Nevada voters will decide several key primary contests on Tuesday, with the state’s gubernatorial race drawing the most attention and campaign dollars.
Current Governor Joe Lombardo, who took office after his 2022 victory, will defend against six fellow Republicans seeking their party’s nomination. Meanwhile, six Democrats are vying for the chance to challenge for the governor’s office in November’s general election.
The governor’s race holds particular significance as Nevada remains a crucial swing state, and the eventual winner could influence the 2028 presidential race if the state keeps its position as the first western nominating contest for both major parties.
Lombardo made history in 2022 by becoming the sole challenger nationwide to unseat a sitting governor, narrowly defeating Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak by just 1.5 percentage points.
The Democratic gubernatorial primary features state Attorney General Aaron Ford and Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill among the candidates.
Since there are no presidential or U.S. Senate contests on Nevada’s ballot this election cycle, the governor’s race has become the primary focus for campaign advertising expenditures, including spending by dark-money organizations that can collect and spend unlimited funds without revealing their contributors.
Several U.S. House seats are also up for grabs. The state’s only Republican representative, Mark Amodei from the 2nd District, has decided not to pursue an eighth full term. This seat is anticipated to remain safely Republican in the fall election, as Amodei secured reelection in 2024 with 55% support while Donald Trump captured approximately 56% in the same district during the presidential contest.
The Republican primary for Amodei’s seat includes former state Senator James Settelmeyer, financial adviser and small business owner David Flippo, and 11 additional candidates. Trump has given his endorsement to Flippo. The primary winner will likely claim the seat in November.
More competitive general election battles are expected for the districts currently represented by Democratic U.S. Representatives Dina Titus, Susie Lee, and Steven Horsford. All three Democrats are running for reelection, though only Horsford in the 4th District faces no primary challenger.
State legislative races include roughly half of Nevada’s 21 state Senate positions and all 42 state House seats. Democrats currently control both legislative chambers.
In Henderson, the state’s second-largest city, Mayor Michelle Romero is seeking another term in the nonpartisan race against four opponents, including former Henderson police Chief Hollie Chadwick. A runoff election in November will occur if no candidate wins a majority.
Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas and Henderson, represents the state’s largest population center and typically accounts for about 69% of statewide election totals. Washoe County, home to Reno, ranks second in population and usually provides around 18% of statewide votes. These two counties serve as critical indicators for both Republican and Democratic primary outcomes.
Polling locations close at 7 p.m. Pacific Time (10 p.m. Eastern Time), but state regulations mandate that polls remain open until every voter in line by closing time has cast their ballot.
The Associated Press will report vote tallies and announce winners in contested primaries for U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state controller, state attorney general, state Senate, state Assembly, and Henderson’s mayoral contest. Statewide constitutional office ballots include a “None of these candidates” option, though this choice doesn’t appear for congressional or legislative races.
Primary participation is restricted to voters registered with each respective political party – Democrats cannot vote in Republican primaries and vice versa. However, eligible voters may register or switch party affiliation at polling sites on Election Day or during early voting periods.
Registration figures as of June 1 showed approximately 670,000 registered Democrats and about 659,000 registered Republicans. Around 162,000 voters registered with other parties, while 965,000 remained unaffiliated with any party.
Nevada’s 2024 primaries for U.S. Senate drew roughly 157,000 Democratic primary votes and about 171,350 Republican primary votes.
Mail-in ballots represented about 65% of votes in the 2024 state primary and approximately 57% in the 2022 state primary. Early in-person voting accounted for roughly 17% in 2024’s primary and about 22% in 2022’s primary.
By Friday, approximately 246,000 ballots had been submitted for Tuesday’s election – about 42% from Democrats, roughly 42% from Republicans, and the rest from other registered voters.
Nevada’s 17 counties follow different procedures for releasing early in-person and mail voting results. Most counties typically report all or nearly all early in-person voting totals in their initial update, while fewer than half include mail voting results in the first release.
Both Clark and Washoe counties traditionally include all early in-person voting results and partial mail voting totals in their first update before releasing any Election Day in-person results.
During the 2024 state primaries, the AP initially reported results at 11:04 p.m. Eastern Time – more than an hour past scheduled closing time, as the state waits until voting concludes in all counties before releasing any totals. The final vote update occurred at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time for the Republican primary with about 94% of votes tallied, and at 2:28 a.m. Eastern Time for the Democratic primary with approximately 85% counted.
The AP does not make projections and only declares winners when determining no possible scenario exists for trailing candidates to overcome their deficit. For uncalled races, the AP continues covering significant developments like candidate concessions or victory claims while clarifying that no winner has been declared and explaining the reasoning.
Nevada does not conduct automatic recounts, but candidates may request and fund recounts regardless of vote margins. The AP may declare winners in races subject to potential recounts if the lead appears too substantial for recounts or legal challenges to alter the outcome.
As of Tuesday, 147 days remain until the 2026 midterm elections.
