Nevada Assembly Democrat announces run for lieutenant governor
A top Democrat in the Nevada Legislature is running for lieutenant governor.
Sandra Jauregui, the Democratic majority floor leader in the Nevada Assembly, said Monday she will seek the office to “fight for a new direction for Nevadans.”
“For the last decade, I’ve been fighting on the frontlines for more affordable housing, more investment in our schools, and to create good-paying jobs so more Nevadans can achieve their American Dream. But at every step of the way, (incumbent) Stavros Anthony has been working to block these very policies that would improve Nevadans’ lives,” Jauregui said in a news release Monday. “Today, I’m proud to announce my candidacy for Lieutenant Governor, because we need to bring real leadership, real results, and a real focus on Nevada families back to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.”
Anthony is seeking re-election in 2026 to the second-in-command executive branch position. In a statement Monday, campaign spokesman Raymond Serrano said Anthony has been focused on safe communities through his career in law enforcement and in public office. He also pointed to Anthony’s roles in the Office of Small Business Advocacy and leading the Nevada Commission on Tourism and Anthony’s task force aimed at preventing transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports leagues.
“Voters deserve a clear choice,” Serrano said in a statement. “One candidate has spent his life protecting Nevada families and delivering real results. The other has shown, time and again, that she won’t.”
Jauregui’s campaign announcement comes about two months after she said she would not seek re-election in her Assembly district covering parts of the southern Las Vegas Valley.
Jauregui has served as floor majority leader since 2023 and previously chaired the Assembly Commerce and Labor and Legislative Operations and Elections committees. As a survivor of the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting in 2017, Jauregui pushed for gun control, such as an omnibus gun control bill that included ending the state’s ban on localities enacting their own gun laws and banning bump stocks.
Her background in housing and real estate has also led Jauregui to champion affordable housing legislation, such as rent caps for seniors and allowing residential properties in commercial zones.
Jauregui is also one of two lawmakers leading a legislative effort to draw Hollywood studios to Summerlin. She and Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D-North Las Vegas, were the sponsors of an assembly bill proposing to expand Nevada’s film tax credit program to develop a film studio campus with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery. It failed during the regular session in June but could be included in a special legislative session expected later this year.
In her campaign announcement, Jauregui said she’ll focus on creating jobs and reviving statewide tourism; tackling Nevada’s housing crisis; lowering health care costs; protecting and strengthening education and keeping communities safe through law enforcement support and “passing commonsense gun laws.”
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, one candidate for governor and the front runner of the Democratic primary, endorsed Jauregui. She also received endorsements from U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
