Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto, who in 2016 made American history as the first Latina to be elected to the United States Senate, has achieved another first in 2018, picked this week to head the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, making her the first Latina to hold that position.
“I am committed to replicating the blue wave America saw in Nevada throughout the entire country,” Sen. Cortez Masto said in a statement, “and electing a Senate Democratic majority in 2020.” She told The Nevada Independent that important gains made in the state in 2016 and 2018 can serve as “a blueprint” to winning a Democratic victory in the Senate.
In 2016, powered by the Culinary Workers Union and other local organizing, Nevada went for Hillary Clinton and kept former Sen. Harry Reid’s seat in the Democratic column. In 2018, this ongoing work—Culinary knocked on over 370,000 doors in Las Vegas and Reno—ousted Trump ally Republican Dean Heller and made Democratic Congress member Jacky Rosen the state’s junior senator.
Cortez Masto “believes a message that resonates with Nevada voters will also resonate with Americans,” The Nevada Independent continued. “The example she gave was economic security, which she said she thinks helped her squeak out a victory in her 2016 race. It’s an overarching concern for people in various communities around the state, and one that allowed her to discuss specific policies to try to help people, she said.”
Cortez Masto celebrated other historic gains made for the next Congress by the enthusiastic wave of Latinx, black, and Asian-American voters. “Glad to see Congress becoming as diverse as our country during last week’s elections,” she tweeted. “As the first Latina elected to the Senate, I’m committed to breaking down as many barriers as possible to ensure every community has a seat at the table.”