California Lawmakers React To Biden-Harris Ticket
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — In a historic announcement, Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate Tuesday.
Harris is the first Black female major-party nominee for Vice President to be placed on the ballot. The announcement is drawing local reactions from both sides of the aisle, from people who have worked with Sen. Harris to those who question her ability to lead in one of the highest roles in the nation.
From campaign rivals to running mates, Sen. Harris is now standing hand-in-hand with Joe Biden, a pick her former chief of staff, Nathan Barankin, believes could get them both into the White House.
"I think what a Biden-Harris ticket will bring is a lot of stability and consistency for the American people to evaluate and compare against another four years of Donald Trump," Barankin said.
READ MORE: Joe Biden Names Sen. Kamala Harris As Pick For Vice President
Republican State Lawmaker Kevin Kiley represents the 6th Assembly District including Sacramento and surrounding areas. Kiley doesn't know is Harris's addition to the ticket will matter to his district.
"Senator Harris, her policies don't reflect — generally speaking — the preferences of my constituents in my area and I'm not sure how much of a help that selection is going to be when it comes to my district in particular," said Kiley.
In San Francisco, Harmeet Dhillon, the National Co-Chair of Women For Trump, said the senator has wavered on issues both as a district attorney and throughout her career.
"I think Kamala Harris is a politician with no soul and no center and doesn't particularly stand for any particular principals," Dhillon said.
Congressman John Garamendi has worked alongside Harris and disagrees, claiming her record as a prosecutor, two-term state attorney general, and her work fighting for victim's rights makes her standout pick.
"The voters sense it. They can immediately sense if they are honest, empathetic, whether they are connecting with the reality of the voter's life and the fact of the matter is that is what Kamala Harris has done repeatedly," said Congressman John Garamendi.
Get our news app: Download the updated CBS Sacramento News app for iOS and Android
SENATE SEAT POSSIBLY UP IN THE AIR
As Kamala Harris joins Biden on the ticket this November, if Biden is elected it would leave her Senate seat open. Currently, Gov. Newsom has the power to appoint the next senator. Assemblyman Kiley has a bill that would take that power away from him, requiring a vote to decide.
"This is one very modest change that we can make that would make a big impact as far as the right of people in California to actually choose their representative," he explained.
Kiley proposed Assembly Bill 2194 originally two years ago and is hoping to get more attention now that Harris is on the ticket. His proposal would require the governor to call a special election, rather than appoint someone to fill the seat.
"It's one of the most important positions in the country, a United States Senator from California. If a governor simply gets to choose a successor through a backroom deal then that senator is able to serve for decades as we have seen in the past. I think if that happens, the people of California would be disenfranchised in a very profound way," said Kiley.
