Diversity in the Nevada Legislature
African-American legislators
The Nevada Legislature has included 29 self-identified African-Americans, the first being elected in 1966. There are ten African-American legislators serving as of the 2020 special sessions, including Speaker Jason Frierson.
| Legislator | Party | District/Area Represented | Assembly Term | Senate Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodrow Wilson | Republican | Clark No. 4 | 1966-1972 | - | Later served on the Clark County Commission |
| Marion D. Bennett | Democratic | Clark No. 6 | 1972-1982 | - | |
| Cranford L. Crawford Jr. | Democratic | Clark No. 7 | 1972-1974 | - | |
| Joe Neal | Democratic | Clark No. 4 | - | 1972-2004 | First African American elected to the Senate Retired Term Limited |
| Lonnie Chaney | Democratic | Clark No. 7 | 1974-1984 | - | |
| Eugene Collins | Democratic | Clark No. 6 | 1982-1986 | - | Changed party affiliation on August 27, 1965 |
| Morse Arberry Jr. | Democratic | Clark No. 7 | 1984-2010 | - | Retired Term Limited |
| Thomas Batten | Republican | Washoe No. 27 | 1994-1996 | - | |
| Bernice Mathews | Democratic | Washoe No. 1 | - | 1994-2010 | First African American woman elected to the Senate Retired Term Limited |
| Maurice Washington | Republican | Washoe No. 2 | - | 1994-2010 | Retired Term Limited |
| Wendell Williams | Democratic | Clark No. 6 | 1986-2004 | - | Retired Term Limited |
| Kelvin Atkinson | Democratic | Clark No. 17 (Assembly) District No. 4 (Senate) | 2002-2012 | 2012-2019 | First African American elected to serve in both Houses of the Legislature Served as Senate Majority Leader in 2019 First openly LGBT Senate Majority Leader in Nevada Resigned after being charged with campaign finance felony |
| William Horne | Democratic | Clark No. 34 | 2002-2014 | - | Retired Term Limited |
| Harvey Munford | Democratic | Clark No. 6 | 2004-2016 | - | Retired Term Limited |
| Steven Horsford | Democratic | Clark No. 4 | - | 2004-2012 | First African-American Senate Majority Leader Ran for Nevada's 4th congressional district in 2012 and won; lost re-election in 2014 and then regained the seat in 2016 |
| Steven Brooks | Democratic | District No. 17 | 2010-2013 | - | Expelled from the Assembly on March 28, 2013 for crimes committed while in office |
| Jason Frierson | Democratic | District No. 8 | 2010-2014, 2016- | - | Speaker of the Assembly since 2017 (first African-American to serve as Speaker of the Nevada Assembly) |
| Dina Neal | Democratic | District No. 7 | 2010- | - | Daughter of Senator Joe Neal First African American woman elected to the Assembly |
| Patricia Spearman | Democratic | District No. 1 | - | 2012- | First openly gay woman in the Senate First openly gay person of color in the Legislature |
| Aaron D. Ford | Democratic | District No. 11 | - | 2012-2018 | Senate Majority Leader from 2014-2018 Ran for Nevada Attorney General in 2018 and won |
| Tyrone Thompson | Democratic | District No. 1 | 2013-2019 | - |
Appointed in 2013 to replace Steven Brooks |
| William McCurdy II | Democratic | District No. 6 | 2016- | - | |
| Brittney Miller | Democratic | District No. 5 | 2016- | - | |
| Daniele Monroe-Moreno | Democratic | District No. 1 | 2016- | - | |
| Alexander Assefa | Democratic | District No. 42 | 2018- | - |
First African-born person in the Legislature |
| Howard Watts III | Democratic | District No. 15 | 2018- | - | |
| Dallas Harris | Democratic | District No. 11 | - | 2018- | |
| Marcia Washington | Democratic | District No. 4 | - | 2019- | |
| Kasina Douglass-Boone | Democratic | District No. 17 | 2020- | - |
Hispanic/Latino legislators
The Nevada Legislature has included 22 self-identified Hispanic/Latino legislators, the first being elected in 1874 with 70 years until the next Hispanic legislator was elected. There are ten Latino legislators currently serving as of the 2020 special sessions.
