Nevada’s candidate filing period for non-judicial races concluded Friday. There were some surprises and non-surprises.
By Jessica Hill and Taylor R. Avery, Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 15, 2024
A crowded field of Republican candidates has stepped forward for the chance to challenge Las Vegas Democratic Rep. Susie Lee, whose position is considered to be more vulnerable than the other Nevada representatives. With Nevada a battleground state, Republicans hope they can flip Lee’s seat red and help increase the Republican’s thinning majority in the House.
At the close of the candidate filing period for nonjudicial races Friday, seven Republicans had filed for the June 11 primary in Lee’s district, including former state Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien, “Halo” composer Marty O’Donnell, Dan Schwartz and Drew Johnson. A Democrat named RockAthena Brittain also tossed her hat in the race.
All four of Nevada’s congressional representatives — Democratic Reps. Dina Titus, Steven Horsford and Lee and Republican Rep. Mark Amodei — filed for re-election, although the nonpartisan Cook Political Report considers Titus and Horsford’s seats to be less competitive, labeling their seats as “likely Democrat,” and it doesn’t consider longtime Rep. Amodei’s seat to be competitive at all.
Nevada’s congressional races were four of 380 or so offices up for election this year statewide, and more than 940 people had filed for the different seats as the 10-day filing period for nonjudicial offices wrapped up Friday evening.
In Nevada’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, more than 20 people filed to run. Democratic incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen filed for re-election. Expected Republican primary challengers also filed, including Bill Conrad, Stephanie Phillips, Tony Grady, Jeff Gunter, Ronda Kennedy, Barry Lindemann and Jim Marchant. Sam Brown, recently endorsed by Gov. Joe Lombardo and backed by national Republicans, also filed to run. Brown ran for Senate in 2022 but lost in the primary to former Attorney General Adam Laxalt.
In Titus’ district, three Republicans, including restaurateur Flemming Larsen and previous challenger Mark Robertson, filed to run.
A crowded field of Republican candidates, including former state Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien, ‘Halo’ composer Marty O’Donnell, Dan Schwartz and Drew Johnson, are vying for the Republican nomination to usurp Lee, who is considered by national Republicans as vulnerable.
Horsford will face an expected primary challenger in Deshan Levy Shultz. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans John Lee, former mayor of North Las Vegas, David Flippo and Bruce Frazey will face off in the primary.
No Goodmans on ballot
For the first time in almost a quarter of a century, a Goodman won’t appear on the ballot for mayor of Las Vegas. At the close of the candidate filing period for nonjudicial races Friday, 15 candidates had filed to be the next holder of the city’s keys.
Mayor Carolyn Goodman and her husband, Oscar Goodman, have long been a political powerhouse, reigning over the Las Vegas City Council since 1999. But after completing her third and final term because of term limits, Carolyn Goodman will make way for a fresh face.
The wide field includes Councilman Cedric Crear, Councilwoman Victoria Seaman and former U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley. Other candidates for the seat include Lynn Baird, Janiecia Fernandez, Eric Medlin, Michael Pacino, Deb Peck, Donna Miller, Irina Hansen, William Walls III, Daniel Chapman, Tera Anderson, Kara “KJ” Jenkins and Kolawole Akingbade.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of who did or didn’t file in other open offices, with some surprises that could shake things up and incumbents who hope to waltz through the June primary and into the November election.
Not all is set in stone, however; candidates have seven days after the close of the filing period to withdraw.
March surprise
Not all of the filings were expected, and some unopposed candidates will now find themselves facing a challenger.
A fellow Republican is challenging Amodei’s longtime position in Northern Nevada. Fred Simon Jr. filed in his district, as well as Independent candidate Lynn Chapman. No Democrats filed for the seat.
Laura Perkins, a regent in Nevada’s System of Higher Education, decided to run in Sen. Dina Neal’s district, giving the state senator a primary challenger.
In another last-minute filing, Sharron Angle, a former Republican assemblywoman who ran against the late Sen. Harry Reid in 2010, filed to run in Senate District 15 late Friday.
In the U.S. Senate race, Janine Hansen, chairperson of the American Independent Party of Nevada, filed to run as an Independent.
Ron Quince, who originally announced his run as a Republican in Titus’ district, filed Friday without declaring a political party.
Nephi “Khaliki” Oliva, who ran for Clark County Republican Party chair last year, also filed Friday afternoon for Assembly District 6. Oliva was arrested last week by the Metropolitan Police Department and was accused of posing as a concealed carry weapons instructor in Nevada.
Another surprise was the suspension of Jesse Law’s campaign for Nevada Assembly. Law, chairman of the Clark County Republican Party, announced his candidacy hours before the attorney general’s office announced a grand jury indictment to Law and other Nevada Republicans who submitted fake electoral documents declaring Donald Trump the winner of the Silver State in the 2020 election.
Law endorsed Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama, who had originally decided to run for Congress in Lee’s district, but backed out to help support Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in the Legislature.
On Friday afternoon, Ronald Nelsen filed to run against Kasama. Nelsen was endorsed by the Assembly Democratic Caucus on Friday.
County Commission
Four county commissioners’ seats are up this cycle. Commissioner William McCurdy II will face Republican David Gomez. Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick is set to face Libertarian Jesse Welsh.
In Commissioner Michael Naft’s district, Republicans Ryan Hamilton and Michael Thomas filed to run.
But the race to watch is for Commissioner Ross Miller’s seat. Miller announced late last year he would not seek re-election. The battle will begin in June when voters must decide which Democrat and Republican will face off against each other in November.
Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod and Hunter Cain will face off in the Democratic primary, while April Becker, Gail Powers, Dean Paris and Thomas “Wags” Wagner will run in the Republican primary.
Nevada Legislature
Some incumbent lawmakers will face primary challengers in June.
In Senate District 3, Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D-Las Vegas, will face Geoconda Hughes, a Democrat backed by Culinary Local 226. The powerful union is backing a challenger against Nguyen, who was appointed to the seat in 2022 after Sen. Chris Brooks resigned, for supporting a bill that removed the COVID-area requirement for daily room cleanings.
Sen. Carri Buck, R-Henderson, will face Republican Richard Fredrick, and Sen. Dallas Harris, D-Las Vegas, will face a primary challenger in Raymond Davis Jr.
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, will face Democrat Adeline Celio during the primary in June. Assembly Minority Leader P.K. O’Neill, R-Carson City, is set to face a challenger in Republican Drew Ribar.
Assemblywoman Cecelia Gonzalez, D-Las Vegas, is set to face a primary challenger in Eva Olivia Chase.
Assemblywoman Alexis Hansen, R-Sparks, will face a Republican primary challenger in Jason Bushey, and Assemblywoman Tracy Brown-May, D-Las Vegas, will face Democratic challenger Sayed Zaidi.
Other local offices:
Las Vegas Ward 1 incumbent Brian Knudsen will face Miriam Gibson and Dennis Chairez. Ward 3 City Councilwoman Olivia Diaz will face two challengers: David Gomez II and Melissa Clary. The race for Ward 5, which is held by Councilman Cedric Crear, drew eight filers, including Assemblywoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong and former Assemblyman Cameron “C.H.” Miller.
North Las Vegas City Council Ward 4 incumbent Richard Cherchio won’t face any challengers, while Ward 2 city Councilwoman Ruth Anderson will face two challengers, including Billy Riley and Robert Taylor.