ABOUT NICOLE
Nicole Cannizzaro is a mom, a lifelong Nevadan, a prosecutor, and the first woman to serve as Majority Leader of the Nevada State Senate
Battle Born. Battle Tested. Ready to serve as our Attorney General.
A lifelong Nevadan with working class roots:
Nicole Cannizzaro was born and raised in Las Vegas. A lifelong Nevadan, Nicole’s parents came to Las Vegas to work in the hotels and casinos and were proud members of Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Growing up, Nicole’s family didn’t have a lot of money, but her parents constantly reminded her about the value of finishing her education. They strongly encouraged her to pursue higher education after graduating high school, an opportunity that neither of them had.
Nicole is a product of Nevada’s public K-12 and higher education systems. She graduated from Chaparral High School and earned a Guinn Millennium Scholarship to attend college. Like many other Nevadans, without that scholarship program and low in-state tuition rates, higher education would have been out of reach for her. Nicole earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. Following college, she moved back to Las Vegas, where she earned her law degree from the UNLV Boyd School of Law and started her legal career. Nicole has worked in both private practice and as a prosecutor.
She and her husband are raising their family in Las Vegas.
An experienced prosecutor who tackled the tough cases:
Nicole joined the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in 2011, and she was never afraid to take on the toughest cases. Over her eleven years as a prosecutor, she handled hundreds of criminal matters, including racketeering and fraud, child abuse, sexual assault, and homicide. Nicole received awards and commendations for her work, including for busting a major identity theft thing operating in Las Vegas. She was eventually appointed as the Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Gang Unit. She’s been an advocate for victims, a partner for law enforcement, and has helped make Clark County a safer place to live.
A trailblazer and the first woman to serve as Nevada Senate Majority Leader:
Nicole has served in the State Senate since 2016, and just a few years later, she became the first woman to serve as State Senate Majority Leader. She has been elected by her colleagues to serve as Majority Leader for four consecutive legislative sessions.
As a legislator, Nicole is a passionate advocate for our families and our rights. She has led the fight to permanently protect abortion rights and IVF in Nevada while keeping women and doctors safe from out-of-state prosecutions. She went after out-of-state corporate investors who are buying up Nevada homes, and stood up for Nevadans who were targeted by scams. She raised teacher pay by almost 20%, added $2.2 billion to our state’s K-12 education budget, and expanded pre-K, all without raising taxes. And she’s taken on Big Pharma and the health care industry to lower costs, including passing Nevada’s new Public Option health care plan.
Nicole authored bills to keep kids safer online, crack down on domestic abusers, and protect seniors from abuse. She’s worked to fund our state police, and she prevented mass lay-offs and a 25% reduction in force at the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. And she’s supported laws for universal background checks, banning ghost guns and bump stocks, and getting guns out of the hands of violent criminals and domestic abusers.
Nicole is a bipartisan problem solver who brings people together. The majority of her bills have passed with bipartisan support and were signed by both Democratic and Republican Governors.