Catherine Cortez Masto is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, having served in the Senate since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first Latina elected to the United States Senate in American history. She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1964 and is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno and Gonzaga University School of Law. Before her election to the Senate, she served two terms as Nevada Attorney General from 2007 to 2015, where she was known in particular for her office's investigation of mortgage fraud in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
Cortez Masto won a narrow re-election in 2022 in one of the most closely watched Senate races of that cycle, defeating Republican Adam Laxalt. She serves on the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Banking Committee, and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She has been a leading voice in the Senate on immigration reform, consumer financial protection, and clean energy, and served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2022 cycle.