LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada voters headed to the polls Tuesday to select party candidates for governor and two closely monitored congressional races, as the state faces challenges including housing affordability issues, surging power demands from data centers, and reductions in federal funding for essential programs.
Nevada operates under a closed primary system, restricting voting in party contests to registered Democrats and Republicans only, following the unsuccessful attempt to create open primaries in 2024.
Multiple primary contests feature battles between establishment-endorsed candidates and outsider challengers promising reform. The November gubernatorial election is viewed as among the nation’s most competitive, while Democrats consider maintaining control of the 3rd Congressional District essential for their efforts to regain control of the U.S. House.
Here are the key races to watch:
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo faces significant vulnerability heading into the fall election season.
Democratic contenders seeking to oppose him include state Attorney General Aaron Ford, who has secured support from the Democratic congressional delegation and former Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside Alexis Hill, a northern Nevada county commissioner who positioned herself as a reform-minded alternative.
Both candidates centered their campaigns around cost-of-living concerns, addressing the state’s ongoing affordable housing crisis, among the nation’s highest fuel costs, and reductions to federal healthcare and nutrition assistance programs.
Ford primarily avoided engaging Hill directly, instead targeting his criticism toward Lombardo while contending that both the governor and Trump bear responsibility for Nevada residents’ financial struggles. Ford seeks to make history as Nevada’s first Black governor.
The Republican primary to succeed retiring longtime Rep. Mark Amodei has divided party leadership. President Donald Trump endorsed David Flippo, a presidential supporter without prior elected experience. Meanwhile, Amodei and Lombardo have thrown their support behind James Settelmeyer, a former state senator with extensive political experience.
The district encompasses northern Nevada, including Reno and Carson City, the state capital, plus vast rural territories.
Trump-endorsed candidates have achieved primary success nationwide, demonstrating his continued influence within the Republican Party as he approaches his presidency’s final years. He secured victory in this district during the 2024 presidential race.
The Republican nominee holds strong November prospects, with registered Republicans exceeding Democrats by 70,000 voters in the 2nd District. Republicans have maintained control of this seat since its establishment in the 1980s.
However, Democrats aim to appeal to the district’s substantial independent voter population this fall. Democratic candidates include Teresa Benitez-Thompson, former majority floor leader of the Nevada Assembly, and Greg Kidd, an investor who previously campaigned as an independent.
Nevada’s remaining three congressional members, all Democrats, face minimal primary opposition.
In the 3rd District, Republicans are competing to challenge Democratic Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada’s most competitive congressional race, characterized by slim Democratic registration margins, numerous independent voters, and historically close elections. Both Lee and Trump achieved narrow victories in 2024.
Republican candidates include Trump-endorsed Marty O’Donnell, a composer known for work on the “Halo” video game franchise who unsuccessfully sought this seat in 2024; Jeff Gunter, a dermatologist and former ambassador to Iceland; neurosurgeon Aury Nagy; and businessperson Tera Anderson.
These candidates focused their campaigns on border security, energy independence, and federal debt reduction.
Ford’s term limits and gubernatorial campaign have created competitive primaries for the state’s chief law enforcement position.
Democratic contenders include state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Treasurer Zach Conine. Both pledged to challenge the Trump administration, following Ford’s approach of filing multiple federal lawsuits.
On the Republican side, Trump-endorsed attorney Adriana Guzmán Fralick faces Douglas County commissioner Danny Tarkanian. Tarkanian, son of legendary University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, has mounted unsuccessful congressional campaigns previously.
Both candidates emphasized “election integrity” themes, questioning voting system security. Nevada represents one of the swing states where Trump falsely alleged 2020 election fraud, despite officials finding no evidence of widespread irregularities.
Tarkanian pledged to investigate voter fraud claims, while Guzmán Fralick committed to pursuing the SAVE Nevada Act, modeled after Trump’s federal proposals.
Her proposed legislation would mandate Election Day vote counting completion, eliminate universal mail voting, and end automatic voter registration. Such measures would likely face insurmountable opposition in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
Multiple Republicans are seeking the secretary of state position, which oversees elections, including several who falsely claimed Trump won the 2020 election. The primary winner will face Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar.
GOP candidates include Jim Marchant, a former state lawmaker and repeat candidate who claimed the 2020 election “was probably stolen”; Sharron Angle, a former state lawmaker who participated in efforts to block Nevada’s 2020 election certification; and Shirley Folkins-Roberts, an attorney endorsed by Lombardo who has rejected claims of widespread Nevada election fraud.
All candidates support voter ID implementation, which will appear on November ballots for the second time after passing decisively in 2024.
Angle promises voter ID enforcement if approved by voters and supports Trump’s executive order requiring documentary citizenship proof for voting. Courts have temporarily blocked that order, issued last year.
Marchant advocates eliminating electronic voting machines and ending universal mail balloting. He also supports mandatory paper ballots with hand counting, according to his campaign materials.
Folkins-Roberts pledged to maintain accurate voter registration records, implement voter ID requirements, and ensure timely election result delivery. She also seeks to eliminate automatic voter registration. In a News 4 Reno interview, Folkins-Roberts described Nevada’s elections as “good” but wants to enhance voter confidence through reforms.
