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Vice President-elect Kamala Harris resigns from her Senate seat

The resignation clears the way for Gov. Newsom to appoint Alex Padilla, now California’s secretary of state, to serve the final two years of Harris’ term.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Vice President-elect Kamala Harris resigned from her Senate seat on Monday, two days before she and President-elect Joe Biden are inaugurated. 

In a video posted to Twitter, Harris said its been an honor to serve "as a United States Senator from the place of my birth, the great state of California." 

That resignation clears the way for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint fellow Democrat Alex Padilla, now California’s secretary of state, to serve the final two years of Harris’ term. Padilla will be the first Latino senator from California, where about 40% of residents are Hispanic, and is also the first Southern Californian in nearly three decades to serve. Padilla previously served as a Los Angeles City Councilman and State Senator.

Padilla has been California’s top elections official since 2015. In that position, he’s overseen California’s vast elections apparatus, including the rollout of a more robust vote-by-mail system. 

Harris will give no farewell Senate floor speech. The Senate isn't scheduled to reconvene until Tuesday, the eve of Inauguration Day.

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