Brian Sandoval

Brian Sandoval

Republican Party

Prior offices

Governor of Nevada

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Nevada General Assembly

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Attorney General of Nevada

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United States District Court for the District of Nevada

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Education

High school

Bishop Manogue High School, 1981

Bachelor's

University of Nevada, Reno, 1986

Law

The Ohio State University, Moritz School of Law, 1989

Personal

Birthplace

Redding, Calif.

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Attorney, Judge

Contact

Personal Facebook

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Brian Edward Sandoval (born August 5, 1963, in Redding, California) was the Republican Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019. He was first elected in 2010 and was sworn into office January 3, 2011. Sandoval won a second term as governor in the 2014 elections. Sandoval was prevented by term limits from seeking election to a third term in 2018.

He was considered a possible presidential candidate in 2016, but ultimately did not declare for office.

Sandoval was previously a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Attorney General of Nevada and state legislator. When he was elected attorney general in 2002, he became the first Hispanic elected to statewide office in Nevada history. Prior to that, Sandoval was the youngest person ever appointed to serve as chairman of the gaming commission, at age 35.

An analysis of Republican governors by Nate Silver of the New York Times in April 2013 ranked Sandoval as the 29th most conservative governor in the country.

Biography

Sandoval was born in Redding, Calif.. He completed high school in Reno, Nev. In college, he studied English and economics, as well as joining the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After earning his bachelor's, Sandoval attended law school at The Ohio State University. He was admitted to the bar in both California and Nevada and briefly worked for several Reno-area firms before opening his own law office.

In August 2012, Sandoval was included in a list of 20 Latino political rising stars compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Education

• The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, J.D., 1989
• University of Nevada, B.A., 1986
• Bishop Manogue High School, 1981

Political career

Governor of Nevada (2011-2019)

Sandoval was first elected Governor of Nevada in 2010 and assumed office on January 3, 2011. As governor, Sandoval was responsible for appointing judges to Nevada state courts. For an up-to-date list of all of Sandoval's appointees, see Judges appointed by Brian Sandoval. Sandoval served until 2019. Sandoval was prevented by term limits from seeking election to a third term in 2018.

Job creation ranking

A June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sandoval was ranked number 27. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013.

Legalization of medical marijuana dispensaries

On June 12, 2013, Sandoval signed a bill to integrate medical marijuana production and distribution into the Nevada economy under government regulated conditions. Although Nevada was already among the 19 states to allow medical marijuana, since 2000 residents in possession of the appropriate state-issued license were allowed to grow their own medical marijuana but had no means to procure it legally on the open market. Card-carrying patients were permitted to continue growing medicinal marijuana for personal use until 2016, but, with the passage of SB374, they were also able to obtain it from dispensaries, the regulation of which is funded by tax revenues drawn from different segments of the newly-regulated industry. Sandoval's approval of the measure made Nevada the 19th state in the U.S. (plus the District of Columbia) to legalize marijuana dispensaries.

Affordable Care Act

See also: Effect of the Affordable Care Act in Nevada

Sandoval opposed the Affordable Care Act, but later became the first Republican governor in the country to support his state's participation in the Medicaid expansion as outlined under the law. An estimated 604,000 Nevada residents were uninsured as of December 2012, when Sandoval decided to bring a pro-expansion budget proposal to the Nevada Legislature with the intention of entering the state into the federal program. Sandoval said that it was in Nevada's "best interest to expand coverage to 78,000 residents" who were ineligible for the state's Medicaid rolls. To encourage the legislature to join him in support of the expansion, Sandoval made the case that participating would save the state $16 million in mental health programs that otherwise would be paid for out of the state general fund. "It would cost the state...more not to opt in," he said.

Judge of the District Court for the District of Nevada (2005-2009)

On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Harry Reid, Sandoval was nominated by George W. Bush on March 1, 2005, to fill a seat vacated by Howard McKibben. Sandoval was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 24, 2005, and received his commission on October 26, 2005.

Federal seat resignation

In what was considered a surprise announcement, Judge Sandoval announced on August 14, 2009, that he would resign from his lifetime seat on the federal bench. His resignation was effective September 15, 2009. Sandoval was succeeded in this position by Gloria M. Navarro.

