Nicole Cannizzaro

Nicole Cannizzaro
Majority Leader of the Nevada Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 5, 2019
Preceded byKelvin Atkinson
Member of the Nevada Senate
from the 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 9, 2016
Preceded byMark Lipparelli
Personal details
Born (1983-01-19) January 19, 1983
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseNate
Children3
EducationUniversity of Nevada, Reno (BA)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (JD)

Nicole Jeanette Cannizzaro (born January 19, 1983) is an American Democratic politician currently serving in the Nevada Senate. She represents the 6th district, which covers parts of Las Vegas.

Cannizzaro is the first woman to serve as Majority Leader of the Nevada Senate.[1] Cannizzaro is a candidate for Nevada Attorney General in the 2026 elections.[2]

Biography

Cannizzaro was born in Las Vegas.[3] She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and management from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2006, and a Juris Doctor from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2010.[4] Following graduation, she worked as a legal clerk and then began practicing law in Las Vegas. She joined the Clark County District Attorney's Office in 2011 where she served as a Chief Deputy District Attorney.[5]After more than a decade at the Clark County District Attorney's Office, she returned to private practice in 2022.[6]

Cannizzaro was elected to the Senate in 2016 by a narrow margin, defeating Republican Victoria Seaman.[5][7] She was reelected in 2020 and 2024.[8][9] In July 2025, Cannizzaro announced she would run for Nevada Attorney General in the 2026 statewide election.[2]

Legislative initiatives

Cannizzaro has sponsored legislation on a variety of topics during her three terms in the Nevada Senate.

Public Safety:

  • Senate Bill 263: Banning the possession, production, or distribution of AI generated child pornography
  • Senate Bill 343: Increasing criminal penalties for trafficking fentanyl
  • Senate Bill 440: Awarding back pay to state police and other state employees

Health care:

  • Senate Bill 420:Creating a more affordable public health care option to be sold in Nevada's individual health care market
  • Senate Bill 232:Expanding coverage for postpartum services for new mothers

Education:

Reproductive Rights:

  • Senate Bill 131:Banning government agencies in Nevada from assisting other states' prosecutions of abortion patients or providers
  • Senate Joint Resolution 7: Adding reproductive rights to the Nevada Constitution
  • Senate Bill 179: Removing outdated criminal penalties for abortion from Nevada law
  • Senate Bill 190: Expanding contraceptive access by allowing pharmacists to directly dispense birth control

Personal life

Cannizzaro is married to Nate Ring.[4] She has three children who have appeared with her during Senate sessions.[10]

Electoral history

Nevada Senate District 6 election, 2016[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nicole Cannizzaro 28,733 50.92
Republican Victoria Seaman 27,697 49.08
Total votes 56,430 100.00
Nevada Senate District 6 election, 2020[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nicole Cannizzaro 33,895 50.47
Republican April Becker 33,264 49.53
Total votes 67,159 100.00
Nevada Senate District 6 election, 2024[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nicole Cannizzaro 37,171 51.69
Republican Jill Douglass 32,730 45.51
Independent American Brad Lee Barnhill 2,017 2.8
Total votes 71,918 100.00

References

  1. ^ Team, News 4 & Fox 11 Digital (2019-03-05). "Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro elected new Senate Majority Leader after Atkinson resigns". KRXI. Retrieved 2025-03-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b "Top state Senate Democrat Cannizzaro to run for attorney general". The Nevada Independent. 2025-07-15. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  3. ^ "Senator Nicole J. Cannizzaro". Nevada Senate. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Nicole Cannizzaro's Biography". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Snyder, Riley (February 5, 2017). "Freshman Orientation: Democratic Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  6. ^ Brewer, Ray (September 18, 2023). "Cannizzaro to seek third term in Nevada Senate". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  7. ^ Chereb, Sandra (August 22, 2016). "Seaman-Cannizzaro race tight for state Senate District 6". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  8. ^ www.nvsos.gov https://www.nvsos.gov/silverstate2020gen/NVSenate/. Retrieved 2025-03-07. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ silverstateelection.nv.gov https://silverstateelection.nv.gov/NVSenate/. Retrieved 2025-03-07. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ "Nevada Legislature observes 'family day,' targets high price of eggs as session starts". KLAS. 2025-02-04. Archived from the original on 2025-02-05. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  11. ^ "NV State Senate 06 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  12. ^ "NV State Senate 06 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  13. ^ "NV State Senate 06 2024". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
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