Gov. Newsom selects Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Kamala Harris's senate seat

California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he has selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Kamala Harris's senate seat.

Padilla will be the first Latino senator from California, a state with a significant Latino population.

"His appointment will make history. But the @AlexPadilla4CA I know is far more interested in changing history -- especially for the working men and women of our state and country. I can think of no one better to represent the state of California as our next United States Senator," tweeted Newsom. 

Padilla, 47, is a former aide to longtime California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. He also served as the Los Angeles City Council president and state senator before assuming the office of secretary of state, which he has held since 2015. 

Padilla, whose parents are Mexican immigrants, attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied mechanical engineering before pivoting to politics.