Pat Spearman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pat Spearman
President pro tempore of the Nevada Senate
In office February 6, 2023 – February 3, 2025
Preceded by	Mo Denis
Succeeded by	Marilyn Dondero Loop
Member of the Nevada Senate from the 1st district
In office February 4, 2013 – February 3, 2025
Preceded by	John Jay Lee
Succeeded by	Michelee Cruz-Crawford
Personal details
Born	1955 (age 69–70) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Norfolk State University (BA) Seminary of the Southwest (MDiv)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1977–2007
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	Military Police Corps

Patricia Ann Spearman (born 1955) is an American pastor, a former soldier, and a Democratic politician from North Las Vegas, Nevada. She was elected to the Nevada Senate in November 2012. She represented District 1, which covers parts of North Las Vegas.

Before becoming a senator, Pat Spearman served in the United States Army for 29 years. She reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. She was also a pastor and held various public service jobs. This included being the president of the school district in San Marcos, Texas.

Early Life and Education

Pat Spearman was born in 1955 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her father was a traveling pastor, so her family moved often when she was young.

She earned a college degree in political science from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia. Later, she studied at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. There, she earned a Master of Divinity degree, which is a degree for religious leaders.

While serving in the army, she also attended special military colleges.

Military and Public Service

Pat Spearman served in the Military Police Corps of the United States Army for 29 years, from 1977 to 2007. She rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she held several public service roles in San Marcos, Texas. She was the chair of an advisory council for a local health department. She also served on the board of directors for a charity. In 1991, she became a member of the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District board. Six months later, she was chosen as the board president.

In the early 1990s, she was also a pastor at Jackson Chapel, a United Methodist church in San Marcos.

From 2001 to 2005, Spearman taught at the University of Louisville. She was a lecturer and directed the multicultural center there. After moving to the Las Vegas area in 2005, she started her own church, Resurrection Faith Community Ministries, in North Las Vegas.

Nevada Senate Career

Becoming a Senator

In 2012, Pat Spearman decided to run for the Nevada Senate. She challenged the current senator for District 1. Spearman believed the senator was not doing enough for the community. She also supported equal rights for all people.

She won the first election, called the primary, with 63% of the votes. This was a big win because she spent much less money on her campaign than her opponent. Other groups helped her campaign by spending money against her opponent.

In the main election in November, she ran against only one other candidate. Spearman talked about the importance of improving education in Nevada. She wanted to raise teacher salaries and make class sizes smaller. To do this, she suggested looking at the state's tax system. She won the election with 69% of the votes. Her term as a senator began the next day.

First Term (2012-2016)

During her first term, Senator Spearman worked on several important laws. In 2013, she sponsored a bill that made crimes against people based on their gender identity a hate crime. She also supported a change to the state constitution to allow same-sex marriage. She added a part to this change to protect religious organizations.

In 2014, she voted to give tax breaks to Tesla Motors so they would build a large battery factory in Nevada. She thought this would help the area, which had been affected by a difficult economic time.

In 2015, Spearman pushed for laws that would give equal pay to women and minorities. She also tried to get Nevada to approve the Equal Rights Amendment. This amendment aims to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex.

She also helped create a new tax plan for Nevada. This plan included a "Commerce Tax" for large businesses.

Second Term (2016-2020)

Pat Spearman ran for re-election in 2016 and won with 65% of the votes. During her campaign, she supported Hillary Clinton for president. She also spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, talking about equal rights.

After her re-election, she became a co-majority whip in the Senate. This means she helped lead the Democratic senators and made sure they voted together on important issues.

Final Term (2020-2024)

Spearman was elected for her third and final term in the Senate in 2020. She could not run again in 2024 due to term limits. Michelee Cruz-Crawford was elected to take her place in District 1.

Committee Work

During her time in the Senate, Pat Spearman served on several important committees. These committees review and discuss new laws.

• In 2013, she was the chair of the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections.
• In 2017, she chaired the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.
• In 2019, she chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.

Personal Life

Pat Spearman is African-American. She was the first openly lesbian member of the Nevada Legislature. In 1992, she married Donald Brewington, who was also a pastor. She adopted a teenage son, Na’Onche Osborne.

Electoral History

2022 North Las Vegas Mayoral Election

In 2021, Pat Spearman ran for Mayor of North Las Vegas, Nevada. She was defeated by Pamela Goynes-Brown in the election held in 2022.

2020 Nevada State Senate Election

2016 Nevada State Senate Election

2012 Nevada State Senate Election