| Legislator | Party | District/Area Represented | Assembly Term | Senate Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pablo Laveaga | Democratic | Humboldt County | 1874-1878 | - | |
| William Martinez | Democratic | White Pine County | 1944-1948 | - | Served as Speaker Pro Tempore in 1945 |
| Bob Coffin | Democratic | Clark No. 9 (Assembly) Clark No. 3 (Senate) | 1982-1986 | 1986-2010 | First Hispanic to serve in both houses of the Legislature Term Limited in 2010 Successfully ran for Las Vegas City Council |
| Brian Sandoval | Republican | Washoe No. 25 | 1994-1998 | - | Ran for Governor of Nevada in 2010 and won and later won re-election in 2014 |
| John Oceguera | Democratic | Clark No. 16 | 2000-2012 | - | Served as Speaker of the Assembly in 2011 Ran for Nevada's 3rd congressional district in 2012 and lost |
| Mo Denis | Democratic | District No. 28 (Assembly) District No. 2 (Senate) | 2004-2010 | 2010- | Served as Senate Majority Leader in 2013 (first Latino Majority Leader in Nevada) |
| Ruben Kihuen | Democratic | District No. 11 (Assembly) District No. 10 (Senate) | 2006-2010 | 2010-2016 | Ran for Nevada's 4th congressional district in 2016 and won Resigned from Congress due to sexual harassment committed during Nevada legislative career |
| Irene Bustamante Adams | Democratic | District No. 42 | 2010-2018 | - | |
| Lucy Flores | Democratic | District No. 28 | 2010-2014 | - | Ran for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada in 2014 and lost |
| Olivia Diaz | Democratic | District No. 11 | 2010-2018 | - | Ran for Las Vegas City Council in 2019 and won. |
| Teresa Benitez-Thompson | Democratic | District No. 27 | 2010- | - | |
| Richard Carrillo | Democratic | District No. 18 | 2010- | - | |
| Steven Brooks | Democratic | District No. 19 | 2010-2013 | - | Expelled from the Assembly on March 28, 2013 for crimes committed while in office |
| Edgar Flores | Democratic | District No. 28 | 2014- | - | |
| Nelson Araujo | Democratic | District No. 3 | 2014-2018 | - |
Ran for Secretary of State of Nevada in 2018 and lost |
| Victoria Seaman[1] | Republican | District No. 34 | 2014-2016 | - | Ran for re-election and lost Ran for Las Vegas City Council in 2019 and won |
| Sandra Jauregui | Democratic | District No. 41 | 2016- | - | |
| Daniele Monroe-Moreno | Democratic | District No. 1 | 2016- | - | |
| Yvanna Cancela | Democratic | District No. 10 | - | 2016- | |
| Susie Martinez | Democratic | District No. 12 | 2018- | - | |
| Selena Torres | Democratic | District No. 3 | 2018- | - | |
| Bea Duran | Democratic | District No. 11 | 2018- | - |
Asian American legislators
There have been three self-identified Asian Americans to serve in the Nevada Legislature. Although Sharron Angle said at a campaign stop in 2010 when running against Harry Reid for the United States Senate that, "I've been called the first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly,[2] " Angle never in fact identified herself as Asian American. One Asian-American legislator is currently serving as of the 2020 special sessions.
| Legislator | Party | District/Area Represented | Assembly Term | Senate Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Wong | Republican | Clark No. 15 | 1990-1992 | - | |
| Francis Allen | Republican | Clark No. 4 | 2004-2008 | - | Defeated in the 2008 primary election |
| Rochelle Nguyen | Democratic | District No. 10 | 2018- | - |
Native American legislators
The Nevada Legislature has had one self-identified Native American member, with none serving as of the 2020 special sessions.
| Legislator | Party | District/Area Represented | Assembly Term | Senate Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Oceguera | Democratic | District No. 16 | 2000-2012 | - | Enrolled member of Walker River Paiute Tribe Speaker of Assembly in 2011 (first Native American Speaker in Nevada) |
LGBT legislators
The Nevada Legislature has had six members who identify with the LGBT community, with two serving as of the 2020 special sessions.
| Legislator | Party | Area Represented/District | Assembly Term | Senate Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Parks | Democratic | District 41 (Assembly) District 7 (Senate) | 1996-2008 | 2008- | Term Limited in the Assembly Successfully ran for Senate in 2008 Lost a Primary Election to succeed Rory Reid on the Clark County Commission in 2010, remained in the Senate |
| James Healey | Democratic | District 35 | 2012-2014 | - | Ran for re-election and lost |
| Andrew Martin | Democratic | District 9 | 2012-2014 | - | Ran for Nevada State Controller in 2014 and lost |
| Patricia Spearman | Democratic | District 1 | - | 2012- | Defeated sitting Senator John Lee in a Democratic Primary[3] |
| Kelvin Atkinson | Democratic | District 17 (Assembly) District 4 (Senate) | 2002-2012 | 2012-2019 | Came out during floor debate on the repeal of the ban of same gender marriage in April 2013[4] Senate Majority Leader in 2019 (first openly LGBT Majority Leader) Resigned in 2019 due to federal campaign finance charges |
| Nelson Araujo | Democratic | District 3 | 2014-2018 | - |
References
- "G.O.P. Gains by Tapping Democrats' Base for State Candidates". The New York Times. November 29, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- Ralston, Jon (October 18, 2010). "Angle to Hispanic children". Las Vegas Sun.
- Miller, Ross (June 12, 2012), Nevada Primary Election Results, Nevada Secretary of State, retrieved January 9, 2013
- Damon, Anjeanette. "In split vote, Nevada Senate passes measure to begin repeal of gay marriage ban - Las Vegas Sun News". Lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
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