Catherine Cortez Masto, née Catherine Marie Cortez, (born March 29, 1964, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.), American politician who was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in 2016 and began her first term representing Nevada in that body the following year; she was the first Latina to serve as a U.S. senator. She previously was attorney general for the state (2007–15). Cortez was born in Las Vegas, the seat of Clark county. Her grandfather was an immigrant from Chihuahua, Mexico, and her father, Manny Cortez, was an ally of Democratic politician Harry Reid. After studying finance at the University