In that instance, the Democratic governor would first have to consider an appointment who is "Black or Latinx, especially given the colliding tectonic plates of racial injustice, Covid and its long lasting health implications, and the economic collapse," said Karen Skelton, a Clinton administration deputy White House political director and the founder of a Sacramento public advocacy firm.

Newsom sources have said that the governor wouldn't even begin to consider a replacement until early 2021.

What follows below is a breakdown of the top contenders buzzed about in California political circles, as first laid out a month ago by POLITICO.

Choosing Padilla or Becerra would give the Democratic governor two bites at the appointment apple: He would also be able to choose their replacements with legislative confirmation.

— Secretary of State Alex Padilla: A longtime friend and early endorser of Newsom, widely liked in his party, Padilla, 47, may be a sure bet — and the ultimate history-making choice.

California’s Secretary of State has been a high-profile Democratic voice, and a regular on cable TV, on key issues including vote-by-mail and the importance of the U.S.

“He checks all the boxes,’’ said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney, author of “Un-American: The Fake Patriotism of Donald Trump.” “He has won statewide choice, he’s relatively young.

ready on Day One, husband of a doctor — and one of House leaders on the Affordable Care Act," and Los Angeles-based, Skelton said.

Kounalakis has deep experience in trade and immigration issues — as former chair of the California International Trade and Investment Advisory Council and as a fellow at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

The daughter of wealthy Sacramento-based developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, Kounalakis — herself former president of the AKT Development firm — has already expressed interest in moving up the political ladder and running for governor at the end of Newsom’s potential two terms in 2026.

she's definitely a pro-business Democrat right who’s right in line with Gavin thinking," said San Francisco Democratic strategist Jim Stearns, who is currently advising state Senate candidate Jackie Fielder.

Schiff, who enjoys a safe Democratic seat in Los Angeles, may be inclined to “stay in the House where he holds the powerful and high-profile House Intelligence Committee chair post — “as opposed to becoming a very junior senator,’’ Pitney predicted.

Holly Mitchell: Currently running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Mitchell, 55, was once described by former state Senate colleague Mark Leno as “the moral compass and social conscience of the entire Senate, if not the Legislature.”’ Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio said that as the first African American to chair the state’s Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, overseeing two state budgets, Mitchell has been a popular and outspoken legislator — "and Newsom likes working with her.".

She's "whip smart, has the LA base, and is close to Gavin Newsom,'' Skelton said.

After serving as national chair of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, “I don’t have any doubt that Bernie and the progressive base would be behind Ro if he decided to run statewide,’’ said Norman Solomon, national director of RootsAction.org, a national progressive group with 200,000 active supporters in California.

"Smartest living political force in California," Skelton said

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