U.S. Senator
Alex Padilla
California
DemocratProgressive
Contact
Voting Profile
Legislative Record
Most Active Policy Areas
#1 healthcare#2 other#3 environment energy#4 defense
86
Votes Analyzed
Data sources: voteview, congress.gov
Political Position
Ideology Spectrum
-0.43Progressive
Senator Padilla positions himself on the progressive end of the Democratic Party, with a voting record slightly more liberal than the average Senate Democrat. His NOMINATE score of -0.429 reflects consistent alignment with progressive policy positions across most major legislative areas.
LiberalModerateConservative
Democrat avg
Near the average for Democrats (-0.38)
Data source: VoteView NOMINATE scores (UCLA/UC San Diego)
Policy Positions
Category Breakdown
86
total votes analyzed
Overview
Alex Padilla has served as California's U.S. Senator since his appointment in 2021, following Vice President Kamala Harris's departure. His voting record demonstrates strong support for Democratic Party priorities, particularly in areas of environmental policy, defense authorization, and healthcare legislation. Padilla's highest support rates appear in defense-related votes (100% yea) and environmental/energy legislation (75% yea), suggesting a focus on national security matters and climate-related priorities. His healthcare voting shows more nuance, with a 55% yea rate indicating selective support based on specific bill provisions. The Senator's record on agriculture and budget matters shows more opposition, with 0% yea votes in these categories, though the small sample sizes (3 and 1 votes respectively) limit broader conclusions. His voting pattern reflects the priorities typical of representatives from California, a state with significant environmental concerns and diverse policy interests.
Key Positions
- •Strong support for environmental and energy legislation
- •Consistent backing of defense-related measures
- •Selective approach to healthcare policy votes
- •Opposition to certain agricultural policy measures
- •Support for executive branch nominations aligned with party leadership
By Policy Area
Healthcare44
55% yea45% nay
Other14
57% yea43% nay
Environment & Energy12
75% yea25% nay
Defense7
100% yea0% nay
Analysis updated: January 9, 2026
Campaign Finance
Follow the Money
Includes all authorized campaign committees (principal committee, joint fundraising, and other authorized committees). Outside spending by Super PACs and independent groups is shown separately below. Verify on FEC.gov →
Career: $14.3M
Fundraising Over Time
Raised per election cycleSpent
Contribution Sources
Individual$1.3M
77%
PAC / Committees$366K
22%
Party Committee$4K
0%
Individual Breakdown
Itemized (>$200)
$589K
Small Dollar (<$200)
$673K
Donation Sizes
Under $200
$623K · 45%
$200 – 499
$41K · 3%
$500 – 999
$53K · 4%
$1,000 – 1,999
$142K · 10%
$2,000+
$522K · 38%
Share of individual contribution dollars by donation size, current election cycle.
Where the Money Comes From
In-state (CA)$630K · 76%
Out-of-state$198K · 24%
Itemized individual contributions only (donations over $200 report the donor's state). Small-dollar donations are not included because the FEC does not itemize them.
CA
$630K
NY
$48K
FL
$33K
MA
$29K
TX
$11K
PA
$11K
DC
$8K
NV
$7K
Top Contributors
Top Contributing Industries
Top Donor Employers
NOT-EMPLOYED$164K
SELF-EMPLOYED$62K
NULL$28K
RETIRED$18K
ELECTRIC CAPITAL$11K
SINGLETON SCHREIBER LLP$8K
WASSERMAN$7K
MOONPAY$7K
COINBASE$7K
SIERRA CARE AT THE LAKE LLC$7K
MILLENNIUM PARTNERS$7K
JULES AND ASSOCIATES INC.$7K
Employer as self-reported by itemized donors. “Not Employed” and “Self-Employed” typically rank highest for small-dollar campaigns and include retirees.
Where the Money Goes
Spending by Purpose
Other / Uncategorized
$744K
Advertising
$90K
Administrative
$9K
Contributions
$9K
Fundraising
$791.67
Refunds
$610
Purpose categories are self-reported on FEC filings; large “Other” totals are common.
Top Payees
1.$240K
AISLE 518 STRATEGIES LLC
2.$93K
EVERY ACTION, INC.
3.$93K
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA
4.$88K
THRIVE STRATEGIES
5.$88K
KAUFMAN LEGAL GROUP
6.$57K
BERTOLINA & BARNATO, INC.
7.$54K
GUDELUNAS STRATEGIES LLC
8.$47K
PLAZA STRATEGIES LLC
Detailed Breakdown
Expenditures
Operating Costs
$2.3M
Net Operating
$2.3M
Refunds
Individual Refunds
$8K
Committee Refunds
$6K
Outside Spending (Super PACs)
Supporting
$28K
Opposing
$0
Total Outside Spending
$28K
Top Outside Spenders
01
$10KCOALITION TO GROW SAN FRANCISCO - GROW SF PAC
+$10K
02
$7KCARE ACTION NOW INC.
+$7K
03
$3KALICE B. TOKLAS LGBTQ DEMOCRATIC CLUB FEDERAL PAC
+$3K
04
$2KDEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE FOR ACTION
+$2K
05
$1KDOLORES HUERTA ACTION FUND
+$1K
06
$1KDEMOCRATS OF SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY
+$1K
07
$838.44VENTURA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE
+$838.44
08
$709.51SONOMA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY
+$709.51
Independent expenditures are made without coordination with the candidate. Source: FEC Schedule E filings.
Coverage: 1/1/2023 – 6/30/2026FEC: S2CA00955Updated: 8/12/2026Source: FEC.gov (all authorized committees)
Voting Record
Congressional Votes
67 votes across 9 categories