Nevada Democratic Assembly leaders will not seek re-election

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager and Floor Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui will not seek re-election to the Assembly in 2026, they announced Monday.

The Las Vegas Democrats were elected to the Assembly in 2016 and served five regular and five special sessions, according to the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus.

“I am honored to have represented Assembly District 9 since 2016, and I am grateful for the trust the voters placed in me over the past five election cycles,” Yeager said in a Monday statement.

He described some of his accomplishments, such as increasing public education funding and teacher pay raises, and said he is committed to “continuing to contribute to this great state that has given me so much.”

Jauregui said she is proud of what she and her colleagues accomplished, including strengthen gun safety laws, investing in affordable housing and working with AFSCME and state employees to protect wages during COVID-19 pandemic.

“I remain deeply committed to Nevada’s future and, though my time in the Legislature is ending, will continue to find opportunities to serve Nevadans and fight for the values we share,” she said in a statement.

Yeager, a personal injury attorney, led the 42-member Assembly as speaker since 2023. Before that, he chaired the Assembly Judiciary Committee. In the most recent legislative session, Yeager successfully pushed legislation capping the cost of insulin at $35 for people on private insurance and passed a bill eliminating college degree requirements for most state government jobs.

Without success, Yeager also sought allowing nonpartisan voters to participate in a partisan primary of their choosing, and he tried to push forward a bill that would have implemented voter ID and expanded ballot drop boxes.

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.

With a career in housing and real estate, Jauregui also has long pushed for affordable housing legislation, such as rent caps for seniors and allowing residential properties in commercial zones.

Both Yeager and Jauregui narrowly won their re-elections in 2024. Yeager defeated Republican Erica Neely by 775 votes. Jauregui eked out a victory by 257 votes over Republican Raphael Arroyo, and her race was too close to call for days following the election.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.