Catherine Cortez Masto has run and won twice in Nevada — even in an environment where Republicans had a six-point advantage. She's already the person many presidential hopefuls want to talk to as Democratic hopefuls plot their path to victory in the Silver State, first in a Democratic primary as Nevadans lobby to be first in the nation, and then as a battleground in the general election.
The granddaughter of a Mexican immigrant who served in the Army, Sen. Cortez Masto grew up the daughter of a Las Vegas parking attendant — who went on to become lowkey Vegas famous. She became a prosecutor, then Nevada's attorney general, and she's married to a former Secret Service agent. And she's the first Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate.
Sarah McCammon spoke with Sen. Cortez Masto in Washington about why she refuses to join the calls to abolish ICE even as she condemns agents’ behavior under Trump and is leading the push for accountability, what it actually takes to win swing voters, and the fights she says she'll never give up.
00:00 — Cold open
01:06 — Why Nevada wants to be first
04:05 — A message about costs
07:17 — What went wrong in 2024
08:18 — An immigrant family in Vegas
13:47 — A prosecutor's case against ICE
16:46 — Why not abolish ICE
17:56 — On "soft on crime"
20:01 — The case for moderates
24:36 — Showing up where you lose