The election of two additional black lawmakers to the Assembly Nov. 5 has pushed Nevada ahead of all other states when it comes to black representation in state Legislatures.
Seven of the 63 state legislators who will assemble in Carson City on Feb. 3 are black, representing 11 percent of the Legislature. According to the 2000 census, blacks made up 6.8 percent of the state's population.
"It is a lot of progress for a state that used to be known as the Mississippi of the West," said Chuck Bremer, consultant to the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, where he also was executive director. "We are pleasantly surprised."
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None of Nevada's black lawmakers was elected in districts where blacks are the majority.
Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, won a third term as senator in a Northern Nevada district that has a 2 percent black population. Sen. Bernice Mathews, D-Reno, earned a third term in a district with a 4 percent black population.
Horne's District 34 in Las Vegas is 5 percent black, while Atkinson's District 17 is 10 percent black.
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