Lucy Flores (born October 24, 1979) is an American lawyer and former politician. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, she was a member of the
Nevada State Assembly
The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada, the upper house being the Nevada Senate. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member distric ...
representing the 28th district in the eastern
Las Vegas Valley
The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...
from 2010 to 2014. She unsuccessfully ran for
Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
The lieutenant governor of Nevada is a constitutional officer in the executive branch, executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Nevada. The lieutenant governor maintains an office in Carson City, Nevada at the Nevada State Capitol and i ...
in 2014, losing to
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee
Mark Hutchison
Mark Alan Hutchison (born May 5, 1963) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 2015 to 2019. He was elected to the Nevada State Senate on November 6, 2012, to represent Nevada Senate, Dist ...
.
Early life and education
Flores was one of 13 children.
[ Only one brother graduated high school, and all of her sisters became pregnant in their teens.] Flores's mother left her family when she was nine, and her father worked multiple jobs, so she had to care for her younger siblings. When her mother left, Flores's school performance suffered, and she became involved with local gangs. She spent months in juvenile detention after stealing a car. Leslie Camp, Flores's parole officer, became an important role model for her and helped her turn her life around. Flores's difficult early life informs her political views, and she advocates job retraining and educational opportunities to help others who came from difficult backgrounds.
Flores dropped out of Rancho High School
Rancho High School is a zoned, and magnet high school in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Clark County School District. Opened in 1953, Rancho High School was the third public high school founded in the Las Vegas Valley, after Las Vegas ...
, but passed the GED
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
test. After working as a receptionist and office manager, she attended the College of Southern Nevada
The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) is a public community college in Clark County, Nevada. The college has more than 2,500 teaching and non-teaching staff and is the largest public college or university in Nevada. It is part of the Nevada Syst ...
, then transferred to and graduated from the University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
. She earned a J.D. degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...
in 2010. While there, she pushed the school to create a course on investigating potential wrongful convictions
A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Inno ...
.
In 2013, while explaining why she supported a sex education bill, Flores said that she had an abortion when she was 16. She later received death threats for the statement.
Career
State Assembly
A progressive Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, Flores was elected to the Nevada State Assembly
The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada, the upper house being the Nevada Senate. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member distric ...
in 2010, and became vice-chair of the Nevada Hispanic Legislative Caucus in 2012. She became one of the first Latina members of the Nevada Assembly, representing the neighborhood she grew up in. She served on the transportation, ways and means, and legislative operations and elections committees. She was reelected in 2012 without opposition. In 2012, she became an assistant majority whip.
Flores introduced an education bill to use end-of-course final exams in high school rather than Nevada's proficiency exams. Other bills she introduced were one to allow domestic violence abuse victims to break leases to avoid the abuser, and one that would require professional sporting events to have medical personnel present. She also helped to organize a conference of teachers and legislators on how to improve education success among Latinos. She supports expanding early childhood education
Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this is up to the equivale ...
, and considers education her most important priority as a legislator. In 2013 she introduced a bill to require chain restaurants to post calorie counts. The measure passed both houses of the Nevada legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Brian Sandoval
Brian Edward Sandoval (; born August 5, 1963) is an American politician, academic administrator, and former federal judge who served as the 29th Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019.
A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Sandoval began ...
.
Flores established a PAC, Impacto Fund, to help elect Latinos in the Southwest United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorad ...
. She believed Latinos were underrepresented in politics, and that there should be an effort to recruit and encourage them as candidates.
In the 2012 presidential election, Flores was a campaign surrogate for President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's reelection campaign, where, among other work, she debated members of the Republican Party on Univision
Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...
. While campaigning, Flores was hospitalized for exhaustion.
Flores was honored with the Excellence in Legal Clinics Award by UNLV in 2010 and the Hubbard Award by the Mexican-American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
Alumni Association of USC in 2007. Latism named her the best politician at using social media to reach Latinos. In 2013, she was named a Rodel Fellow by the Aspen Institute. She has been affiliated with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the Nevada Council of the Blind, Seniors United, and the Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada.
Lieutenant governor campaign
Flores decided against seeking reelection to her Assembly seat for the 28th district, choosing instead to run for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
The lieutenant governor of Nevada is a constitutional officer in the executive branch, executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Nevada. The lieutenant governor maintains an office in Carson City, Nevada at the Nevada State Capitol and i ...
. Her seat was taken by Edgar Flores
Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear").
Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...
(no relation).
In the 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
The lieutenant governor of Nevada is a constitutional officer in the executive branch, executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Nevada. The lieutenant governor maintains an office in Carson City, Nevada at the Nevada State Capitol and i ...
elections, Flores was defeated by Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Mark Hutchison
Mark Alan Hutchison (born May 5, 1963) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 2015 to 2019. He was elected to the Nevada State Senate on November 6, 2012, to represent Nevada Senate, Dist ...
in a landslide, 60% to 34%, despite personal appearances by then-vice-president Joe Biden and an endorsement by then-Senate Leader Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...
