Brian Sandoval

Brian Edward Sandoval (/ˈsændəˌvɔːl/ born August 5, 1963) is the 29th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Sandoval is a former judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. On June 9, 2010, Sandoval defeated his GOP challengers (including incumbent governor Jim Gibbons) to win the Republican nomination for the 2010 gubernatorial election.

Prior to his service as a federal judge, he served as the Attorney General of Nevada, the youngest chairman of the Gaming Commission of Nevada and a state legislator. Sandoval was also the first Hispanic candidate elected to statewide office in Nevada.

Early life, education, and law career

Sandoval was born in Redding, California, to Ron Sandoval, an FAA maintenance supervisor, and his wife Gloria (Gallegos) Sandoval, a legal secretary. A long-time resident of Reno, his family is of Mexican ancestry. Sandoval graduated from Bishop Manogue High School in Reno in 1981, and attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and earned a Bachelor's Degree in English and economics in 1986. He then went on to earn a law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1989.