Cohen fighting to retain Assembly seat
Assemblywoman Lesley Cohen, who has won and lost the Assembly District 29 seat over her political career, is facing a challenge from Republican Rhonda Knightly in November.
Cohen, a Democrat, was first appointed to the Legislature in 2012, replacing Assemblywoman April Mastroluca, who resigned her seat. She was defeated in the 2014 election, but came back in 2016 to win the seat back. She’s been re-elected in 2018 and 2020.
An attorney who primarily practices family law, Cohen’s endorsements include several labor unions, the Nevada Conservation League, and Planned Parenthood, according to her campaign website.
“We’ve made a lot of progress in Nevada,” she told the Review-Journal. “I’m very proud to be part of that, but there’s more work for us to keep doing.”
Cohen pointed to her legislative work on issues related to seniors, veterans and adults with special needs.
She also said she has a bill that would help keep physician assistants from leaving Nevada, a state that has long grappled with a steep shortage of health care providers.
Knightly, a Republican, is an administrative officer with the city of Las Vegas’ public safety department. Knightly’s endorsements include Las Vegas Councilwoman Victoria Seaman and the Nevada Veterans Association, according to her campaign website.
“I truly believe that Nevada needs my skill set,” she told the Review-Journal, when asked why she was running for office.
Knightly said she has spent the last 15 years working in criminal justice and knows “what it’s like to actually work with officers,” adding they need tools, technology, equipment and training to do their jobs.
She also pointed to Nevada’s consistently low-performing public education system and believes the Clark County School District should be broken up into smaller, “more accountable districts.”
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.