Is Nevada’s failed film tax credit a flashpoint for incumbents?

A high-stakes proposal backed last year by Hollywood studios drew backlash from unions when lawmakers failed to pass it.

The fight over a controversial film tax credit proposal may be over in Carson City, but its fallout may be surfacing in Nevada’s primary elections.

The measure failed several times—including during the most recent special legislative session—yet it has become a talking point in Nevada politics, as at least one lawmaker now faces a union-affiliated challenger following his vote and another who voted against the bill has since left office.

Progressive Democrat Assemblyman Jovan Jackson (District 6), who won his first term in 2024, is now being challenged by Douglas Candido, a carpenter with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Local 1977. That union was part of a coalition of trade unions pushing for the film tax credit bill, The Nevada Independent reported.

Republican state Sen. Jeff Stone (District 20) announced last month that he wouldn’t seek office. This came after Stone missed a special session vote on the film tax credit bill which then failed. He was allegedly blamed for its failure and United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Local 1977 pulled their endorsement from his campaign following the situation.

Neither Jackson nor Stone directly tied their votes on the film tax credit to direct issues, but the proposal has still emerged as an economic concern, particularly among labor groups, progressives, and some Democratic lawmakers, such as Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill. She’s running for governor and has made addressing tax credits a priority in her campaign, promoting higher wages in exchange for government subsidies, according to her website.

Jackson said his opposition to the bill during the special session boiled down to shifting economic conditions under the Trump administration. 

“I did support the film bill during the regular session … that was before this federal administration really had an impact on our economy,” Jackson said.

The film tax credit bill, whether lawmakers voted for or against it, has exposed fractures mainly in the Democratic party, he said. 

“There’s a fracture within the establishment over this film bill,” Jackson said. “Whether you voted yes or no, it has really split the community and the party.”

The measure was backed by major Hollywood film studios Sony Pictures and Warner Bros., along with Las Vegas-based developer Howard Hughes Holdings. It proposed a $1.8 billion transferrable tax credit to support “Summerlin Studios,” a large-scale entertainment complex with film production space, hotel rooms, offices, retail, and tourist attractions. 

Despite continued interest in a film tax credit, A’Esha Goins, CEO of the advocacy organization Black Joy Strategies, said there’s no guarantee a new bill to that effect will return to the Nevada legislature.

“People are just dialogging about whether the bill will come back or not,” she said.

Goins also cautioned that incumbents are rarely challenged over a single vote. Lawmakers, she said, are more often challenged on broader ideals and stances.

“I can unequivocally tell you, it’s rarely just about one bill,” Goins said.