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U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Gonzaga law graduate, withdraws from consideration as Biden’s vice president

David Pritchett, a furloughed worker for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, looks on as Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., talks to reporters on Jan. 11, 2019, in her office in Reno about the impacts of the partial government shutdown. On Thursday, Cortez Masto withdrew her name from consideration to be Joe Biden’s running mate. (Scott Sonner / AP)

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Gonzaga University graduate and the first Latina to be elected to the Senate, has withdrawn her name from consideration to serve as Joe Biden’s running mate.

Cortez Masto, 56, is among the more than 10 women who have been named in Biden’s search for a running mate. In a statement reported by the Associated Press, she said Nevada’s economy is one of the hardest hit by COVID-19 and that she is focused on helping residents of the state.

“I support Joe Biden 100% and will work tirelessly to help get him elected this November,” she said in the statement. “It is an honor to be considered as a potential running mate, but I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration.”

During an online discussion hosted by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service on Thursday, Cortez again addressed her decision.

“My fight is in the Senate, on behalf of the state of Nevada, and that’s my commitment. I can’t walk away from that right now,” she said.

Biden’s campaign released a statement Thursday night in which the presidential hopeful said he admired Cortez Masto and said Nevada resident were “fortunate to have her fighting for them in Washington.”

Cortez Masto is from Las Vegas and is a 1990 Gonzaga Law School graduate. She previously worked as Nevada Gov. Bob Miller’s chief of staff and as a federal criminal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C.