There are key races Nevadans should watch this election cycle as they could shift control of Congress, influence how the next presidential election could be run, and how issues are addressed that’re impacting Nevadans.
Here’s a breakdown of the top races to watch.
Governor’s race
Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo will compete against Attorney General Aaron Ford for the top seat in the Silver State. This race is expected to be among the most competitive in the nation as Democrats seek to flip Nevada back to blue.
If Ford wins, he would be the first Black governor in Nevada.
Read our full breakdown on where each candidate stands on key issues, ranging from affordability to the foreign policy.
Lt. Gov.
Republican incumbent Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony will face off against outgoing Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui.
The lieutenant governor serves as the governor’s right hand. If the governor is out, sick, or leaves office early, the lieutenant governor fills the role. This role also presides over the State Senate and acts as a tie-breaking vote if needed.
Anthony, who is backed by President Donald Trump, has been embroiled in a slew of ethics complaints and in one case so far, was found to have violated state law by using state resources to set up a task force aimed to ban transgender athletes from girl’s sports. He was fined $3,000 by the Nevada Commission on Ethics.
In turn, Anthony sued the ethics commission, alleging he did not violate state ethics laws.
During Jauregui’s tenure in the state Legislature, she championed high-profile bills, most notably gun reform bills after surviving the 1 October mass shooting in Las Vegas, which was the largest mass shooting in modern history. She’s also led efforts for attainable housing bills and Nevada’s film tax credit program.
Jauregui has criticized Anthony’s’ tenure on several occasions, calling him the most “corrupt lieutenant governor” in Nevada history.
Attorney General
There will be no incumbent on this year’s ballot for attorney general. This role serves as the state’s legal counsel, provides legal opinions to state officials, investigates and prosecutes crimes, combats fraud and corruption, and protects consumers and their rights.
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D) will compete against lawyer Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R). Fralick, who’s endorsed by Trump, has previously said “as far as what [Trump’s] done, I support him.”
Fralick has held numerous positions in local and state government, such as serving as legal counsel to the Nevada Ethics Commission. If elected, she has vowed to secure elections — which are already secure as Nevada ranks second in election administration — support law enforcement, and stop sanctuary cities, though Nevada is not a sanctuary state.
Cannizzaro has served in the state Senate since 2016. She’s a former prosecutor who worked at the Clark County District Attorney’s Office for nearly 11 years. She has vowed to protect Nevadan’s rights, push back against the Trump administration and work for a better economy.
“It’s essential to have an attorney general who isn’t afraid of taking on the federal government and, of course, brings that legal and courtroom experience to the table,” Cannizzaro said.
3rd Congressional District
CD3 is expected to be among the most competitive in the state as Trump-backed GOP nominee Marty O’Donnell hopes to unseat Rep. Susie Lee (D). Trump narrowly won this district in 2024, and this race could help decide which party controls the US House of Representatives.
O’Donnell, who composed music for major video games, has been embroiled in criticism for calling LGBTQ+ people an “existential threat,” acknowledging that he doesn’t know much about his district, and said he would “never choose to live in Las Vegas out of the blue.”
Lee has lived in Vegas since 1993. She was first elected to Congress in 2018. But like O’Donnell, she’s faced criticism for supporting stricter voter ID laws, drawing pushback from civil rights groups including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She has also pledged to support free-market capitalism while rejecting the socialist policies.
For a more in depth overview of these two candidates, read here.
Secretary of State
Democratic incumbent Cisco Aguilar will once again compete against Republican Jim Marchant, who has repeatedly contested the legitimacy of the 2020 election, lost to Aguilar in 2022.
This race is especially important because the secretary of the state oversees voting in Nevada, a key battleground state.
If Marchant wins, it could reshape how Nevada administers and certifies results for the 2028 presidential election. Marchant has previously said he wouldn’t have certified the 2020 presidential results when Joe Biden won Nevada, and was previously seen holding a fake election certificate that falsely claimed Trump won in 2020.
Read here for our full breakdown of the candidates.