Nevada Attorney General (2003-2005)

Sandoval announced his bid to succeed three-term Democrat Frankie Sue Del Papa—who decided not to seek re-election—as Nevada attorney general on October 11, 2001. Sandoval defeated Democratic attorney John Hunt from Las Vegas, by a margin of 58.32 percent to 33.63 percent on November 5, 2002. Sandoval took office on January 6, 2003.

While serving as attorney general, Sandoval led the state's legal fight against the storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, developed Nevada's first public integrity unit and sponsored legislation increasing Nevada's penalties for domestic violence, drug abuse and human trafficking.

As attorney general, Sandoval was also the chairman and a member of several state boards and commissions, including the Nevada Boards of Pardons, Prisons, Transportation and Examiners, the Cyber-Crime Task Force, the Committee on Domestic Violence and the Prosecutorial Advisory Council.

Nevada Gaming Commission (1998-2001)

In 1998, Sandoval was appointed to the Nevada Gaming Commission, which oversees the Nevada's gaming industry. One year later, Sandoval became the commission's youngest chairman at age 35. While on the commission, Sandoval opposed efforts to block gambling on college sports events. At the same time, he supported regulations aimed at curbing the influence of the gaming industry on children, including a prohibition on slot machines with themes attractive to children.

Nevada State Assembly (1994-1998)

Sandoval first ran for elected office in 1994, and served two terms in the Nevada Assembly, representing the 25th legislative district, from 1994 to 1998. In the Assembly, Sandoval served on the Judiciary, Taxation and Natural Resources Committees and sponsored 14 bills that became law.

While in the state legislature, Sandoval also served on the Nevada Legislative Commission, the Advisory Commission on Sentencing, the Juvenile Justice Commission, the Advisory Council on Community Notification of Sex Offenders and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Oversight Committee.

Elections

2018

See also: Nevada gubernatorial election, 2018

Brian Sandoval was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.

2016

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Nevada, 2016

There was speculation that Sandoval might seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2016 against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D). Reid responded to the rumors, stating, "I don't care. If Brian wants to run for the Senate, let him."

Sandoval confirmed on June 9, 2015, that he would not seek election to the Senate seat in 2016.

2014

See also: Nevada gubernatorial election, 2014

Sandoval won a second term as governor in the 2014 elections. Sandoval won the Republican nomination in the primary on June 10, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Results

Primary election

Governor of Nevada, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Brian Sandoval Incumbent	89.9%	105,857
Eddie Hamilton	3.2%	3,758
None of these candidates	3%	3,509
William Tarbell	1.7%	1,966
Thomas Tighe	1.3%	1,495
Gary Marinch	1%	1,195
Total Votes		117,780
Election results via Nevada Secretary of State.

General election

Governor of Nevada, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Brian Sandoval Incumbent	70.6%	386,340
	Democratic	Robert Goodman	23.9%	130,722
	Independent	None of these candidates	2.9%	15,751
	Independent American	David Lory VanderBeek	2.7%	14,536
Total Votes				547,349
Election results via Nevada Secretary of State

2010

See also: Nevada gubernatorial election, 2010

Sandoval announced his bid to enter the governor's race on August 15, 2009. He defeated incumbent Republican Governor Jim Gibbons in the primary and went on to defeat Rory Reid, son of Harry Reid, in the general election.

• General Election - 2010 Gubernatorial Race

Governor of Nevada, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Rory Reid	41.6%	298,171
	Republican	Brian Sandoval	53.4%	382,350
	Green	David Scott Curtis	0.6%	4,437
	Libertarian	Arthur Forrest Lampitt	0.7%	4,672
	Independent	Eugene DiSimone	0.9%	6,403
	Independent	Aaron Y. Honig	0.4%	3,216
	Independent	Floyd Fitzgibbons	0.7%	5,049
	NA	None	1.7%	12,231
Total Votes				716,529

