Reno political newcomer Sarah Peters scored a surprising win in this month’s primary election, prevailing in a four-way Assembly race that included a better-known, party-supported opponent.
Peters, who made the environment the chief issue in the campaign, trounced Deonne Contine and two other candidates in the Assembly District 24 Democratic primary.
“I think that the election results prove that environmental issues are something we need to be talking about today,” Peters told State of Nevada.
Contine, who quit as head of the Nevada Department of Taxation to run for the seat, lost despite an endorsement by the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus and support from the marijuana industry, which she had helped regulate.
Peters said changes in federal environmental policies under President Donald Trump prompted her decision to run. She is an environmental engineer and lifelong Northern Nevadan who works with tribal governments on environmental issues.
No Republicans filed in the urban Reno district, meaning Peters won the seat outright. She replaces retiring Assemblywoman Amber Joiner.
Sarah Peters, Assemblywoman-elect