Catherine Cortez Masto, born on March twenty-ninth, nineteen sixty-four, is a prominent American lawyer and politician who has made significant strides in Nevada's political landscape. Serving as the senior United States senator from Nevada since January three, two thousand seventeen, she is a dedicated member of the Democratic Party. Her journey in public service began when she was elected as the thirty-second attorney general of Nevada, a position she held from two thousand seven to two thousand fifteen.
A proud graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, and Gonzaga University School of Law, Cortez Masto's legal career includes four years as a civil attorney in Las Vegas and two years as a criminal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. Her election as Nevada's attorney general in two thousand six marked a pivotal moment in her career, as she succeeded George Chanos and was subsequently reelected in two thousand ten.
In the two thousand sixteen United States Senate election, Cortez Masto made history by narrowly defeating Republican candidate Joe Heck, thus becoming the first woman and the first Latina to represent Nevada in the Senate. She officially took office on January three, two thousand seventeen, and became Nevada's senior senator in January two thousand nineteen after Dean Heller's defeat. Her commitment to public service was reaffirmed when she was narrowly reelected in two thousand twenty-two, overcoming Republican nominee Adam Laxalt.