June 25, 2021

PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action Fund announced its endorsement of mechanical engineer Sen. Alex Padilla in the 2022 California U.S. Senate race. The first Latino senator to represent the Golden State, Padilla has already proven himself a champion of pro-science policies in the Senate.

“We need to maintain a pro-science majority in the U.S. Senate, and electing engineer and Senator Alex Padilla to another term is the way to do it,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action. “Senator Padilla’s experience as an engineer has made him highly qualified to take on some of the toughest challenges facing California and our country — whether it’s counteracting climate change or helping our country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to seeing him win in November and continue his years of service to the Golden State.”

“I’m proud to have the support of 314 Action,” said Sen. Alex Padilla. “The pandemic underscored the importance of electing STEM and pro-science leaders to public office and as we face other challenges like tackling climate change, upgrading our infrastructure, and fixing our healthcare system, having leaders with STEM backgrounds at the table will be invaluable. Engineering was my passion before public service, and I feel fortunate to combine the two through my work in the U.S. Senate.”

Ahead of this critical U.S. Senate election, 314 Action Fund will commit its vast resources and six-million-strong membership base of grassroots supporters to ensure that Padilla wins the Democratic nomination and general election. In the 2020 cycle, 314 Action Fund’s independent expenditure arm spent over $11.5 million, including millions of dollars in Senate races to help flip the chamber and secure the majority for the Democratic Party.

In 2022, 314 Action Fund will aim to spend $50 million to elect scientists across all levels of government, with initial targets of seven U.S. Senate races — including California — forty U.S. House races, and twenty-one statewide races. In 2020, the organization spent $25 million on behalf of its endorsed candidates and raised a total of $5 million in grassroots donations for scientists running for office.

ABOUT SEN. ALEX PADILLA:

Sen. Alex Padilla was appointed to the U.S. Senate by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the vacancy left by Vice President Kamala Harris. Prior to entering the Senate, Padilla served as the California Secretary of State.

In 1994, Padilla earned a mechanical engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for which he later served as a member of the governing board. Padilla has also served as a member of the California State Senate and as president of the Los Angeles City Council.

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314 Action Fund is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. In 2018 and 2020, we played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as over 100 to state and local offices. In 2021 and 2022, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.