Nevada Senate Democrats choose Las Vegas Sen. Edgar Flores as majority leader for the 2027 legislative session

What happened

Democrats in the Nevada Senate have picked state Sen. Edgar Flores, a Las Vegas Democrat, to serve as majority leader for the 2027 legislative session. The caucus announced the choice on Thursday, according to a Spanish-language report from the Las Vegas Sun.

Flores takes over as the top Democrat in the chamber from state Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, also a Las Vegas Democrat. The Sun reported that Cannizzaro is the attorney general-elect.

Who Edgar Flores is

Legislative background

Flores first won a seat in the Nevada Assembly in 2014 and moved to the state Senate after winning election in 2022, the Sun reported. He is a lawyer by profession.

Policy focus

According to the Sun, Flores's work in the Legislature has centered on consumer protection, workers' rights and immigration. In a statement released by the caucus, he said he was honored that his colleagues trusted him to lead the group. He also said the state faces urgent problems and that working-class Nevadans are counting on lawmakers to deliver real solutions.

The agenda Senate Democrats laid out

Priorities named by Flores

Flores said his priorities include expanding access to affordable housing and health care, investing in public schools and making the economy work for ordinary people, the Sun reported. He said he looks forward to working with the Assembly and with Governor-elect Aaron Ford.

Caucus goals

Separately, the caucus said it will focus on lowering the cost of living, strengthening protections for workers, fully funding schools and widening economic opportunity across the state, according to the Sun.

Why the timing matters

Tuesday's election results

The leadership announcement followed Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats won the governor's office and kept control of both houses of the Legislature, according to the Sun. Ford, the outgoing Democratic attorney general, defeated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. The Sun reported that Ford will be the state's first African American governor. More on that race is in our report on how Ford was projected to unseat Lombardo.

Full Democratic control of state government

With the governorship and both chambers in Democratic hands, the party will have full control of Nevada's state government for the first time since Steve Sisolak left office in January 2023, the Sun reported.

The results also bring a change in the attorney general's office. Ford is the outgoing attorney general, and Cannizzaro, who is leaving the top Democratic post in the Senate, is the attorney general-elect. Readers can follow other results from this cycle on our elections page.

What comes before the session

According to the Sun, Flores and the Senate Democratic leadership team will spend the coming weeks organizing committees and shaping the caucus's legislative agenda. The Nevada Legislature is scheduled to convene on Feb. 1 in Carson City.

What to watch next

• Committee organization and the Senate Democratic caucus agenda, which Flores and his leadership team plan to work on over the coming weeks.
• The start of the 2027 legislative session on Feb. 1 in Carson City.
• The caucus agenda on cost of living, worker protections, school funding and economic opportunity, along with Flores's stated priorities on housing, health care and public schools.
• Flores's work with the Assembly and Governor-elect Aaron Ford, which he said he looks forward to.