(The Center Square) — Nevada’s top two ranking Assembly Democrats will exit their offices when the term ends, leaving a power void in the Legislature’s lower chamber.
The announcements come in the wake of a presidential election that saw Nevadans break a four-time Democratic streak and vote Republican President Donald Trump into office.
Democrats control a majority in the state Assembly and Senate, but lack enough seats to override vetoes by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.
“After careful reflection, I’ve decided not to seek re-election to District 41,” Assembly Leader Sandra Jauregui, D-Las Vegas, said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud of what my colleagues and I have accomplished together from strengthening our gun safety laws, investing in affordable housing to creating good-paying jobs.”
“I am grateful for the trust the voters placed in me over the past five election cycles,” added Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, also D-Las Vegas, in the same statement by the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus. “I am proud of all that we were able to accomplish together.”
The two state political leaders will have each served 10 years in office when they leave at the end of 2026. Before their victories in 2016, neither had held a public office. They rose to majority leader and speaker in 2023.
The Assembly leadership shake-up adds to existing political uncertainty in the Silver State, which voted to elect a Republican presidential candidate in 2024, for the first time since the state helped to re-elect George W. Bush in 2004.
Gov. Lombardo, meanwhile, received mixed results in a recent poll that said only 38% of people rated his time in office as good or excellent. His biggest opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat running for governor, has received widespread support from state Democrats.
Yeager and Jauregui told the Nevada Independent that their decision to leave office was for personal reasons. Jauregui said she was looking to recharge, and Yeager cited the assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, his friend and a fellow Democrat.
But both lawmakers left the door open for future government positions. Jauregui said she imagined a long career in politics, and Yeager said he was considering a 2026 election run for state treasurer.
“I am committed to continuing to contribute to this great state that has given me so much,” said Yeager in the statement.
“Though my time in the Legislature is ending, [I] will continue to find opportunities to serve Nevadans and fight for the values we share,” said Jauregui.
Both of the legislators’ districts are in the Democratic heart of Nevada, Las Vegas. Twenty-seven of the 42 current state Assembly members are Democrats.
Nevada Assembly members receive $130 per day in session, equivalent to less than $25,000 for the regular 180-day session, which takes place once every two years.
The next Assembly session kicks off in February 2027, although special sessions for lawmakers to vote on specific bills are expected to take place before then.
