Ruben J. Kihuen was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. His father moved to the United States and worked as a field laborer in search of greater opportunities for his family. Nearly two years later, Ruben’s mother moved the rest of the family from Mexico reuniting them with their father and eventually settling in Las Vegas.
Ruben’s parents pushed their children to reach for the American Dream, teaching them the value of hard work and the importance of a good education. Ruben worked his way through college, first attending the College of Southern Nevada and later the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was the first in his family to go to college and ultimately obtained a bachelor's degree in Education.
Rep. Kihuen first became involved in government while attending Rancho High School, volunteering his time to talk door-to-door with Nevada residents, an experience that later inspired him to run for public office. He was elected to the Nevada State Assembly where his first bill creatively applied unclaimed gift card funds to benefit Nevada’s education system without raising taxes. After two terms in the State Assembly, he ran for the Nevada State Senate and became one of the youngest Senators in state history and worked with his Republican colleagues to pass the first ever need-based grants for low-income Nevadans seeking college degrees.
Rep. Kihuen is the first Latino to represent the State of Nevada in the United States House of Representatives. He plans to continue to help hardworking families like his own achieve their own American Dream by ensuring that Seniors get the dignified retirement they deserve, students can obtain an affordable high-quality education, and all Nevadans have the opportunity to secure a well-paying job.
