If Kamala Harris becomes vice president, what happens to her Senate seat?

Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

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FILE PHOTO: Gavin Newsom, then mayor of San Francisco, and Kamala Harris laugh at a Time magazine breakfast for up and coming politicians as part of the Democratic National Convention, Tuesday Aug. 26, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. Newsom would appoint Harris’ replacement in the U.S. Senate if she becomes the next vice president.

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FILE PHOTO: Gavin Newsom, then mayor of San Francisco, and Kamala Harris laugh at a Time magazine breakfast for up and coming politicians as part of the Democratic National Convention, Tuesday Aug. 26, 2008, in

… more Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

If Kamala Harris becomes vice president, what happens to her Senate seat?

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If former Vice President Joe Biden wins the presidency in November and California Sen. Kamala Harris becomes vice president, her Senate seat will suddenly need to be filled.

According to a 2018 report from the Congressional Research Service, California is one of 36 states where if a vacancy occurs, a new senator will be appointed by the state’s governor, with the interim senator serving until whichever comes first between the end of that Senate seat’s term or the next statewide general election.

In this particular case, Harris’ seat comes up for re-election in 2022, which is also the date of the next statewide general election. So whomever Gov. Gavin Newsom appoints will not face the voters until the 2022 midterms, when Newsom himself will be up for re-election.

Sen. Dianne Feinsten’s seat is up for re-election in 2024, and given the fact that she will be 91 by then, it is entirely possible that California will have the chance to elect two new senators within just two years.

It is way too early to make any sort of educated guess on who could fill Harris’ seat after a Newsom appointment, but here are a handful of Democratic politicians who have been considered by some to be potential candidates for higher office:

Rep. Adam Schiff

Rep. Ted Lieu

Rep. Katie Porter

Rep. Eric Swalwell

Rep. Barbara Lee

Rep. Karen Bass

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis

Former Calif. State Sen. Kevin de Leon

San Francisco Mayor London Breed

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti

Eric Ting is an SFGATE reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting