Brian Sandoval is the incumbent Governor of Nevada. He took office on January 3, 2011 alongside Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki as the successor of Jim Gibbons. For the second term, Brian chose Mark Hutchison as his Lieutenant Governor. Formerly, Sandoval was a Judge of the US District Court (2005 – 2009), Attorney General of Nevada (2003 – 2005), Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission (1999 – 2001), a member of the Nevada Gaming Commission (1998 – 2001) and a member of the Nevada Assembly (1994 – 1998).
Early Life and Education
Brian Sandoval was born on August 5, 1963 to father Ron and his wife Gloria in California. With Mexican descent, Sandoval was raised in Reno and went to Manogue High School until his graduation in 1981. Completing the high school education, Sandoval joined the University of Nevada for a joint undergraduate degree in economics and English. After leaving the University of Nevada, Sandoval did JD at the Ohio State University.
Personal Life
Brian Sandoval is a married man with three children. He and his wife, Kathleen Teipner, have been married for more than 25 years now.
Career
Having passed the bar exam for JD, Brian primarily started off as a private law practitioner in Reno. However, he saw better opportunities and prospects for himself in the political world. Hence, Sandoval decided to run in the 1994 Nevada 25th Assembly District Republican Primary Election. With 74.75% votes in favor, Sandoval became the party nominee and subsequently defeated Karol Kellison with 79.78% votes. Similarly, Brian sought for a second term in the Nevada Assembly and won the 1996 elections unopposed. As a member of the Nevada Assembly, Sandoval was a significant facilitator of 14 bills and contributor to various committees.
On April 23, 1998, Sandoval joined the Nevada Gaming Commission as a member. Soon, he became the Chair of the commission and led the group until August 1, 2001. Then, he decided to run for the position of Nevada Attorney General. As a professional law practitioner, Sandoval had a landslide victory against Democrat candidate John Hunt. While at Attorney General’s office, Sandoval fought against nuclear waste, legally condemned domestic violence and headed commissions such as Nevada Board of Pardons, Cyber Crime Task Force, etc.
As the seat for Judge of the Nevada District Court became vacant, Sandoval was offered the position by the Bush administration. With a unanimous approval from the US Senate, Sandoval assumed office on October 26, 2005 as the successor of Howard McKibben. Sandoval served in the office until September 15, 20009 and was succeeded by Gloria Navarro.
Leaving the reputed position of Judge of the Nevada District Court, Brian bade for Governor of Nevada in the 2010 election. As the Republican primaries took place, Sandoval won the nomination with 55.53% votes. The incumbent Governor Jim Gibbons suffered a landslide loss – he gained only 27.2% votes. In the general election, Brian defeated Democrat Rory Reid with 53.36% votes as opposed to Reid’s 41.61%. Similarly, in the 2014 elections, Sandoval again managed to gain the Republican nomination with a massive 89.88% votes. In the 2014 general election, he saw another massive victory over Democrat opponent Bob Goodman.
As Nevada’s 29th Governor, Brian has presented budget cuts in each fiscal year since his appointment. As a matter of fact, he even turned down his salary hike in order to save government’s money. Despite such austerity measures, Brian has been able to attract new manufacturing companies into Nevada. He subsidized Tesla Motor’s production in Reno as a strategy for more long-term jobs and economic growth. Likewise, he called for increased funding on education and training – supply side measures to development.
Donald Trump and Brian Sandoval
President Donald Trump and Governor Sandoval agree on many issues but differ extremely on some issues. For instance, Governor Sandoval once said that Trump’s wall shouldn’t be a top priority. Likewise, Governor Sandoval had previously made it clear during the primaries that he will not support or endorse Trump. Later, he took Trump’s side as Trump approached rapidly to gaining the Republican nomination and John Kasich dropped out.
