By Lillian Boyd, Dana Point Times
The California State Senate Republicans unanimously elected Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) to succeed Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) as the next minority leader.
Bates will continue to work with Leader-elect Grove as an engaged member of the Senate Republican Caucus during the transition and will stay on in a leadership post with the Caucus.
“I congratulate Senator Shannon Grove on her election to become the next Senate Republican Leader,” said Bates in a news release. “Shannon is an experienced legislator, and I have no doubt she will be an effective messenger and leader for our Caucus.”
Leader Bates succeeded Senator Jean Fuller in April 2017 as the second woman in the history of the state Senate to serve in the top leadership post of a party caucus—Democrat or Republican. She represents Dana Point as well as South Orange County and North San Diego County in the Senate.
Voters elected Bates to the California State Assembly in 1998, the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2006 and the California State Senate in 2014.
“I am humbled by the support of my Senate Republican colleagues and value the trust they have in me to lead the Republican Caucus,” said Grove. “Senator Bates has been a wonderful leader, and I look forward to her counsel as we begin the leadership transition.
Elected to the Assembly in 2010, Grove was the first female veteran to serve in the California Legislature and will be the third woman to lead the Senate Republican Caucus. She served in the Assembly from 2010 to 2016, where she earned a reputation as an effective leader and strong advocate for her constituents.
Discussion about this post