Alex Padilla is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since January 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Kamala Harris when she became Vice President. Padilla is the first Latino senator from California and has focused on issues such as immigration reform, climate change, and healthcare access during his tenure. He previously served as the Secretary of State of California from 2015 to 2021, where he worked on expanding voting access and modernizing the state's election system.