The Horsford Family

Steven Horsford is a leader who puts his heart into the fight. Who understands what it is to face tough times. And who never gives up.

You can see it in the choices he's made.

A devoted family man, Steven has built a strong family with his wife, Dr. Sonya Horsford, and their three children, Benjamin, Bryson and Ella. They are the center of his life. But growing up in West Las Vegas, his family life was less secure. Steven's mother struggled with addiction. His grandmother required around-the-clock care. His father was shot and killed when he was 19 years old because of drugs and crime in the neighborhood he now represents and works in.

So Steven became head of his household at just ten years old. Caring for his three younger siblings. Working his way through high school at Pizza Hut and cleaning kennels. Leaving college at the University of Nevada-Reno when his brothers and sister needed him at home. And helping each of his siblings make it to college themselves.

It didn't take long for Steven to learn the meaning of responsibility and hard work. Or to find out what really matters.

You can see it in the fights he's won.

Steven was elected to the Nevada State Senate in 2004 and got right to work. He wrote and passed the "Clean Energy Jobs Initiative" because he believes Nevada can be the nation's leader in renewable energy technology, and all the good jobs that come with it. He authored legislation providing tax incentives to businesses that create higher paying jobs in Nevada. And he was the chief sponsor of revolutionary K-12 school reform that passed in 2011 that brings greater accountability to our classrooms—so all of our children get the education they need to succeed in college or career.

Knowing that the devastated Nevada economy needed action from Carson City that Republicans were not delivering, he led the 2008 election fight that won two senate seats and put Democrats in the majority for the first time in 18 years. And he was chosen to co-chair Barack Obama's presidential campaign in the state.

Steven was quickly chosen by his peers as their leader – and currently serves as the state's youngest and Nevada's first African American Majority Leader. His service has been characterized by a willingness to work across the aisle with anyone who has a good idea, and the resolve to fight for what he believes in when it matters most.

When Governor Sandoval proposed a 2012 budget that would have caused wide-spread teacher layoffs and larger classrooms around the state, it was Steven Horsford who led the fight against it. In one of the most protracted budget battles in Nevada history, Steven stood firm-- the Las Vegas Sun called him "relentless"--and the Governor backed down. The result: while Democrats in Washington and across the country were caving in to extreme Republican Tea Party demands, Steven protected Nevada schools while achieving a balanced budget that made smart cuts to government waste and excess spending.

You can see it in the work he does.

In 2001, Steven went to work at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas,
a one-of-its-kind labor/management partnership between major Nevada employers, like MGM Resorts, Wynn Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment, and the unions that represent their workers: Culinary Union Local #226 and Bartenders Local #165. The Culinary Academy trains and places Nevadans in good jobs and under Steven's leadership, its working: the Academy trains thousands of unemployed and underemployed Nevadans every year, placing 80 percent of their graduates in good paying jobs in Nevada's hospitality industry, even in this tough economy. As a component of the career preparation provided to youth and adults, Steven has lead the Culinary Academy to be named caterer of record for the world renowned Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Springs Preserve, a cultural and sustainability attraction in southern Nevada. It's the kind of practical, innovative, real world solution that Steven is known for.

Steven Horsford

Tough times call for real leaders. Someone who understands the challenges that Nevada families face because he's faced them himself. A practical leader, who reaches across party lines for commonsense ideas and stands up to the extremists. A tough leader who takes on the special interests and puts his heart into the fight to protect middle class families. And wins.

That's Steven's life story. And that's what he'll do in Congress.