1. Stephen F Sisolak is an American businessman and politician who served as the 30th governor of Nevada from 2019 to 2023.
52 Facts About Steve Sisolak
1. 2.
Steve Sisolak served as vice chair of the commission from 2011 to 2013 and as chair from 2013 to 2019.
3.
Steve Sisolak defeated fellow Clark County commissioner Chris Giunchigliani for the Democratic nomination and then defeated the Republican nominee, attorney general Adam Laxalt, in the general election, becoming the first Democrat to serve as governor of Nevada since Bob Miller left office in 1999.
4.
Steve Sisolak ran for reelection in 2022, losing to Republican nominee Joe Lombardo in a close race.
5.
Steve Sisolak was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 26,1953.
6.
Steve Sisolak is the son of Mary and Edward Frank Sisolak.
7.
Steve Sisolak's father was a design engineer for General Motors, and his mother worked at a convenience store.
8.
Steve Sisolak grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and graduated from Wauwatosa West High School in 1972.
9.
Steve Sisolak was active on the student council and played basketball.
10.
Steve Sisolak moved to Nevada shortly thereafter and earned a master of business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1978.
11.
Steve Sisolak is a successful entrepreneur and was a partner in the American Distributing Company, a telemarketing venture that sells coffee cups, pens, and various other promotional items to businesses.
12.
Steve Sisolak held a partnership in a second company, Associated Industries.
13.
Steve Sisolak ran for the Nevada Senate in the Las Vegas-based 5th district in 1996, losing to Republican incumbent Ann O'Connell.
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Steve Sisolak was first elected to the Nevada Board of Regents in 1998.
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Steve Sisolak voted against student fee hikes in 2003 and 2008.
16.
Steve Sisolak fought to bring back a popular apprenticeship program at the College of Southern Nevada that was abruptly canceled during the recession.
17.
Steve Sisolak was elected to the Clark County Commission in 2008 in a close race to replace outgoing commissioner Bruce Woodbury.
18.
Steve Sisolak was elected to a second term as a county commissioner in 2012, receiving the endorsement of the Las Vegas Review Journal and Las Vegas Sun.
19.
Steve Sisolak was elected to his third and final term as a county commissioner in 2016.
20.
Steve Sisolak was sworn in as the Clark County commissioner on January 5,2009.
21.
Steve Sisolak served as vice chair of the commission from 2011 to 2013 and chaired the commission from 2013 to 2019.
22.
Steve Sisolak resigned as a county commissioner on January 7,2019, the day he was sworn in as governor, in order to appoint his successor.
23.
Steve Sisolak was "vehemently opposed to raising property taxes" and property tax rates remained flat during his entire tenure on the commission.
24.
Steve Sisolak voted against increasing the county gas tax in 2013.
25.
Steve Sisolak won praise from the conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute for fighting against waste, fraud, and abuse.
26.
Steve Sisolak voted to refund $4.1 million to 1,600 Laughlin property owners who had been overcharged assessment fees.
27.
Steve Sisolak supported bringing the Golden Knights and Raiders to Las Vegas.
28.
Steve Sisolak has served as a member of the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, and vice chair of the board of commissioners for the University Medical Center Of Southern Nevada.
29.
Steve Sisolak was long considered a potential candidate for governor of Nevada in the 2018 election.
30.
Steve Sisolak first considered running for governor in 2014, but declined in February 2014.
31.
Steve Sisolak defeated Clark County Commission colleague Chris Giunchigliani on June 12,2018, to become the Democratic nominee.
32.
Steve Sisolak released a healthcare policy platform that included proposals to reduce pharmaceutical drug prices, fix Nevada's doctor shortage, and protect Nevadans with preexisting conditions.
33.
Steve Sisolak said he wanted to continue Governor Sandoval's Medicaid expansion and new funding for education.
34.
Steve Sisolak supported Question 1, known as Marsy's Law, the crime victims rights bill, and opposed Question 3, the Energy Choice Initiative.
35.
Steve Sisolak was endorsed by former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Representative Dina Titus, the Sierra Club, the Human Rights Campaign, Let America Vote, and the Law Enforcement Coalition of Nevada.
36.
Steve Sisolak lost all but two county-level jurisdictions, but carried the two largest, Clark and Washoe.
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Steve Sisolak won primarily on the strength of carrying Clark County by 86,600 votes, more than double his statewide margin of 39,700.
38.
On January 7,2019, Steve Sisolak was sworn in as the 30th governor of Nevada.
39.
Steve Sisolak succeeded Brian Sandoval and became the first Democrat to serve as governor of Nevada since Bob Miller left office in 1999.
40.
On May 30,2019, Steve Sisolak vetoed a bill that proposed the adoption of National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in the presidential elections.
41.
Steve Sisolak filled the vacancy on December 16,2021, when he announced Las Vegas educator Lisa Cano Burkhead as Nevada's new lieutenant governor.
42.
Steve Sisolak has supported expansion of solar energy projects in Nevada.
43.
Since then, many of Steve Sisolak's views have shifted to the left.
44.
Steve Sisolak easily won the Democratic nomination against former Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins and faced Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the Republican nominee, in the general election.
45.
Steve Sisolak married Lori Ann "Dallas" Garland in 1987, with whom he has two daughters.
46.
Shortly after being elected governor in 2018, Steve Sisolak announced his engagement to Kathy Ong, an Ely native and his girlfriend of five years.
47.
On December 28,2018, Steve Sisolak announced his marriage to Ong.
48.
Steve Sisolak maintained that his land, acquired before Clark County imposed height restrictions, had been devalued and that he was entitled to compensation.
49.
Steve Sisolak has been accused by mining corporation Gypsum Resources LLC of engaging in a quid pro quo valued at $150 million during his time as Clark County commissioner chairman.
50.
Gypsum alleges that Jones and Steve Sisolak engaged in covert dealings, with Jones agreeing to drop Save Red Rock's lawsuit and provide Steve Sisolak's gubernatorial campaign with the support of environmentalist groups if the Clark County commission denied Gypsum Resources' final appeal to complete its proposed development in Red Rock.
51.
The county investigated Jones and Steve Sisolak but found no wrongdoing.
52.
Steve Sisolak originally denied any communication with Sisolak before his election to commissioner, but court documents revealed that they had communicated.