Joseph Sacco (Nevada)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Joseph Sacco

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 9, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

Boston, Mass.

Religion

Man of Faith

Profession

Union stagehand and licensed realtor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Joseph Sacco (Democratic Party) (also known as Joe) ran for election to the Nevada State Assembly to represent District 16. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 9, 2020.

Sacco completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Joseph Sacco was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in May 2003. His professional experience includes working as a union stagehand and licensed realtor. He is affiliated with I.A.T.S.E. Local 720 Stagehands and the Las Vegas Realtors Association.

Elections

2020

See also: Nevada State Assembly elections, 2020

General election

General election for Nevada State Assembly District 16

Cecelia González defeated Alex Sajdak in the general election for Nevada State Assembly District 16 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cecelia González (D)	65.3	11,472
	Submit photo	Alex Sajdak (R)	34.7	6,083

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,555
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Nevada State Assembly District 16

Cecelia González defeated Joseph Sacco, Russell Davis, and Geoffrey VanderPal in the Democratic primary for Nevada State Assembly District 16 on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cecelia González	50.1	1,462
		Joseph Sacco	23.9	697
	Submit photo	Russell Davis	13.7	400
	Submit photo	Geoffrey VanderPal	12.4	362

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,921
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Alex Sajdak advanced from the Republican primary for Nevada State Assembly District 16.

Campaign themes

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released April 2, 2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joseph Sacco completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sacco's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a long-time community activist, union stagehand, and licensed Realtor. I have a long history in the community of speaking truth to power.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Medicare For All Nevada
• Housing For All Nevada
• Tuition-Free College & University Nevada

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Justice Reform, Healthcare, Labor, Transportation, Education, Mental Health, Environmentalism.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My late mother, Gail Sacco, who served the homeless and poor for nearly 20 years. Continuing her legacy is what motivates me in this campaign to serve the people of Nevada.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Authenticity and Progressive Values.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Critical-thinker, level-headed and service-oriented.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Ethics, truth and justice-oriented.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To end homelessness in the State of Nevada, throughout the US, and around the world.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 and the world changed. I was 21 years old and I will never forget the moment I heard the news that the Twin Towers had been attacked. My life was never the same after that day.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Working in my family's small business, The Onion Bun Cafe, in Nevada was my first job. I had it for about 5 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn because the author uses fiction to put into perspective mankind's place in the world.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

"Neo" from The Matrix Trilogy

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have struggled with the grief of the passing of my mother, as she was my number one hero.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The Assembly is responsible for BDRs and have a more deep connection with the working families of Nevada.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. I think we should elect more everyday people that have not been corrupted by career politicians and lobbyist interests.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Increasing tax revenue to support healthcare, housing, education and more- by taxing the mining industry and making the gaming corporations pay their fair share to support everyday people.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

Should be amicable however legislators should also put collective pressure upon corrupted governors when necessary to create immediate and long-lasting positive changes.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. Cooperation is necessary to move forward a collective agenda.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I am open to a variety of committees.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I was an Elected National Delegate for Senator Bernie Sanders in 2016 and have been very active with both Clark County and Nevada Democrats. I seek to continue on my leadership path with the Democratic Party.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Our former Assemblywoman, Heidi Swank.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Recently I heard a story of a member of the LGBT community who lost their job because of bigotry in the workplace. It reminded me that we still have a long way to go to create equality in economics.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Nevada State Assembly

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Steve Yeager

Majority Leader:Sandra Jauregui

Minority Leader:Gregory Hafen

Representatives

District 1

Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D)

District 2

Heidi Kasama (R)

District 3

Selena Torres (D)

District 4

Lisa Cole (R)

District 5

Brittney Miller (D)

District 6

Jovan Jackson (D)

District 7

Tanya Flanagan (D)

District 8

Duy Nguyen (D)

District 9

Steve Yeager (D)

District 10

Venise Karris (D)

District 11

Cinthia Moore (D)

District 12

Max Carter (D)

District 13

Brian Hibbetts (R)

District 14

Erica Mosca (D)

District 15

Howard Watts (D)

District 16

Cecelia González (D)

District 17

Linda Hunt (D)

District 18

Venicia Considine (D)

District 19

Vacant

District 20

David Orentlicher (D)

District 21

Elaine Marzola (D)

District 22

Melissa Hardy (R)

District 23

Danielle Gallant (R)

District 24

Erica Roth (D)

District 25

Selena La Rue Hatch (D)

District 26

Rich DeLong (R)

District 27

Heather Goulding (D)

District 28

Reuben D'Silva (D)

District 29

Joe Dalia (D)

District 30

Natha Anderson (D)

District 31

Jill Dickman (R)

District 32

Alexis Hansen (R)

District 33

Bert Gurr (R)

District 34

Hanadi Nadeem (D)

District 35

Rebecca Edgeworth (R)

District 36

Gregory Hafen (R)

District 37

Shea Backus (D)

District 38

Gregory Koenig (R)

District 39

Ken Gray (R)

District 40

Philip O'Neill (R)

District 41

Sandra Jauregui (D)

District 42

Tracy Brown-May (D)

Democratic Party (27)

Republican Party (14)

Vacancies (1)