Monique Wins It: SB Star Lawmaker Will Be State Senate's New Leader; Watch -- Newsmakers TV Tracked Her Evolution
The Santa Barbara Democrat made history on Monday by becoming the first woman of color to lead the senate. But she faces a huge first test as Trump declares war on California over immigration.
Monique Limón, the Santa Barbara Democrat whose combination of political savvy and policy chops transformed her from an earnest local school board member into a rising statewide star in Sacramento, won election on Monday as the next leader of California’s state Senate.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Limón told Newsmakers in a brief cell phone interview, shortly after her colleagues decided behind closed doors that she would succeed current president pro tem Mike McGuire of Healdsburg next year.
As the first Latina, and first woman of color, in history to hold the high post, Limón not only will wield considerable political and fiscal power in the Capitol as one of its three most powerful officials, but she also will acquire a high-profile platform from which to articulate and argue California’s case against Donald Trump.
At a time when Trump has — literally — invaded the Golden State, Monique faces both steep challenges and significant opportunities in helping to lead the opposition to the game show president, on behalf of a state that repeatedly rejected him at the ballot box, and his right-wing, extremist authoritarian project.
“On the day where we are witnessing our California values being under attack, we are electing the first woman of color ever in history to serve in this role,” she told reporters, standing next to McGuire after the vote. “This is significant, it matters and we will move forward together.”
You can find full coverage Limón’s achievement at CalMatters here, in the Los Angeles Times here, the Sacramento Bee here, and Politico here, with local coverage from Josh Molina and Nick Welsh’s no doubt en route at the Independent .
As for us, we can offer Newsmakers TV’s Greatest Hits, a collection of our interviews with Monique dating back to her first campaign for the Assembly in 2016, through the pandemic, multiple other controversies and, most recently, her thoughts on fighting Trump when we discussed it with her back in December.
Standing up to Trump: Dec. 12, 2024
In the teeth of the pandemic, April 2020.
The end of Legislative session, August 14, 2020.
As a candidate for state Assembly, 2016.
P.S. We also had the scoop when she decided to run for state Senate back in 2019.
Image: Newsmakers was there for Monqiue’s statewide coming out, which came at the California Democratic Convention in 2018, when she was the only legislator given a podium speaking role who was not then in leadership.