Catherine Cortez Masto

Name

Catherine Cortez Masto

Occupation

United States Senator from Nevada

Political Office

United States Senator from Nevada

Political Affiliation

Democrat

How would you describe yourself to voters?

Only two generations separate a baker born in Mexico and the first Latina elected to the United States Senate. The story of my family can be found in every corner of the Silver State. We didn’t come from money, but we were surrounded by food, family, and faith. Thanks to my parents' hard work, my sister and I became the first in our family to graduate from college, putting me on the path to serve my community.

During my two terms as Nevada’s attorney general and chief law enforcement officer, I worked to keep our communities safe. I made it my mission to stand up for vulnerable women and girls, leading the fight to break up sex trafficking rings by passing a landmark law to increase penalties on traffickers and allow survivors to sue their captors.

In the United States Senate, I have worked with both Democrats and Republicans to deliver for Nevadans. We’ve done so much together to strengthen our economy, defend women and children, stand up for seniors, safeguard our public lands, and create good-paying jobs in our state.

I’m running for re-election because Nevadans deserve a senator who will continue to cut through gridlock and dysfunction in Washington and deliver real results for our families.

What do you see as the top issues in this campaign?

This campaign is about the people of Nevada. I have a proven record of fighting for our state and making sure Nevadans get what they need.

No state was hit harder by the pandemic than Nevada, and I took bold action to save our economy and help Nevada families. I secured relief to help more than 118,000 Nevada businesses stay open, as well as funding to pay police, firefighters, and first responders. We helped schools reopen safely and quickly. I ensured Nevada’s tourism industry got more aid given the pandemic’s impact, and when Nevadans were struggling to make rent and pay for their mortgages during the pandemic, I made sure to deliver emergency housing relief so they could stay in their homes.

As a lifelong Nevadan, I’ve seen our state’s challenges with drought and wildfires get worse and worse. That’s why I led efforts to pass bipartisan legislation that is delivering $3.4 billion to help us take on our wildfire crisis, give firefighters a much-deserved pay increase, and combat drought by protecting our water supply.

To keep Nevadans safe, I’ve secured historic funding for Nevada’s local law enforcement departments and passed a law to combat law enforcement suicide. I also helped pass two bipartisan bills to crack down on human trafficking and combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, both of which were signed into law by President Trump.

I will always stand up for Nevada workers. I took on my own party and led the Senate fight to protect Nevada’s family farms and ranches from an unfair tax hike. And when the House of Representatives passed new mining taxes that would have threatened good-paying jobs, I stood up to my party and single-handedly stopped them from moving forward in the Senate.

There’s still work to be done, and I am going to continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make a difference for our state.

Inflation has reached its highest levels in more than 40 years. What should Congress do to address the rising costs of living?

My priority is creating jobs, lowering costs, and giving Nevadans a break.

I’m pushing for an all-of-the-above approach to bring down prices. That includes lowering health care costs, holding big oil companies accountable for rising gas prices, and helping build more middle-class housing in Nevada.

Nevada is an innovation state, and to boost our local economy, I have passed major legislation to invest in solar energy and create good-paying, clean energy jobs in Nevada. There are thousands of jobs coming to our state through our bipartisan infrastructure law, which will fix our roads and bridges, expand broadband, and combat our wildfire crisis. I've also worked with Republicans to strengthen our domestic supply chain of critical minerals, helping us create jobs in Nevada.

Right now I am focused on making sure our legislation to strengthen American manufacturing, counter the influence of the Chinese government, and bring back jobs from overseas gets signed into law -- that’s critical for workers and for the businesses across Nevada that are already producing American-made goods.

Would you vote to support a federal law that guarantees women across the country the right
to an abortion?

Yes. Nevada's laws keep the government out of a woman’s decision to have an abortion. I support federal legislation protecting a woman's right to choose, just as we have done in our state.

Americans feel more divided now than they have in decades. How will you work to tone down
the partisan rhetoric in Washington? In what ways will you work across the aisle?

For me, it’s always been about delivering for Nevadans, and I have consistently worked with my Republican colleagues to get the job done.

As Nevada’s attorney general, I worked closely with our Republican Governor Brian Sandoval to combat human trafficking in our state and keep Nevadans safe. In the Senate, I have worked across the aisle to support our law enforcement, to help end the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, to protect American innovation, and to deliver funding for border security.