The high likelihood of another Clinton presidency could scramble California politics. A new administration will need to be looking for new talent—Obama folks are tired, and many old Clinton hands are too old or retired for service.
That ought to bring attention to many figures in California, where two generations of politicians – one group mostly in their 50s, another rising in its late 30s and 40s – has stalled behind the ancient wall of Brown, Feinstein, and Boxer.
So steel yourself for more talk like that offered recently by Democratic strategist Chris Lehane in Politico.
Lehane “said he thinks Hillary Clinton should break with tradition and choose a mayor or other local official who has direct experience dealing with climate change to lead the EPA.” And then he named Kevin De León, the president pro tempore of California’s state Senate, as one possibility.
Despite De Leon’s strong record on environmental issues, that suggestion may draw guffaws from veterans in politics and media in Sacramento, where De Leon is seen as a relative newcomer. But people should get used to it. And not about De Leon. A number of California Democrats are about to be pulled up the ladder via Washington.