• 2010 Republican Primary - 2010 Gubernatorial Race

Governor of Nevada, 2010
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Tony Atwood	1.4%	2,440
Jim Gibbons Incumbent	27.2%	47,616
Stanleigh Harold Lusak	0.8%	1,380
Michael L. Montandon	12.6%	22,003
Brian Sandoval	55.5%	97,201
None	2.5%	4,400
Total Votes		175,040

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Brian Sandoval campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2014	Governor of Nevada	Won	$4,952,218	N/A**
2010	Governor of Nevada	Won	$5,148,390	N/A**
2002	NV Attorney General	Won	$1,688,107	N/A**
1996	NV State Assembly	Won	$51,676	N/A**
1994	NV State Assembly	Won	$72,909	N/A**
Grand total			$11,913,300	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Noteworthy events

Possible SCOTUS nomination

See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2017: An overview

Several news outlets reported that the White House began vetting Sandoval as a potential replacement for late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away on February 13, 2016. Sandoval stated that he would not accept a nomination to the post. On February 25, 2016, he announced, "Earlier today, I notified the White House that I do not wish to be considered at this time for possible nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States. I have also spoken to Senators Reid, Heller and McConnell and expressed the same desire to them. The notion of being considered for a seat on the highest court in the land is beyond humbling and I am incredibly grateful to have been mentioned."

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Sandoval endorsed John Kasich for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for John Kasich

• On October 8, 2016, after The Washington Post released a 2005 video of Trump making comments about women that the Post described as "extremely lewd," Sandoval announced he could not support Donald Trump as his party's nominee.

See also: Republican reactions to 2005 Trump tape

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Brian Sandoval endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. He had previously endorsed Rick Perry.

Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement

Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees

After the attacks in Paris, France, on November 13, 2015, many U.S. governors declared their support or opposition to Syrian refugee resettlement in their states. Sandoval expressed opposition to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of Nevada. He said:

“	I am specifically concerned about the background checks performed for Syrian refugees sent to Nevada for resettlement, and would appreciate further guidance on the benefits eligibility of such persons while they reside here. We must balance our nation's role as an international leader with the safety and security of our citizens and visitors.	”
—Gov. Brian Sandoval

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
When he serves as governor, Sandoval and his wife, Kathleen Teipner, had three children.

Awards

On October 19, 2012, Governing Magazine named Sandoval one of eight "Public Officials of the Year." Each year since 1994, Governing has selected a handful of state and local officials to honor for standout job performance. The Public Officials of the Year program "recognizes leaders from state, city and county government who exemplify the ideals of public service." Other 2012 honorees included co-speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives, Bruce Hanna and Arnie Roblan, and California Auditor Elaine Howle. Governing commended Sandoval for bipartisanship in office, citing his record of working with the Democratic-controlled Nevada Legislature.

Throughout his career, Sandoval received several awards and certificates, including the Hispanics in Politics' 1996 "Broche de Oro Award," the Anti-Defamation League's 2003 "Torch of Liberty Award," the Nevada State Bar's 2004 "Access to Justice Public Lawyer Award," The Latino Coalition's 2004 "Most Influential Hispanic in the U.S. Award" and the 2004 University of Nevada "Alumnus of the Year Award."

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Brian Sandoval Nevada Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Brian Sandoval - Google News

See also

• Governor of Nevada
• Nevada gubernatorial election, 2014
• Nevada gubernatorial election, 2010
• Attorney General of Nevada
• Brian Sandoval possible presidential campaign, 2016

External links

Suggest a link

• Brian Sandoval's campaign website

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
• Biographies:
  • Nat. Governors Assoc.
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Wikipedia
• Executive actions:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Financial (state level):
  • Follow The Money
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Works by or about:
  • WorldCat
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN
• Media coverage:
  • Washington Post

• Brian Sandoval profile in United States District Court for the District of Nevada's State of the Court 2006 report

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jim Gibbons (R)	Governor of Nevada 2011-2019	Succeeded by Steve Sisolak (D)
Preceded by Howard McKibben	District of Nevada 2005–2009	Succeeded by Gloria M. Navarro
Preceded by '	Nevada Attorney General 2003-2005	Succeeded by George Chanos (R)
Preceded by '	Nevada State Assembly 1994-1998	Succeeded by '