By Mark Robison, Reno Gazette Journal, May 29, 2025
Danny Tarkanian announced his campaign May 28 for the 2026 Republican Nevada attorney general race.
“Nevadans deserve an attorney general who prioritizes public safety, defends the Constitution, and fights for justice, no matter the politics,” he said in a social media post that referenced his famous family name.
He is the son of the late Jerry Tarkanian, the college basketball coach who led the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels to a national championship in 1990.
Danny Tarkanian is a familiar name on Nevada ballots.
He won the Republican nominations for secretary of state in 2006, Nevada’s 4th Congressional District in 2012 and the 3rd Congressional District in 2016 and 2018. He was a runner-up in Republican primaries for U.S. Senate in 2010 and Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District in 2022.
He’s currently serving his second term as a Douglas County commissioner.
The big slogan on his campaign website says, “Stop the radical left. Restore the rule of law.”
Tarkanian is seeking to replace Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat who has announced he’s running for governor in 2026.
The only other announced candidate in the Nevada attorney general race is state Treasurer Zach Conine, a Democrat.
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to [email protected] or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.