In a pivotal moment for California’s politics, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis as his running mate on Thursday for the 2022 election. This move fills speculation surrounding Kamala Harris’ run for the federal level and signals to the Democratic constituency that Newsom and Kounalakis are committed to tackling their state’s pressing issues. Kounalakis, a first-generation Greek-American who fluent in Greek and Arabic, secured Democratic voter preference in California by a 2-to-1 margin. Her pragmatic approach, emphasizing bipartisanship alongside fellow board members in her previous role as a Valley enterprise executive, carried over to her public tenure during the COVID-19 response. While Kounalakis is publicly aligned with Newsom’s stance on issues, they bring their individual subject areas of expertise to the table. Newsom, elected in 2018, is a veteran of issues such as climate change, healthcare, and housing. Kounalakis, who became lieutenant governor in 2019, previously tackled topics like foreign policy, education, and international affairs as former U.S. ambassador to Hungary. Should Harris attempt promotion to the federal level, California voters will have a choice between Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, who is poised to run, and Kounalakis as a ticket. It is unclear if Harris will indeed make the jump to the federal level, but if she does, this move shows that Newsom is more than ready to secure his position for the 2022 general election and address California’s major issues. #California #politics #election #governors #vicegovernor #ElizabethKounalakis #GavinNewsom #KamalaHarris #ShannonGrove #climatechange #housing #COVIDresponse #Republican #Democrat
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