Cortez Masto: The Nation’s First Latina Senator

Catherine Cortez Masto is heading to The District…

The 52-year-old half-Mexican American politician, a Democrat and former Nevada Attorney General, made history on election night, becoming the nation’s first Latina senator.

Catherine Cortez Masto

Cortez Masto defeated Representative Joe Heck in a close race to fill the seat of Democratic minority leader Senator Harry Reid. She received 47 percent of the vote, while Heck received 45 percent.

“I’m proud to be Nevada’s first female and our nation’s first Latina senator,” Cortez Masto tweeted on Wednesday. “It’s about time our government mirrors the diversity of our nation.”

 

Prior to serving two terms as Nevada’s attorney general, Cortez Masto worked as an assistant county manager for Clark County, Nevada. She also served as a federal criminal prosecutor for the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. and was chief of staff to governor Bob Miller, according to her website.