Catherine Cortez Masto | |
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United States Senator from Nevada |
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Assumed office January 3, 2017 Serving with Dean Heller |
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Preceded by | Harry Reid |
32nd Attorney General of Nevada | |
In office January 1, 2007 – January 5, 2015 |
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Governor |
Jim Gibbons Brian Sandoval |
Preceded by | George Chanos |
Succeeded by | Adam Laxalt |
Personal details | |
Born |
Catherine Marie Cortez March 29, 1964 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Paul Masto |
Education |
University of Nevada, Reno (BS) Gonzaga University (JD) |
Website | Senate website |
Catherine Marie Cortez Masto /ˌkɔːrˈtɛz ˈmæstoʊ/ (born March 29, 1964) is an American attorney and politician who is the junior United States Senator from Nevada. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Cortez Masto graduated from University of Nevada, Reno and Gonzaga University School of Law. She worked 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. She was the Attorney General of Nevada from 2007 to 2015, elected to replace George Chanos. She was not eligible to run for a third term in 2014 due to lifetime term limits established by the Nevada Constitution.
Cortez Masto defeated Joe Heck in the U.S. Senate election in Nevada to replace outgoing Democratic senator Harry Reid, becoming the first woman elected to represent Nevada in the Senate and the first Latina elected to serve in the Senate. She took office on January 3, 2017.