Alex Padilla is running against a suite of mostly unserious challengers. He is the only candidate with serious political experience. Alex Padilla was appointed by Governor Newsom to replace Kamala Harris after she vacated the seat to become Vice President. Padilla is a former engineer and former member of the governing board of MIT, so we know he values good education. His 25+ years of experience in government (LA City Council, State Senate, and Secretary of State) have prepared him well for the difficulties of the US Senate.

The lack of any serious challenger does highlight a problem with California democracy — the Democratic party prevents qualified candidates from running against their top pick. In this case, Padilla is highly qualified and will do the job well, but the party should not be picking the winners.