Current:Home > InvestNevada assemblywoman won’t seek re-election in swing district after scrutiny over her nonprofit job-InfoLens
Nevada assemblywoman won’t seek re-election in swing district after scrutiny over her nonprofit job
View Date:2024-12-23 11:36:51
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow (D-Las Vegas) announced on Friday that she will not seek re-election in 2024 in one of the state’s most competitive assembly districts in her first statement since a controversy surfaced over her new job at a nonprofit.
The Las Vegas Democrat’s announcement comes after the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Aug. 25 that Gorelow accepted a job as director of a nonprofit about a month after she voted for a bill that directed $250,000 in state funds to the organization. The nonprofit, Arc of Nevada, advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Gorelow is one of two employees at the organization, the Review-Journal said.
Arc of Nevada was among dozens organizations to receive funding in a pair of bills that allocated over $100 million to over 70 nonprofits and governmental organizations. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo signed both bills into law, which passed along party lines in the Senate and with bipartisan support in the Assembly.
“After dedicating decades of my career to nonprofit work, I plan to continue serving my community by advocating for Nevadans with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Gorelow said in the statement, which did not directly refer to the controversy over her hiring. “I look forward to the important work ahead of me and spending more time with my family.”
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, also a Las Vegas Democrat, said in a statement that he supported Gorelow’s decision.
“I thank her for her service to the state of Nevada over the last several years, and I look forward to witnessing everything she will accomplish in the next chapter of her life,” he said.
Gorelow faced increasing pressure from Lombardo’s re-election PAC to step down since the Review-Journal report. Republican operative Chuck Muth also filed a complaint with the state ethics board this week alleging that Gorelow violated state law, the Review-Journal reported.
“There’s a culture of corruption in the Democratic Assembly under Speaker Yeager,” Better Nevada PAC spokesperson John Burke said in a statement, hat also referred to another Democratic assemblywoman who is on the board of Arc of Nevada. “Michelle Gorelow’s departure is an admission of guilt for her breach of ethics and a clear sign that it’s time for change in Carson City.”
The announcement amplifies a fierce battle in the suburban Las Vegas swing district, which Gorelow won by less than 400 votes out of more than 25,000 cast last November. Democrats held a supermajority in the state Assembly this past legislative session, but that could go away if Republicans flip one Democratic seat. Conversely, Democrats are one seat away from a supermajority in the state Senate.
With a supermajority in both chambers, Democrats could theoretically override many of Lombardo’s vetoes. Gorelow’s district is one of a few that could determine that balance of power in the 2025 legislative session.
____
Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America places journalists in local newsrooms across the country to report on undercovered issues.
veryGood! (55)
Related
- John Krasinski named People magazine’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive
- 12-year-old trapped, killed after truck falls into Colorado river
- Idaho inmate who escaped during hospital ambush faces court hearing. Others charged delay cases
- Woman in possession of stolen Jeep claims it was a 'birthday tip' from a former customer at Waffle House: police
- John Krasinski Revealed as People's Sexiest Man Alive 2024
- Racial diversity among college faculty lags behind other professional fields, US report finds
- Youngkin proposes ‘compromise’ path forward on state budget, calling for status quo on taxes
- NASA breaks down eclipse radiation myths
- Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
- Can cats get bird flu? How to protect them and what else to know amid the outbreak
Ranking
- US Election Darkens the Door of COP29 as It Opens in Azerbaijan
- Suki Waterhouse Embraces Her Postpartum Body With Refreshing Message
- WWE Monday Night Raw: Results, highlights and more from Raw after WrestleMania
- Kristen Doute Sent This Bizarre Text to The Valley Costar After Racism Allegations
- Full House Star Dave Coulier Shares Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Diagnosis
- Missy Elliott announces first headlining tour featuring Busta Rhymes, Ciara and Timbaland
- UConn vs Purdue live updates: Predictions, picks, national championship odds, how to watch
- A Detroit-area officer who assaulted a Black man after an arrest pleads guilty
Recommendation
-
Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
-
Doctors take on dental duties to reach low-income and uninsured patients
-
Brian Dorsey is slated for execution in Missouri. Dozens of prison guards and a former judge want his life spared.
-
Dan Hurley will receive at least $1.8 million in bonuses with UConn's national title
-
Georgia House Republicans stick with leadership team for the next two years
-
The trial of an Arizona border rancher charged with killing a migrant has reached the halfway point
-
New Mexico Supreme Court upholds 2 murder convictions of man in 2009 double homicide case
-
The trial of an Arizona border rancher charged with killing a migrant has reached the halfway point