Democrat enters attorney general race
Catherine Cortez Masto was chief of staff for former Gov. Bob Miller

Catherine Cortez Masto formally launched her campaign for Nevada attorney general on Tuesday, saying she has the right mix of experience prosecuting criminals, practicing law and managing government bureaucracy.

Masto, 41, a former assistant U.S attorney and chief of staff to then-Gov. Bob Miller, said she would attack methamphetamine problems, identity theft and domestic violence if elected.

"I have vast experience both in civil litigation as well as a federal criminal prosecution and at the top levels of state and county government," she said. "I am the best person to look out for and protect and defend the citizens and the interests of this state."

Masto, a Democrat, recently resigned as assistant Clark County manager to run for attorney general.

Masto, a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, comes from a family with a long political legacy. Her father, Manny Cortez, served four terms on the Clark County Commission and recently retired as president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

No other Democrats have announced their intention to run for the seat.

Newly appointed state Attorney General George Chanos is the only Republican in the race so far.

Masto declined to say how much she has raised toward her $2 million goal.

Her campaign team includes established national and local Democratic political consultants. She also has hired Nicole Lamboley, the city of Reno's legislative relations manager, as her campaign coordinator.

Masto's campaign announcement comes a week after Chanos dominated headlines in Southern Nevada for appointing a special prosecutor to investigate a city land deal involving accusations of special preferences given to developer Billy Walters.

Days after Chanos had announced his office would investigate the land deal, he recused himself and appointed a special prosecutor. Chanos is involved in an unrelated land deal before the city council, which he said could be seen as a conflict of interest.

Masto said she supports an investigation into the Walters deal but implied Chanos rushed into it.

"I can only say how I would've done it differently," she said. "The public has a right to know what went on. But prior to jumping in I would have assessed whether I had any real or perceived conflicts and I would've talked to the district attorney and the sheriff to make sure I wasn't duplicating any efforts."

Chanos announced the investigation the day the city council was set to reconsider the deal.

"The decision needed to be made at the time the decision was made and I made that decision," he said. "The timing was necessitated by the city council's hearing. I didn't drive the timing."

Chanos also said his staff had at least three discussions with the district attorney.

Gov. Kenny Guinn appointed Chanos to succeed Brian Sandoval, who was recently named as a federal judge in Reno.

Chanos, who has spent two decades as a business litigator, said his experience makes him better prepared for the post.

"I've practiced law for 20 years. Catherine has practiced law for six years," he said. "There is no comparison in terms of qualifications for this position."