Richard Vogel/AP Photo; Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo; Insider
Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla is running against Republican Mark Meuser to represent California in the US Senate.
The contest will be appearing twice on the November ballot.
Padilla, armed with a sizable war chest, the incumbency advantage, and California’s reliable Democratic tilt, is well-positioned to win.
Democratic incumbent Sen. Alex Padilla faces off against Republican Mark Meuser in California to represent the state in the US Senate.
Padilla will be appearing twice on the November ballot, once for a full six-year Senate term and once for the completion of Kamala Harris’ Senate term, which she vacated after becoming president. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Padilla to temporarily fill the seat when Harris left the Senate to become vice president.
California’s Senate race candidates
Padilla became California’s first Latino US senator when Newsom appointed him to fill Harris’ seat in 2021. He currently serves on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
He is an outspoken advocate for abortion rights and has authored or co-sponsored legislation aimed at protecting access.
A lifelong Angeleno, Padilla served as president of the Los Angeles City Council in 2001, the youngest person in city history and the first Latino in over a century to hold the position. He also served for two terms as a state senator. In 2014, Padilla was elected California secretary of state, the first Latino in state history to serve in the office.
Meuser, Padilla’s challenger, is an attorney who has criticized the state’s response to the pandemic and filed more than 20 lawsuits against Newsom over coronavirus policies. He was also involved in the litigation that stopped Democrats from removing former President Trump’s name from the California primary ballot in 2020.
The Huntington Beach Republican unsuccessfully ran for state Senate in 2012 and in 2018 was defeated by Padilla in the secretary of state election.
California’s voting history
The state voted for President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump by a margin of about 30 percentage points in the 2020 election. California has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election cycle since 1992.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Padilla has raised $11.6 million, spent $4.1 million, and has $7.6 million cash on hand, as of October 19. His challenger, Meuser, has raised $948,966, spent $812,647, and has $136,319 cash on hand, as of October 19.
The race has only attracted about $508,000 in outside spending from a smattering of super PACs, political action committees, and other non-candidate groups, as of November 7.
What experts say
The race between Padilla and Meuser is rated as “solid Democratic” by Inside Elections, “solid Democratic” by The Cook Political Report, and “safe Democratic” by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.