At the top of the ticket and an unusually open race for the state’s only Republican-leaning congressional seat.
CD2: Rare opening in Nevada’s red-leaning seat
Nevada State (Vegas News Online) – The surprise decision by U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei to retire after more than a decade representing Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District has triggered a stampede of candidates for one of the safest Republican seats in the West. Candidate filing for the 2026 election cycle closed Friday, locking in a 26‑person field: 15 Republicans, 11 Democrats and one third‑party hopeful.
Nevada’s 2nd District, which covers Reno, Carson City and much of Northern Nevada, has never elected a Democrat since it was created after the 1980 census and carries a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of roughly R+7 to R+8, making it the only Republican‑leaning congressional district in the state. Amodei, first elected in a 2011 special election, routinely won reelection by double‑digit margins, including midterm cycles when Democrats were competitive statewide but fell short in CD2. Presidential results have mirrored that tilt: Republican nominees have generally carried the district comfortably, though margins narrowed in 2008 and 2020 as Northern Nevada suburbs diversified and grew.
Key primary contenders in CD2
On the Republican side, several names enter the race with existing political bases or statewide profiles. Former state Sen. James Settelmeyer, now head of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is widely viewed as a frontrunner and is aligned with establishment Republicans who have long dominated GOP politics in Northern Nevada. Financial advisor David Flippo shifted his plans from running in the 4th Congressional District to CD2 after Amodei bowed out, positioning himself as a conservative outsider in a district where Republican primaries have often been decided between establishment and grassroots factions. Former Eureka County Sheriff Jesse Watts brings a rural law‑and‑order profile in a district where rural counties have historically delivered large margins for Republican candidates.
Democrats see a rare opening, even in a red‑leaning seat, given the lack of an incumbent and a volatile national environment. Venture capitalist Greg Kidd, who ran for the seat as an independent in 2024, returns this cycle as a Democrat, hoping to consolidate anti‑Republican voters who were split in previous contests. Former state Assemblymember Teresa Benitez‑Thompson, now working in the Nevada attorney general’s office, enters with legislative experience and ties to Reno, the district’s largest population center and the place where Democrats have historically needed strong turnout to be competitive. Retired teacher Kathy Durham, an early entrant, reflects the party’s focus on education and suburban issues that helped Democrats flip and hold other Nevada House seats over the past decade.
Lynn Chapman of the Independent American Party will appear on the November ballot alongside the Republican and Democratic nominees, continuing a long‑running tradition of third‑party and minor‑party presence in Nevada’s federal races, even if those candidates rarely surpass single‑digit support.
Other House races: Incumbents and crowded primaries
While CD2 grabs most of the attention, Nevada’s three Democratic House members are also charting their paths toward November. In the 4th Congressional District, Rep. Steven Horsford was the only Democrat to file, meaning he advances directly to the general election and will face the winner of a Republican primary featuring rancher Cody Whipple, attorney Ronda Kennedy and Anthony D. Snowden. The 4th, which includes parts of Las Vegas and rural central Nevada, has flipped between parties in past cycles but has leaned Democratic in presidential years since its creation in 2011.
In the 1st District, Nevada’s most consistently Democratic seat, Rep. Dina Titus drew three intraparty challengers as well as a five‑person Republican field that includes state Sen. Carrie Buck and a candidate seeking to appear on the ballot as Rick “Indicted” Saga following a 2023 federal embezzlement indictment. CD1, anchored in urban Las Vegas, has been in Democratic hands for more than a decade, surviving several redistricting rounds that shifted some blue precincts into more competitive districts while still leaving the seat safely Democratic in most cycles.
The 3rd District remains Nevada’s marquee swing seat. Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat, faces three primary challengers while four Republicans compete for the chance to run in what has repeatedly been labeled a “toss‑up” district in recent cycles. The GOP field includes composer Marty O’Donnell, dermatologist Jeff Gunter, businesswoman Tera Anderson and neurosurgeon Aury Nagy, each of whom has previously sought public office, underscoring how CD3 has become a proving ground for both parties’ rising figures. Since it was created after the 2000 census, CD3 has switched hands multiple times, with narrow margins reflecting the rapid demographic and economic changes in suburban Clark County.
