets of hearings that I’ve participated in.”

11) Some liberals have called for Senate Democrats to remove Feinstein as the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel.

However, no one knows if a possible vacancy could come sooner or later – or, at all.

12) There has been early chatter about some sort of position (not cabinet level) for Feinstein in a Biden Administration. Regardless, the possibility of two Senate seats could help soothe concerns among different factions in the Democratic party.

13) Newsom could choose between a moderate Democrat and a liberal Democrat. Or, satisfy the northern/southern geographical concern. Or, tap a Latino/Latina and an African American.

14) “I don’t know why Gavin (Newsom) wouldn’t claim one of these two seats for himself,” said one Democratic Congressional source.