2022 United States Senate elections in California

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The 2022 United States Senate election in California will be held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of California. A jungle primary will take place June 7, 2022.^[1] The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to the general election in November.

Kamala Harris, who was elected in 2016, resigned her seat on January 18, 2021, after she was elected Vice President of the United States in 2020 alongside Joe Biden.^[2] Governor Gavin Newsom had the power to select her successor and appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to succeed her. Padilla later announced his intention to run for a full term.^[3]

Primary election

Democratic Party

Declared

Jerome Horton, former state assemblyman (2000–2006) and former member of the California State Board of Equalization (2009–2019)^[4]
Robert Lucero, political organizer^[5]
Alex Padilla, incumbent U.S. Senator^[6]

Declined

Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative for California's 17th congressional district (2017–present) (endorsed Padilla)^[7]^[8]

Republican Party

Declared

James P. Bradley, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and candidate for California's 33rd congressional district in 2020^[9]
Elizabeth Heng, candidate for U.S. Representative in California's 16th congressional district in 2018 and former U.S. House staffer^[10]^[11]
Lily Zhou, Independent candidate for San Diego City Council in 2020^[12]
Mark Meuser, candidate for California Secretary of State in 2018^[13]

Potential

Philip Kingsworth, Centrist candidate for Democrat and Republican voters that are fed up of “institutional” bias in politics.

Mike Garcia, U.S. Representative for California's 25th congressional district (2020–present)^[14]
Darrell Issa, U.S. Representative for California's 50th congressional district (2021–present) and former U.S. Representative for California's 49th congressional district (2001–2019)^[14]

Declined

Young Kim, U.S. Representative for California's 39th congressional district (2021–present) (running for reelection)^[15]
Michelle Steel, U.S. Representative for California's 48th congressional district (2021–present) (running for reelection)^[16]

Campaign

Incumbent Senator Alex Padilla had been appointed to the job in January of 2021 following Kamala Harris's election to the office of Vice President of the United States.^[17] Following his appointment, Padilla quickly began to focus on his 2022 re-election campaign, as the fact that he had not been elected to the position meant that he had a relatively low profile.^[7] Padilla's re-election strategy focused on advocating for progressive policies, and building ties with left-wing organizations that had a poor relationship with California's other Senator, Dianne Feinstein.^[7]^[18] The potential Democratic opponent to Padilla considered most likely to join the race was U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a staunchly left-wing Democrat who had risen to prominence as the co-chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, and who had a loyal base of support from California's Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.^[7]^[8] On August 9, 2021, Khanna announced that he would be endorsing Padilla for re-election, which was viewed as likely ending any possibility that Padilla would face a serious Democratic opponent.^[19] It was considered unlikely for Padilla to face any serious Republican opponent, as California's heavily Democratic lean caused potentially strong candidates, such as U.S. Representatives Mike Garcia and Young Kim, to prefer to remain in their positions rather than launch a long-shot Senate run.^[20]

Endorsements

Primary

Alex Padilla

U.S. Senators

Chuck Schumer, United States senator from New York and Senate Majority Leader^[21]
Dianne Feinstein, United States senator from California^[22]

