Steve Sisolak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steve Sisolak
30th Governor of Nevada
In office January 7, 2019 – January 2, 2023
Lieutenant	Kate Marshall Lisa Cano Burkhead
Preceded by	Brian Sandoval
Succeeded by	Joe Lombardo
Chair of the Clark County Commission
In office January 7, 2013 – January 7, 2019
Preceded by	Susan Brager
Succeeded by	Marilyn Kirkpatrick
Vice Chair of the Clark County Commission
In office January 3, 2011 – January 6, 2013
Preceded by	Susan Brager
Succeeded by	Larry Brown
Member of the Clark County Commission from District A
In office January 5, 2009 – January 7, 2019
Preceded by	Bruce Woodbury
Succeeded by	Michael Naft
Member of the Nevada Board of Regents from the 2nd district
In office January 1, 1999 – December 31, 2008
Preceded by	Maddy Graves
Succeeded by	Theresa Malone
Constituency	Subdistrict G
Personal details
Born	(1953-12-26) December 26, 1953 (age 71) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Dallas Garland ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 2000)​ Kathy Ong ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	2
Education	University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (BS) University of Nevada, Las Vegas (MBA)

Stephen F. Sisolak (born December 26, 1953) is an American businessman and politician. He served as the 30th governor of Nevada from 2019 to 2023. Before becoming governor, he was a member of the Clark County Commission from 2009 to 2019. He also served on the Nevada Board of Regents from 1999 to 2008.

Sisolak was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Business School. He became involved in community projects and government work. In 2008, he was elected to the Clark County Commission. He was reelected in 2012 and 2016. He led the commission as its chair from 2013 to 2019.

In 2018, Sisolak ran for governor of Nevada. He won the Democratic nomination and then defeated his Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt. He became the first Democrat to be governor of Nevada since 1999. He ran for reelection in 2022 but lost to Joe Lombardo.

Early Life and Education

Steve Sisolak was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 26, 1953. His father was an engineer for General Motors. His mother worked at a convenience store. His family has roots in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Sisolak grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He graduated from Wauwatosa West High School in 1972. His first job was as a caddie at a golf club when he was 13. He was active in student government and played basketball. He earned a bachelor's degree in business in 1974 from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Soon after, he moved to Nevada. He earned a master's degree in business from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1978.

Business Career

Sisolak is a successful business owner. He was a partner in American Distributing Company. This company sold items like coffee cups and pens to businesses. He also had a partnership in another company called Associated Industries.

Early Political Career

Nevada Board of Regents

Sisolak was first elected to the Nevada Board of Regents in 1998. This board oversees colleges and universities in Nevada. During his time, he found that many students were wrongly charged higher tuition fees. He helped them get refunds.

In 2002, Sisolak voted against a large tuition increase. He also voted against student fee increases in 2003 and 2008. He worked to bring back a popular training program at the College of Southern Nevada. This program had been stopped during a tough economic time.

Clark County Commission

Elections

Sisolak was elected to the Clark County Commission in 2008. He won a close race to take the place of Bruce Woodbury.

He was elected for a second term in 2012. He also won his third and final term as a county commissioner in 2016.

Time as Commissioner

Sisolak became a Clark County commissioner on January 5, 2009. He represented District A. He served as vice chair of the commission from 2011 to 2013. He then led the commission as chair from 2013 to 2019. He left this role when he became governor in 2019.

Sisolak was against raising property taxes. Property tax rates stayed the same during his time on the commission. He also voted against increasing the county gas tax in 2013.

He worked to save taxpayer money. He helped end a contract that was costing taxpayers a lot of money. During an economic downturn, he spoke out against wasteful spending on overtime and sick leave. His efforts saved millions of dollars.

Sisolak also helped cut the pay for Clark County Commissioners. He supported adding more police officers to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. These new officers helped lower violent crime in 2018.

Under Sisolak's leadership, Clark County opened "The Harbor." This is a center for young people that is open all the time. It has helped prevent thousands of young people from entering the criminal justice system.

Sisolak supported bringing professional sports teams to Las Vegas. He was a key person in bringing the Raiders football team to the city.

He was also involved with other government groups. These included the Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Southern Nevada Water Authority. He also served on the Colorado River Commission of Nevada.

Sisolak has been involved with many community groups. These include the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, the American Red Cross, and the Boys & Girls Club.

Governor of Nevada

Sisolak speaking to the media in 2020.

2018 Election

Sisolak had thought about running for governor for a while. He officially announced his plan to run on June 22, 2017. He won the Democratic nomination in June 2018. His main opponent in the general election was Adam Laxalt, the state's attorney general.

Sisolak's campaign focused on improving education, healthcare, and the economy. He wanted to lower the cost of prescription drugs. He also aimed to fix the shortage of doctors in Nevada. He supported protecting people with existing health conditions.

Many important people supported Sisolak. These included former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden. He also had support from environmental and human rights groups.

Sisolak was elected governor on November 6, 2018. He won with 49.4% of the votes. He became the first Democrat elected governor since 1994.

Time as Governor

Sisolak with U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

On January 7, 2019, Steve Sisolak became the 30th governor of Nevada. He took over from Brian Sandoval.

In 2019, Sisolak made a decision about how presidential votes are counted. He supported expanding solar energy projects in Nevada.

In September 2021, Kate Marshall resigned as lieutenant governor. Sisolak chose Lisa Cano Burkhead to be the new lieutenant governor in December 2021.

2022 Re-election Campaign

Sisolak announced he would run for re-election in 2022. He won the Democratic nomination easily. In the general election, he faced Joe Lombardo, the Clark County Sheriff. On November 11, Sisolak accepted that he had lost the race to Lombardo. He was the only sitting governor to lose re-election in the 2022 midterm elections.

Personal Life

Steve Sisolak married Lori Ann "Dallas" Garland in 1987. They had two daughters together. They divorced in 2000. After the divorce, Sisolak raised his daughters as a single father. Both of his daughters went to public high schools in Las Vegas. They also attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

After being elected governor in 2018, Sisolak announced his engagement to Kathy Ong. They had been together for five years. They got married on December 28, 2018.

Electoral History

2018

2022

See also

In Spanish: Steve Sisolak para niños