Nevada to become first state with majority-women legislature

Nevada will become the first state to have a legislature where women hold the majority of seats in February after two women were appointed on Tuesday to recently vacated state Assembly seats.

Commissioners in Clark County, Nevada, on Tuesday appointed Rochelle Nguyen and Beatrice Angela Duran to replace former Assembly members Chris Brooks and Olivia Diaz, respectively, according to The Nevada Independent

Brooks was appointed last month to the state Senate, while Diaz resigned this month to run for a city council seat in Las Vegas.

{mosads}Women will now hold 23 of 42 seats in the state Assembly and nine of the state Senate’s 21 spots, giving them 32 of the 63 total seats in the Legislature, the outlet reported.

Nguyen and Duran, both of whom are Democrats, were appointed with unanimous support.

Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Vermont and Washington have among the highest proportions of women in their respective state legislatures. 

The appointments in Nevada come weeks after women in Nevada scored big in November’s midterm elections, including in statewide races.

The state’s congressional delegation is also now majority-women after Sen.-elect Jacky Rosen (D) and Rep.-elect Susie Lee (D) won their respective races in the midterm elections.

Nevada will also now have a state Supreme Court with a majority of women justices after a string of victories in November.