In district held by top Assembly leader, recovery advocate faces off with union organizer

With the temperature in Las Vegas nearing 100 degrees last weekend, about 20 people braved the heat to support Ryan Hampton, the 45-year-old addiction recovery advocate vying to win the battleground Assembly seat held by a top-ranking lawmaker. 

"Who out here is in recovery?" Hampton called out during a canvassing event in early May. About half of the group raised their hands.

Those in the recovery community — including Hampton — have said there is a greater need for behavioral health services in Nevada, lamenting that the state consistently ranks nationwide as one with the poorest mental health outcomes. Robert Banghart, a prominent recovery advocate attending Hampton's event, stressed the need for more political engagement for those struggling with addiction, describing the issue as often overlooked.  

"Other people that maybe don't have the same experience are making decisions for us,"  Banghart told The Indy. "We already know that's not good for us. We need representation."

Hampton, who struggled with an opioid addiction throughout the 2000s, has been a leading figure in the recovery movement and has a national profile. He was prescribed Oxycontin in 2003 for a knee injury, describing how he lost multiple jobs before landing on the streets of Los Angeles. After getting sober in 2015, he founded Mobilize Recovery, the largest recovery advocacy network in the nation.

Hampton is set to square off for the Assembly District 9 seat against Maria Teresa Hank, 57, a flight attendant for Southwest and shop steward with Transport Workers Union Local 556. Both have made healthcare and affordability a key part of their campaigns in the race, which is likely to be one of the most competitive primaries this season. Hank, a longtime union organizer, has been endorsed by more than 20 unions, including Service Employees International Union and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association. 

Hank, who is a single mother, was born in the Philippines and adopted at the age of 4, becoming a naturalized citizen as a young child. She's lived in the district for a decade but said she didn't truly see herself running until two years ago, when she graduated from a labor candidate training program from AFL-CIO. 

She also recently graduated from Emerge, which recruits and trains Democratic women for office. The organization has touted helping flip Nevada's Legislature blue. 

"It's a lot more difficult for us to run, raise finances and be considered competitive than it is for men," Hank told The Indy. 

Hank said that describing her organizing background has given her insight into the legislative process. She was co-chair of a committee that oversaw 25,000 flight attendants and in 2025, Hank crafted a proposal (ultimately vetoed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo) that would have protected union members' rights to care for sick family members. She has also advocated federal legislation, such as the Clean Cabin Air Act.

In April, Hampton and Hank's race was among the few that received dual endorsements from AFL-CIO and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Hampton has raised more than $70,000 in donations this year — the third most of any Assembly candidate — while Hank has raised about $22,000. Hank has received sizable donations from a PAC associated with Laborers Union Local 872 and Assm. Elaine Marzola (D-Las Vegas), chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus. He also has received donations from Marzola-affiliated PACs.

Hampton, meanwhile, has the backing of Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas), who decided to not run for re-election after holding the Assembly seat for nearly a decade. 

District 9, which covers a large swath of southwest Las Vegas, is politically split and was held by a Republican a decade ago. Nonpartisans make up nearly 40 percent of registered voters and Democrats maintain only a slight edge over Republicans. 30 percent to 26 percent. Whoever wins the June primary will face the winner of a Republican primary between Christhian Orozco and Erica Neely, who narrowly lost the general election for the seat in 2024. 

On the issues:

Healthcare

Healthcare is top of mind for Hampton and Hank, especially considering the sweeping Medicaid cuts that are set to go into effect in 2027. New eligibility requirements are expected to result in more than 100,000 people losing coverage and a projected $60 million cost to the state. 

Hampton said that addressing Medicaid reimbursement rates — the amount that the state pays healthcare providers for services — is one of his primary goals. Hampton said that by increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates, he hopes to attract and keep more providers in the state, pointing out that Nevada has a deficit of 2,500 physicians and the majority of the state qualifies as a healthcare desert.

He added that he would like to further fund medical residency slots in hopes of attracting more providers to the state. He also emphasized the importance of protecting funding for treatment and recovery support services. 

Hank echoed Hampton and said that protecting Nevada against further Medicaid cuts is key. She said that she would like to expand telehealth options and advocate for more health clinics so people aren't "forced to rely on emergency rooms." 

Jobs and economy

Hank said she would advocate for increasing enforcement of prevailing wage laws — which are a kind of minimum wage specific to enforcement — and collective bargaining rights. Hank has also proposed boosting the state's minimum wage of $12 per hour, but added the caveat that she would need to be considerate of how that would affect small businesses. 

"People shouldn't have to be working two, three, four jobs," Hank said. "Too many families are falling behind." 

Hank said she had reservations about the film tax bill, especially considering that it was predicted to put the state budget in the red. 

Hampton was mostly supportive of a divisive effort to expand the state's film tax credit program, which most recently failed during a special legislative session in the fall. But he said that he would like to look into additional ways to spur job growth in Nevada.

To that extent, one proposal Hampton had was to expand union apprenticeships by boosting partnerships with state colleges. He also said that he would like to include more apprentices in project labor agreements and create a "pipeline for a massive untapped local talent." Strengthening rights for collective bargaining and protecting prevailing wage standards were also key for him. 

Housing affordability

Hampton and Hank voiced support for capping the number of corporate homebuyers in Nevada. Hampton told The Indy that he moved to AD9 because he was priced out of his home in AD4, which covers parts of northwest Las Vegas. 

Hampton said the crux of the affordable housing issue is lack of supply and he would push for creating more high-capacity housing units. Hampton said that he is in favor of implementing temporary rent caps as housing prices continue to outpace wage growth. 

"I do not believe that rent should be able to increase at a rate that far outpaces inflation," Hampton said. "If we're looking at price increases, I believe they need to be fair, transparent." 

Hank said she "definitely" supports rent caps, especially for seniors and veterans, who are "especially vulnerable" communities. She lamented the disappearance of "starter homes" — a problem she attributed to a lack of affordable supply — and said that we should consider "building up" rather than creating more urban sprawl.

Education

Hampton said he was all for raising per-pupil spending in Nevada, which ranks near the bottom nationally. 

"We're far beyond the eight ball, as my mom would say," he said. 

He raised reservations, however, about increasing property taxes to boost education funding, saying that he is averse to "regressive revenue means." A state-commissioned panel of finance experts determined that adjusting property taxes is one of the only funding mechanisms beside sales tax to get funding to the national average.

Hank said she is open to evaluating Nevada's overall tax structure, but is hesitant about raising property taxes, in order to boost per pupil funding. She added she is interested in whether larger commercial properties and corporate interests pay their "fair share."She added there's an additional need for teacher recruitment efforts — Clark County School District — has faced chronic teacher shortages) and create smaller classroom sizes.

"We've really got to look at how we can recruit and retain teachers here," Hank said. "It's not fair to the students and it's not fair to the educators."

Updated at 11:25a.m. on 5/17/2026 to clarify Hampton's donations.