Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, right, signs the official document to appoint Lisa Cano Burkhead, second from right, as new lieutenant governor during a news conference at the Grant Sawyer Building on Dec. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas, as Burkhead's husband Jeffery, from left, daughters Raquel, 9, and Sofia, 8, look on. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
By Ken Ritter and Sam Metz Associated Press
Friday, December 17, 2021
LAS VEGAS — A former high school principal who taught English and Spanish and once ran as a Democrat for state Legislature is Nevada's new lieutenant governor.
Gov. Steve Sisolak on Thursday introduced Lisa Cano Burkhead, the daughter of immigrants — a former Las Vegas Strip blackjack dealer and a seamstress — who then fielded reporters' questions in two languages and said she intends to run to retain her position next year in what is expected to be a hard-fought midterm election in a battleground state.
"I plan to be a voice for educators, students and parents, those that we want to prioritize if we want to move Nevada forward," Cano Burkhead said. "I think we can get so much work done if I have a full term."
Sisolak, a first-term Democrat, praised Cano Burkhead for her 25 years of experience as a teacher and school administrator in the troubled Las Vegas-area school district, and said he expects her to be a change agent in state government.
"We can't keep doing things the same way and expect different results," Sisolak said. "Lisa has proven that she could turn around schools. Her practices and innovation have demonstrated that they work."
Cano Burkhead, 50, succeeds former Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall, who resigned in August to accept a position with the White House. She has also served on the Paradise Town Board in Clark County and ran for the state Assembly in 2002.
Her appointment ends months of speculation about Sisolak's choice to succeed Marshall and complicates the campaigns of politicians already running for lieutenant governor next year.
Four Republicans have announced they'll run: Former state treasurer Dan Schwartz, perennial candidate Mack Miller, businessman John Miller and Las Vegas City Council member Stavros Anthony.
Two Democrats, Henderson Mayor Debra March and Nevada Democratic Rural Caucus Chairwoman Kimi Cole, have announced they're running.
The lieutenant governor position is part-time, with responsibilities including presiding over the state Senate when the Legislature is in session and chairing the Nevada Commission on Tourism.
Metz, who reported from Carson City, is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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