Statewide officials

U.S. Representatives

Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative for CA-12 and Speaker of the House^[21]
Pete Aguilar, U.S. Representative for CA-31^[21]
Nanette Barragán, U.S. Representative for CA-44^[21]
Karen Bass, U.S. Representative for CA-37^[21]
Ami Bera, U.S. Representative for CA-07^[21]
Julia Brownley, U.S. Representative for CA-26^[21]
Salud Carbajal, U.S. Representative for CA-24^[21]
Tony Cárdenas, U.S. Representative for CA-27^[21]
Judy Chu, U.S. Representative for CA-29^[21]
Jim Costa, U.S. Representative for CA-16^[21]
Lou Correa, U.S. Representative for CA-46^[21]
Mark DeSaulnier, U.S. Representative for CA-11^[21]
Anna Eshoo, U.S. Representative for CA-18^[21]
John Garamendi, U.S. Representative for CA-03^[21]
Jimmy Gomez, U.S. Representative for CA-34^[21]
Josh Harder, U.S. Representative for CA-10^[21]
Jared Huffman, U.S. Representative for CA-02^[21]
Sara Jacobs, U.S. Representative for CA-53^[21]
Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative for CA-17^[8]
Barbara Lee, U.S. Representative for CA-13^[21]
Mike Levin, U.S. Representative for CA-49^[21]
Ted Lieu, U.S. Representative for CA-33^[21]
Zoe Lofgren, U.S. Representative for CA-19^[21]
Alan Lowenthal, U.S. Representative for CA-47^[21]
Doris Matsui, U.S. Representative for CA-06^[21]
Jerry McNerney, U.S. Representative for CA-09^[21]
Grace Napolitano, U.S. Representative for CA-32^[21]
Jimmy Panetta, U.S. Representative for CA-20^[21]
Scott Peters, U.S. Representative for CA-52^[21]
Katie Porter, U.S. Representative for CA-45^[21]
Raul Ruiz, U.S. Representative for CA-36^[21]
Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative for CA-28^[21]
Jackie Speier, U.S. Representative for CA-14^[21]
Eric Swalwell, U.S. Representative for CA-15^[21]
Lucille Roybal-Allard, U.S. Representative for CA-40^[21]
Linda Sánchez, U.S. Representative for CA-38^[21]
Brad Sherman, U.S. Representative for CA-30^[21]
Mark Takano, U.S. Representative for CA-41^[21]
Mike Thompson, U.S. Representative for CA-05^[21]
Norma Torres, U.S. Representative for CA-35^[21]
Juan Vargas, U.S. Representative for CA-51^[21]
Maxine Waters, U.S. Representative for CA-43^[23]

Organizations

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[28]	Solid D	July 16, 2021
Inside Elections^[29]	Solid D	August 6, 2021
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[30]	Safe D	March 11, 2021

References

^ https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/statewide-direct-primary-election-june-7-2022
^ "Kamala Harris to resign Senate seat Monday". CNN Politics. CNN. January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
^ Willon, Phil; McGreevy, Patrick (December 22, 2020). "Alex Padilla becomes California's first Latino U.S. senator, replacing Kamala Harris". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "Former Inglewood councilman gears up for 2022 Senate race". 2UrbanGirls. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^ https://www.luceroforsenate.org
^ "Alex Padilla and Shirley Weber will run in 2022. They'll likely have challengers". SF Gate. December 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Haberkorn, Jennifer (May 3, 2021). "Sen. Alex Padilla, just months into the job, has a year and a half to convince voters he should keep it". Los Angeles Times.
^ ^a ^b ^c Marinucci, Carla (August 9, 2021). "Khanna won't challenge Padilla for Senate, ends intraparty threat from left". Politico. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^ "FILING FEC-1472433". fec.gov. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
^ "FILING FEC-1503114". fec.gov. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
^ Miller, Thaddeus (March 8, 2021). "Fresno native to challenge for a U.S. Senate seat, blasts Newsom. Can she win?". Fresno Bee.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "LILY ZHOU PLEDGES TO SUPPORT TERM LIMITS ON CONGRESS". U.S. Term Limits. March 7, 2021.
^ "Mark Meuser".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ ^a ^b Wildermuth, John (December 29, 2020). "Can California GOP find a Senate candidate in 2022? If not, Alex Padilla could be set for years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
^ "Who's already running for Congress in Orange County in 2022?". Orange County Register. February 3, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
^ Staggs, Brooke (April 19, 2021). "Katie Porter raises more in first quarter than all other Orange County reps combined". The Orange County Register. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
^ Deruy, Emily (January 18, 2021). "Alex Padilla: 5 things to know about California's new senator". Mercury News. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
^ Garofoli, Joe (June 16, 2021). "Progressives fed up with Feinstein, want her to resign now". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
^ Garofoli, Joe (August 9, 2021). "Khanna considered challenging Padilla, but now he's endorsing him for Senate". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^ Wildermuth, John (December 28, 2020). "Can California GOP find a Senate candidate in 2022? If not, Alex Padilla could be set for years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao Marinucci, Carla. "PADILLA launches 2022 reelection bid — PELOSI defends WATERS' remarks on CHAUVIN trial — CALIFORNIA giving up on climate ambitions? — GOP leaders want border meeting with HARRIS". Politico.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Marinucci, Carla. "NEWSOM declares drought emergency — CAITLYN JENNER's spotty voting record — Quake nightmare: the HOLLYWOOD FAULT — PELOSI's Floyd speech slammed". Politico.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Alex Padilla Endorsements". alex-padilla.com. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
^ "Sen. Padilla launches 2022 Senate campaign". KTXL. April 20, 2021.
^ "Election Center". eqca.org.
^ "LCV Action Fund and California League of Conservation Voters Endorse Senator Alex Padilla for Re-Election". LCV. June 10, 2021.
^ "National Nurses United Endorses Alex Padilla for U.S. Senate". National Nurses United. June 16, 2021.
^ "2022 Senate Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
^ "Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
^ "2022 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 28, 2021.

