Elaine Marzola

Political Party: Democratic

District: Nevada Assembly District 21

Elaine Marzola was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and immigrated to Las Vegas with her parents in 1984 at age ten. She is the daughter of Brazilian immigrants who worked hard to support the family. Marzola has twin brothers who both served in the Marine Corps, and she is a single mother to a son who attended medical school at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Education

Marzola earned her Bachelor's Degree in Women's Studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas , where she was the first in her family to graduate college in the United States. During her undergraduate years, she volunteered and then worked for SafeNest Domestic Violence Shelter. She later attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University in Lansing, Michigan, earning her Juris Doctor in 2010 and becoming a member of the Nevada State Bar in fall 2011.

Political Experience

Marzola was first elected to the Nevada Assembly in 2020, succeeding Democrat Ozzie Fumo in District 21. She won the Democratic primary with 70.6% of the vote and defeated Republican opponent Cherlyn Arrington in the general election with 52% of the vote. District 21 leans Democratic with 37% Democratic voters, 31% Republican, and 25% nonpartisan.

Currently, she serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Nevada Assembly and Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, making her the first Brazilian immigrant to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore in the United States. She is also a member of the Commerce and Labor, Education, and Judiciary committees.

During her tenure, Marzola has championed legislation to increase health care access, provide paid leave for workers, secure teacher pay raises, and protect reproductive health care. She practices law as the managing attorney and owner of Marzola Injury Law.