Senate Bid May Keep Kamala Harris From Accepting U.S. Supreme Court Nomination
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California Attorney General Kamala Harris is being floated as a possible replacement for the late Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Scalia, 79, died on Saturday in Texas. He served on the Supreme Court since his appointment by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1986.
A popular figure on the California political scene since the 1990s, Harris is on many short lists to become the next Supreme Court justice.
Republican analyst Mike Madrid says the chance of her making it are very slim.
"If it were a purely political play, the president could certainly find people that meet the demographic profile that Kamala Harris meets," he said.
That profile being a liberal woman of color.
"For example Loretta Lynch, for attorney general. Has already been thoroughly vetted, no surprises, no explosions in her personal background," he said.
Marcia Blount, the president of the Brownie Mary Democratic Club in Sacramento County, says Harris' tough stance on fixing the criminal justice system makes her a top-notch choice for the bench.
"I've been listening to her do speeches at the democratic convention for several years and she's kind of a rock star in the Democratic Party," she said.
But there's another reason why you may not see her on the Supreme Court.
"You also have to take into account that fact that she is running for the U.S. Senate," said Madrid.
In the eyes of many, she's favored to be the winner to replace outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer.
Blount says it's still possible for Harris to run and not leave state Democrats without a strong candidate for that race—Rep. Loretta Sanchez would be a solid alternative to Harris in the Senate race in her eyes.
"I would have preferred to see Kamala get the Senate position. But if she gets this, that's all the better," she said.
