Nevada to Become First State With Majority-Female Legislature

Come February, Nevada will be the first state in the country to have a majority female legislature after the Clark County Commission appointed two women Democrats to open seats in the state assembly, Fox News reports. Rochelle Nguyen will replace Assemblyman Chris Brooks, who was appointed to the state Senate, and Beatrice "Bea" Duran is replacing Assemblywoman Olivia Diaz, who resigned this month and plans to run for a seat on the Las Vegas City Council. With the appointments, women will have 32 out of 63 (51 percent) of the seats in the state legislature. Both appointments were unanimous. Women hold approximately 25 percent of legislative seats nationwide, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In November, 117 women won elections across the country, though only about one in five members in the new Congress will be female.