Vice President-elect Kamala Harris formally tendered her resignation from the United States Senate on Monday.
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – JAN. 16: U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speaks during an announcement Jan. 16, 2021 at the Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware. President-elect Joe Biden has announced key members of his incoming White House science team. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Harris made the announcement in a letter sent to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom two days ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.
“I hereby resign as Senator from the State of California, effective January 18th, 2021 at 12:00 pm EST,” Harris wrote. “As I assume my duties as Vice President of the United States, I would like to thank the people of California for the honor of serving them in the U.S. Senate over the past four years.”
NEW: VP-elect @KamalaHarris sends resignation letter to CA Gov. @GavinNewsom effective today at 12:00pm ET. Harris will be replaced by CA Sec of State @AlexPadilla4CA pic.twitter.com/ssCd5nEns5
— Tim Perry (@tperry518) January 18, 2021
Newsom selected current California Secretary of State Alex Padilla in December as Harris’ replacement. The move drew some criticism from progressives for replacing with Harris with a non-black man. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Appoints First Latino California Senator, Gets Slammed For Reducing Black Women ‘From One To Zero’)
“Through his tenacity, integrity, smarts and grit, California is gaining a tested fighter in their corner who will be a fierce ally in D.C., lifting up our state’s values and making sure we secure the critical resources to emerge stronger from this pandemic,” Newsom said of Padilla. “He will be a senator for all Californians.”