Well, that didn’t take long.
But when a Senate seat from the most populous state suddenly becomes open next year for the first time in almost a quarter of a century, someone had to be first to jump into the pool:
California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
No surprise really. Either she or California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was going to be among the hopefuls seeking the seat that four-term-Democrat Barbara Boxer announced last week she would be vacating in 2016.
Newsom took himself out of the race. He and Harris are both liberal Democrats from the Bay Area and could have split the vote in a primary. Newsom, presumably, also wants to run for governor in 2018.
Harris, 50, viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party, is likely just the first of many candidates with eyes on the Senate seat. She emailed supporters Tuesday to announce her plans and to start raising money. She also offered a taste of what her campaign will be about: lowering student loans, helping middle class families, protecting immigrants and seniors, and safeguarding the California coastline.
"I will be a fighter for the next generation on the critical issues facing our country,” Harris wrote.
California is a Democratic stronghold ‑ as well as being an extremely expensive state to wage a campaign ‑ and has been a stretch for Republicans. Still, they will certainly be watching developments. The national political climate a year from now, and the ability to find a good candidate who can raise the requisite millions, will determine what the GOP does.