WASHINGTON – Nevada’s political landscape is heating up as Governor Joe Lombardo prepares to go head-to-head with six fellow Republicans in the upcoming state primary on Tuesday. Meanwhile, six Democrats are vying for the chance to challenge for the governorship this November. The ballot also features primary contests for U.S. House seats, various state offices, and a mayoral race in Henderson, Nevada’s second-largest city.
Securing the governor’s mansion in this critical swing state could significantly influence the 2028 presidential election, especially if Nevada retains its status as the first-in-the-West nominating battleground for both major parties.
Lombardo, who took office in 2022, made headlines as the only candidate in the nation to unseat an incumbent governor that year, narrowly defeating Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak by a margin of 1.5 percentage points.
On the Democratic side, notable contenders include state Attorney General Aaron Ford and Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, both aiming to reclaim the governor’s seat.
With no presidential or U.S. Senate races on the docket in Nevada this cycle, the governor’s race has become the focal point of campaign advertising spending in the state. This includes substantial contributions from dark-money groups, which can raise and spend without disclosing their backers.
In the race for the U.S. House, Congressman Mark Amodei of the 2nd District, Nevada’s sole Republican in the House, is stepping down after serving seven terms. Although the district is not expected to be highly competitive in the general election, the Republican primary is hotly contested. Candidates include former state Senator James Settelmeyer, financial adviser and small business owner David Flippo, and 11 others. Given the district’s Republican-leaning history—Amodei secured 55% of the vote in 2024, and Trump captured around 56%—the primary winner is likely to hold onto the seat come November. Trump has thrown his support behind Flippo.
The races for the seats held by Democratic U.S. Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford are expected to be more competitive. All three Democratic incumbents are seeking reelection, but only Horsford in the 4th District faces no primary opposition.
In the state Legislature, about half of Nevada’s 21 state Senate seats and all 42 state House seats are up for election this year. Democrats hold both chambers.
In Henderson, Mayor Michelle Romero seeks a second term in the nonpartisan office against four challengers, including former Henderson police Chief Hollie Chadwick. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff scheduled for the November general election.
Clark County, home to both Las Vegas and Henderson, is by far the state’s most populous county. It routinely contributes about 69% of the total vote in statewide contests. Washoe County, home to Reno, has the second-highest population and usually contributes about 18% of the statewide vote. They are the two key counties to watch in both Republican and Democratic statewide primaries.
Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:
When do polls close?
Polls are scheduled to close at 7 p.m. PT, which is 10 p.m. ET, but state law requires polls to stay open until all voters in line by poll closing time have cast their ballots.
What’s on the ballot?
The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state controller, state attorney general, state Senate and state Assembly, as well as a mayoral election in Henderson. “None of these candidates” appears as a ballot option for statewide constitutional offices, but not for Congress or state Legislature.
Who gets to vote?
Only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. However, any eligible voter may register to vote or change party affiliation at the polls on Election Day or during early voting.
How many voters are there?
As of June 1, there were about 670,000 registered Democrats and about 659,000 registered Republicans. About 162,000 were registered with other parties, while 965,000 voters were not registered with any party.
How many people actually vote?
About 157,000 Democratic primary votes and about 171,350 Republican primary votes were cast in Nevada’s 2024 primaries for U.S. Senate.
How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?
Mail ballots comprised about 65% of the vote in the 2024 state primary and about 57% in the 2022 state primary. In-person early voting comprised about 17% in the 2024 primary and about 22% in the 2022 primary.
As of Friday, about 246,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, about 42% from Democrats, about 42% from Republicans and the remainder from other voters.
When are early and absentee votes released?
Nevada’s 17 counties vary in how they release results from early in-person and mail voting. Most counties tend to release all or nearly all of their early in-person voting results in the first update of the night, while less than half tend to release mail voting results in the first update.
In both Clark and Washoe counties, the first vote update of the night tends to include all early in-person voting results and partial mail voting results, before any in-person Election Day results are released.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the 2024 state primaries, the AP first reported results at 11:04 p.m. ET. This was more than an hour after the scheduled poll closing time, but the state doesn’t release any votes until it confirms that voting has concluded in every county. The last vote update of the night was at 11:55 p.m. ET in the Republican primary, with about 94% of total votes counted, and at 2:28 a.m. ET in the Democratic primary, with about 85% of total votes counted.
When will the AP declare a winner?
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
How do recounts work?
Recounts in Nevada are not automatic, but a candidate may request and pay for one regardless of the vote margin. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 147 days until the 2026 midterm elections.
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