External links

Official campaign websites

[1] ttps://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/statewide-direct-primary-election-june-7-2022

[2] "Kamala Harris to resign Senate seat Monday". CNN Politics. CNN. January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

[3] Willon, Phil; McGreevy, Patrick (December 22, 2020). "Alex Padilla becomes California's first Latino U.S. senator, replacing Kamala Harris". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[4] "Former Inglewood councilman gears up for 2022 Senate race". 2UrbanGirls. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.

[5] ttps://www.luceroforsenate.org

[6] "Alex Padilla and Shirley Weber will run in 2022. They'll likely have challengers". SF Gate. December 23, 2020.

[Mark-7] Haberkorn, Jennifer (May 3, 2021). "Sen. Alex Padilla, just months into the job, has a year and a half to convince voters he should keep it". Los Angeles Times.

[Khanna-8] Marinucci, Carla (August 9, 2021). "Khanna won't challenge Padilla for Senate, ends intraparty threat from left". Politico. Retrieved August 9, 2021.

[9] "FILING FEC-1472433". fec.gov. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.

[10] "FILING FEC-1503114". fec.gov. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[11] Miller, Thaddeus (March 8, 2021). "Fresno native to challenge for a U.S. Senate seat, blasts Newsom. Can she win?". Fresno Bee.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[12] "LILY ZHOU PLEDGES TO SUPPORT TERM LIMITS ON CONGRESS". U.S. Term Limits. March 7, 2021.

[13] "Mark Meuser".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[:1-14] Wildermuth, John (December 29, 2020). "Can California GOP find a Senate candidate in 2022? If not, Alex Padilla could be set for years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 8, 2021.

[15] "Who's already running for Congress in Orange County in 2022?". Orange County Register. February 3, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[16] Staggs, Brooke (April 19, 2021). "Katie Porter raises more in first quarter than all other Orange County reps combined". The Orange County Register. Retrieved April 29, 2021.

[17] Deruy, Emily (January 18, 2021). "Alex Padilla: 5 things to know about California's new senator". Mercury News. Retrieved August 10, 2021.

[18] Garofoli, Joe (June 16, 2021). "Progressives fed up with Feinstein, want her to resign now". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 10, 2021.

[19] Garofoli, Joe (August 9, 2021). "Khanna considered challenging Padilla, but now he's endorsing him for Senate". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 9, 2021.

[20] Wildermuth, John (December 28, 2020). "Can California GOP find a Senate candidate in 2022? If not, Alex Padilla could be set for years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 11, 2021.

[PoliticoPadilla-21] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao Marinucci, Carla. "PADILLA launches 2022 reelection bid — PELOSI defends WATERS' remarks on CHAUVIN trial — CALIFORNIA giving up on climate ambitions? — GOP leaders want border meeting with HARRIS". Politico.

[PadillaPoliticoBigEndorsements-22] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Marinucci, Carla. "NEWSOM declares drought emergency — CAITLYN JENNER's spotty voting record — Quake nightmare: the HOLLYWOOD FAULT — PELOSI's Floyd speech slammed". Politico.

[PadillaEndorsements-23] "Alex Padilla Endorsements". alex-padilla.com. Retrieved May 9, 2021.

[24] "Sen. Padilla launches 2022 Senate campaign". KTXL. April 20, 2021.

[25] "Election Center". eqca.org.

[26] "LCV Action Fund and California League of Conservation Voters Endorse Senator Alex Padilla for Re-Election". LCV. June 10, 2021.

[27] "National Nurses United Endorses Alex Padilla for U.S. Senate". National Nurses United. June 16, 2021.

[Cook_PR-28] "2022 Senate Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

[Inside_Elections-29] "Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

[Sabato's_Crystal_Ball-30] "2022 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 28, 2021.

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Primary election

Democratic Party

Declared

Declined

Republican Party

Declared

Potential

Declined

Campaign

Endorsements

Primary

General election

Predictions

See also

References

External links