House districts overview
Governor’s race: Lombardo faces crowded field
The governor’s race features 20 candidates and sets up a likely high‑stakes showdown in November. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who narrowly defeated Democrat Steve Sisolak in 2022 to become the only Republican that year to flip a Democratic governorship, will face five long‑shot challengers in his own primary. On the Democratic side, Attorney General Aaron Ford and Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill headline a field that also includes James Cooper, Emile Bouari and Sunshine Arterburn.
Ford enters the race as the establishment favorite, backed by Nevada’s two U.S. senators and much of the state’s Democratic infrastructure after years as a central figure in statewide politics and litigation against both Republican and Democratic administrations in Washington. Hill, based in the swing‑heavy Reno‑Sparks area, has attracted attention as an anti‑establishment voice and as a potential vehicle for Democratic gains in Washoe County, which has increasingly become a bellwether in close statewide races. Seven candidates filed with no party affiliation, including Danielle Ford, a member of the State Board of Education whose name appearing alongside Aaron Ford’s has already prompted speculation about possible voter confusion in a low‑information environment.
Nevada has a long history of competitive gubernatorial contests, with control of the governor’s office flipping between parties several times over the past two decades as the state’s electorate has grown and diversified around Las Vegas and Reno. With both parties eyeing the office as critical to redistricting, education funding and veto power over legislative priorities, strategists expect national money and outside groups to again flood the state.
Down‑ballot: Attorney general, secretary of state, Legislature
The attorney general’s race features two of the Legislature’s most prominent Democrats facing off in a primary before the winner advances to a high‑profile general election. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and State Treasurer Zach Conine have been running statewide campaigns for months, positioning themselves on criminal justice, consumer protection and economic issues that often define the office. The victor will meet either Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian or former Cannabis Compliance Board Chair Adriana Guzmán Fralick, who are vying for the Republican nomination in a contest that reflects internal GOP debates over election policy, regulation and business climate.
In the secretary of state race, Democrat Francisco Aguilar will skip a primary entirely after becoming the only Democrat to file. He will face one of four Republicans, including Jim Marchant, an election denier whom Aguilar defeated in 2022, along with Shirley Folkins‑Roberts, Socorro Keenan and Sharron Angle, a former U.S. Senate nominee who has remained a fixture in Nevada conservative politics. Since 2020, Nevada’s secretary of state contests have drawn national attention as debates over election administration, mail voting and certification battles have turned what used to be a low‑profile office into a partisan flashpoint.
In the state Legislature, several races appear effectively settled while others are poised to be among the most closely watched in June. Eight incumbents — including Democrats Cinthia Moore, Erica Mosca, Reuben D’Silva and Fabian Donate, and Republicans Alexis Hansen, Bert Gurr, Gregory Koenig and Ira Hansen — are running unopposed in both their primaries and general elections, reflecting the heavily partisan nature of some districts after recent redistricting cycles. Fourteen other legislative seats will skip primaries but still appear on the November ballot, a reminder that Nevada’s political map includes both safe and highly competitive districts.
Several Assembly and Senate contests stand out:
-
Senate District 2: Democratic Sen. Edgar Flores faces North Las Vegas City Councilman Isaac Barron in a primary that will effectively decide the seat, as no Republicans filed in the deep‑blue district.
-
Assembly District 23: An open Republican‑leaning Henderson seat where either Kathy Ochs or Denise Daniels Fanning will emerge as the favorite for November after the GOP primary.
-
Assembly District 29: A competitive open seat currently held by Democrats, with three Democrats — Alex Pereszlenyi, Brad Combs and Ashley Delobel — vying to face Republican Joe Ludwig and Libertarian Kathryn “Kat” Nix in the general election.
-
Assembly District 41: One of 2024’s closest races now becomes an open‑seat battle as Democrat Sandra Jauregui runs for lieutenant governor, prompting contested primaries in both parties.
Nevada’s 2026 primary is set for June 9, with the general election on November 3, dates that will now frame a marathon campaign season in a state that has become central to national battles over Congress, governorships and election administration.
