Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday submitted her resignation from her seat in the U.S. Senate, two days before she promised her new role.
What follows: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve the remainder of Harris’ term, which ends in 2022.
What they say: “When I resign from the Senate, I prepare to take an oath that I should preside over,” Harris wrote in a farewell post.
- As Senator Walter Mondale once became a vice president, the vice presidency is the only office in our government that “belongs to both the executive and the legislature.” “, it continued.
- “Since the founding of our nation, only one vice president has cast 268 tie-breaking votes. I intend to work tirelessly as vice president, including, if necessary, fulfilling this constitutional duty.”
The big picture: Now, Harris will make history as the first black, South Asian and first woman vice president when she is inaugurated on January 20th. But his exit in the Senate leaves only two black lawmakers in the chamber, until the newly elected Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) Takes office.
- Harris is one of ten black lawmakers who has ever served in the Senate and the second black woman in House history.
- Harris will have the power to vote a tie in the Senate when he takes office, writes Stef Kight of Axios. Responsibility has the potential to define her as vice president and as a possible candidate for the 2024 presidency.
In depth: The tiebreaker vote is a political challenge for Harris