BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — On an unusually cool morning in the Central Valley, Sen. Alex Padilla rallied campaign volunteers, urging them to knock on doors and phone voters to promote a Democratic candidate in one of the most competitive congressional districts in the nation.
“We’re about to turn this House seat blue!” Padilla told dozens of supporters. “There’s a reason the Republican Party is so scared and pouring tons of money here — because they see what’s happening.”
Padilla, California’s first Latino senator, who was appointed to the seat when Kamala Harris became vice president, will appear on the November ballot twice — to fill the remainder of Harris’ Senate term and for a full six-year period in office.
