Overview
- Wagner died Tuesday in Reno at age 86, according to Nevada news outlets publishing obituaries and tributes.
- She served in the Assembly from 1975 to 1980, the Senate from 1981 to 1989, and as lieutenant governor from 1991 to 1995.
- During her 1990 campaign, a Labor Day plane crash broke her neck and back, killing one passenger and injuring Bob Seale, Stephanie Tyler and Brian Krolicki.
- After elective office, she served on the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1997 to 2009 and later taught at the University of Nevada, Reno, directing the Legislature’s internship program.
- A pro‑choice moderate who helped secure a 1990 referendum protecting abortion rights in state law, she left the Republican Party in 2014 to register nonpartisan and was praised for advancing ethics, education and support for at‑risk families.