California's top elections official is pushing the state to pay out a $35 million contract with a major Democratic consulting firm as he lobbies behind the scenes for a Senate seat.
California secretary of state Alex Padilla, reportedly the favorite to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris's Senate seat, awarded Democratic public relations giant SKDKnickerbocker the lucrative deal in August as part of a voter outreach program.
Weeks later Democratic state controller Betty Yee's office refused to approve the contract, arguing that Padilla did not have the authority to pay for it.
According to internal emails obtained by CalMatters, Padilla has spent months fighting to pay the Biden-linked firm following Yee's rebuke.
SKDK may not be able to recover its expenses should Padilla fail in his attempt to fulfill the $35 million payment.
Padilla awarded the contract to SKDK as part of the state's "Vote Safe California" initiative, which aimed to "Educate the public on the safety, security, and ease of voting in the general election amid the COVID-19 pandemic." The program also required SKDK to give "Special attention" to "Reaching first-time mail voters" after Newsom decided to send every registered voter in the state a mail-in ballot.
According to a Politico report, Newsom is "Leaning heavily" toward picking Padilla-a longtime ally of Newsom's-to replace Harris.
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Frontrunner to Replace Sen. Harris Fights to Pay Out $35 Mil to 'Team Biden' Firm
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