. The election was seen as particularly important because Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval
Brian Edward Sandoval (; born August 5, 1963) is an American politician, academic administrator, and former federal judge who served as the 29th Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019.
A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Sandoval began ...
, a Republican, was speculated to possibly vacate his office (after winning the reelection bid) to run for the United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. (Contrary to speculation, he opted not to run.)
Congressional campaign
In April 2015, Flores announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
seat in against incumbent Republican Cresent Hardy
Cresent Leo Hardy (born June 23, 1957) is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for from 2015 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Nevada Assembly from 2010 to 2014.
Har ...
in the 2016 election. The primary was crowded, including State Senator (and eventual winner) Ruben Kihuen
Rubén Jesús Kihuen Bernal (; born April 25, 1980) is an American politician and former member of the United States House of Representatives for , serving from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was a member of the ...
, as well as future Congresswoman Susie Lee
Susie is a female name that can be a diminutive form of Susan, Susanne, Suzanne, Susannah, Susanna or Susana.
Susie may refer to:
Songs
* "Susie Q" (song), a 1957 song by Dale Hawkins, covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)
*"Wake U ...
, former Assemblyman Morse Arberry Jr., and a number of others.
Flores endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, saying "this is about real lives" and that "this is a system that isn’t working for the everyday person . . . It’s one of the reasons why I decided to endorse Bernie Sanders." On April 13, 2016, Sanders emailed his supporters asking them to split a contribution to his campaign and Flores' congressional campaign. His reason for this request was that EMILY's List
EMILY's List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group's name is an acronym for "Early Money ...
, a group that helps elect pro-choice female Democrats, including Sanders' opponent Hillary Clinton, endorsed Flores' opponent Susie Lee instead of her, even though they had endorsed her three times previously. Sanders claimed that the group did not endorse Flores because she had endorsed Sanders. In another email the same day, he asked recipients to split their contributions four ways, adding Zephyr Teachout
Zephyr Rain Teachout (, born October 24, 1971) is an American attorney, author, political candidate, and associate professor of law at Fordham University.
In 2014, Teachout ran for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of New York and lo ...
and Pramila Jayapal
Pramila Jayapal ( ; born September 21, 1965) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she represents ...
.
Flores took second place in the primary, with 7,854 votes (25.66%) to Kihuen's 12,221 (39.94%). Prominent commentator Jon Ralston
Jonathan Mark Ralston (born July 13, 1959) is an American journalist, political commentator, and former talk show host. His show, ''Ralston Live'', was seen each weekday on the two Nevada PBS stations in Las Vegas and Reno until his show was dis ...
described Kihuen's victory as a result of his having been "anointed" by Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...
. Kihuen went on to win the general election and serve in Congress for one term, before retiring due to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
Subsequent career
Flores continues advocating for progressive causes by serving on the board of directors of Our Revolution
Our Revolution (sometimes known by its initials OR) is an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work. The organization's mission is to educate vote ...
, a political action organization affiliated with Bernie Sanders; and Let America Vote
Let America Vote is a political action organization founded by former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander in February 2017. Its mission is to end voter suppression across the country.
Overview
Kander first became concerned about voter suppr ...
, a voting rights organization founded by former Missouri Secretary of State
The people below have served as the Secretary of State of the U.S. state of Missouri.
List
Gallery
File:Warren E. Hearnes.jpg, Warren E. Hearnes
File:James C. Kirkpatrick.jpg, James C. Kirkpatrick
File:Rep Roy Blunt.jpg, Roy Blunt
File:Mattb ...
Jason Kander
Jason David Kander (born May 4, 1981) is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. A Democrat, he served as the 39th secretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. He had previously served as a member of the Missouri House of R ...
.
As of March 2019, Flores runs Luz Collective, a Los Angeles-based digital media company.
Allegations against Joe Biden
In March 2019, Flores wrote an op-ed
An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. O ...
for '' New York'' magazine's "The Cut" alleging that then Vice President Joe Biden "inappropriately kissed and touched her after he offered to help her with her 2014 campaign" while the two were at a Las Vegas campaign rally. She stated that he walked up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders, smelled her hair, and planted a kiss on the back of her head. She wrote that, by acting in this manner, Biden had touched her in "an intimate way reserved for close friends, family, or romantic partners—and I felt powerless to do anything about it." Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...
and Julián Castro said that they believed her story.
References
External links
Flores' Twitter account
Flores' Facebook Fan Page
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Lucy
1979 births
Living people
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
American politicians of Mexican descent
Candidates in the 2014 United States elections
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Nevada
Hispanic and Latino American women in politics
Democratic Party members of the Nevada Assembly
Nevada lawyers
People from Glendale, California
Politicians from Las Vegas
William S. Boyd School of Law alumni
University of Southern California alumni
Women state legislators in Nevada
People from Las Vegas