Alejandro Padilla

Democrat senior Senator of California

  • Senator

    California

    January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2029

3

Congresses Served

3

Senate Terms

March 22, 1973 (51 years old)

Birthday

  • Served as the senior United States senator from California since 2021
  • Previously served as the 30th secretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021
  • Has been a member of the California State Senate and the Los Angeles City Council
  • Appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill the vacancy created by Kamala Harris’s election as Vice President
  • Won a special election and a full Senate term in November 2022
  • Became California’s senior senator in September 2023
  • Parents immigrated from Mexico; grew up in Pacoima, Los Angeles
  • Holds a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT
  • Briefly worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft before entering politics
  • Involved in politics in response to California Proposition 187
  • First Latino and the youngest person elected president of the Los Angeles City Council
  • Promoted Proposition 67, a ban on plastic bags, which passed in 2016
  • Refused to provide voter data to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in 2017
  • Involved in a controversy over unofficial ballot boxes in 2020
  • Announced a $35 million no-bid contract for a voter education ad campaign, which was blocked due to lack of authority to use federal money
  • Supports ending the Senate filibuster
  • Advocates for abortion rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate action, and immigrants’ rights
  • Introduced legislation for more legal protections for public lands in California and to help coastal communities adapt to sea level rise
  • Married with three sons, lives in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles
  • Has a 100% voting alignment with President Joe Biden’s positions as of the end of 2023