15 big takeaways from Nevada's 2026 primary elections

From Attorney General Aaron Ford's (D) landslide victory in the Democratic governor's primary, to President Donald Trump's pristine endorsement record, The Nevada Independent's reporters break down their top 15 takeaways from Nevada's primary election.

Tuesday's results were also a test of whether votes against a film tax credit expansion were a kiss of death and whether district attorneys are as invincible as their records suggest.

Read below to learn more:

1.The Trump endorsement is still golden. The president continued what has largely been a winning streak across the country, batting 1.000 in his Nevada primary endorsements. Most notably, his support tipped the scales for retired Lt. Col. David Flippo (R), who has lived in Northern  Nevada's 2nd Congressional District for just months but defeated much more deeply rooted former state Sen. James Settelmeyer (R-Minden). But it also helped cement front-runners in state Sen. Carrie Buck (R-Henderson) in the 1st District and video game composer Marty O'Donnell (R) in the 3rd District, as well as lawyer Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R), who defeated the Tarkanian name.

2.Lombardo's is silver. The Republican governor endorsed far more candidates than Trump did, and nine of his 15 picks will advance to the general election, including lawyer Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R), Assm. Jason Patchett (R-Henderson) and Assm. Blayne Osborn (R-Gardnerville). Two of his candidates, however, are stuck in dead heats, and the remaining two were slightly ahead as of Tuesday evening. Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) not only lent his name, but also his cash, to most of his picks. The success of his hand-selected candidates could be a referendum on his efforts to counter the Democratic Party's Reid Machine.

3.A Hill too far. Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill (D) centered her campaign on growing frustration with the status quo, setting an ambitious vision that included raising corporate and gaming taxes and vastly expanding pre-K and social safety net programs. The effort, however, wasn't enough to overcome Attorney General Aaron Ford's (D) commanding fundraising lead and establishment support. Asked Tuesday evening about the loss, Hill said: "Change is hard, and movements take time."

4.Money isn't everything. In the 2nd Congressional District, former Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson (D-Reno) trounced wealthy investor Greg Kidd (D), even though he self-funded more than $1 million and she didn't run a single TV ad. "I was never going to be able to outspend Greg Kidd, but I knew I could outpeople him," she said. "I've lived in this community for a long, long time. … Heck, you know, even my best friend from elementary school is helping out on the campaign."

5.Ladies, get in formation. Governor race aside, women made a strong showing in some major statewide races — the Republican and Democratic attorney general candidates who advanced to the general election were both women. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) and lawyer Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R) will face one another in the general election. In the Democratic treasurer's primary, Tya Mathis-Coleman advanced to the general election over opponent Assm. Joe Dalia (D-Henderson). 

6.The #girlboss trend sticks in competitive local races, too. The top two Reno mayoral candidates as of early Wednesday were women, with former Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall (D) cruising to first place soon after results were released. In Southern Nevada's local races, Assm. Heidi Kasama (R-Las Vegas) won against businessman Albert Mack in the GOP primary for the Clark County Commission District F seat. In North Las Vegas, Assm. Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D) also led Councilmember Scott Black in the race for mayor. In another girl boss success, Las Vegas Ward 6 Councilmember Nancy Brune won more than 50 percent of the vote against two primary opponents, including police union head Steve Grammas.

7.Film tax credits were defeated once again. Labor unions largely failed in their efforts to oust incumbents who voted against expanding Nevada's film tax credit program this fall. In one of the most high-profile challenges, Sen. Edgar Flores (D-Las Vegas) fended off North Las Vegas City Councilman Isaac Barron (D) in the race for Senate District 2. Assm. Jovan Jackson (D-North Las Vegas), meanwhile, defeated union carpenter Douglas Candido (D) in the race for Assembly District 9.

• In open races, too, more progressive candidates who opposed film tax credits — Vinny Spotleson in Assembly District 41 and Alex Pereszlenyi in Assembly District 29, both Democrats — were leading as of Tuesday night. On the flip side of the issue, Laborers President Lou DeSalvio was in a distant fourth place in the Democratic primary for Assembly District 1.

8.A progressive incumbent is at risk. Almost all the incumbent lawmakers facing primary challenges appear to have survived, but four-term Assm. Howard Watts (D-Las Vegas) is at risk of defeat by challenger candidate and urban planner Miguel Dávila (D). As of Tuesday night, Dávila was up by just 21 votes. If he eventually wins, it'll be a huge victory for the coalition of unions, including Culinary, that backed Dávila after expressing dissatisfaction with a number of Watts' actions last year on issues such as tax breaks for film companies and self-driving vehicles. 

• As of Tuesday night, the next-tightest legislative races where incumbents faced challengers were in Assembly District 21 and Senate District 2. The Indy has called both those races in favor of the incumbents.
• In Senate District 21, the race between Sen. James Ohrenschall (D-Las Vegas) and political newcomer Junior Romero (D) was surprisingly close. As of Tuesday night, Ohrenschall — who has served in the Legislature for nearly 20 years — led Romero by only about 400 votes. It was a good effort by Romero, who is mostly self-funded and failed to secure any major endorsements.

9.The Culinary Union remains king. The union, which represents nearly 60,000 members in Las Vegas and Reno, chose the winner in nearly all of the races where it made endorsements, including in Senate District 2, where Sen. Edgar Flores (D-Las Vegas) won, and the treasurer's race, where Tya Mathis-Coleman (D) won. It also picked correctly in some notable open races this cycle, including the Democratic primary for Assembly District 1, where Culinary endorsed union steward Alexis Esparza, who also won. 

• Culinary potentially lost, however, in District 29, where their pick — Teamsters lawyer Brad Combs (D) — was in third, in a close race with physical therapist Ashley DeLobel (D) and software developer Alex Pereszlenyi (D). As of Tuesday evening, Pereszlenyi was leading in votes but Delobel wasn't far behind.

10.A rare defeat for an incumbent DA. Republican Chris Hicks first became Washoe County's top prosecutor a dozen years ago, but this was his first time he faced an electoral challenge. It didn't go well. Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan (R) pummeled Hicks relentlessly on everything from allegations of nepotism to letting criminals off the hook, and he ultimately cruised to victory. The result also reflects the power of police unions, which universally backed Duncan amid frustrations with a charging and plea bargaining policy Hicks introduced.

11.Election denialism makes a return. The Republican secretary of state's race was a referendum on how many changes voters want in the state's election system. It's still too close to call, but the inability of the governor's handpicked candidate — businesswoman Shirley Folkins-Roberts (R) — to pull ahead shows primary voters may want big changes. Former Assm. Jim Marchant, who has floated unregistering all voters and using their heartbeats to verify identities and said he would not even trust election results even if he won, was ahead of Folkins-Roberts by more than 3,000 votes late Tuesday.

12.Most progressives didn't win, but some got close. In local races in Clark County, progressives posted some impressive results. In Clark County Commission District F, progressive activist and nonprofit director Christian Solomon lost to Commissioner Jim Gibson (D) but had 40 percent of the vote as of Tuesday night, an impressive showing. Gibson had never previously faced a Democratic primary challenger. In the crowded District F Clark County Commission race, the progressive Minja Yan, a local real estate professional, was on track to defeat the establishment Democratic candidate Minddie Lloyd, who was endorsed by sitting Commissioner Tick Segerblom (D) and departing Commissioner Justin Jones (D). And in Assembly District 29, software developer Alex Pereszlenyi (D) was the most progressive of the three candidates in a close race — and he was narrowly in the lead as of Tuesday night.

13.Incumbency is incumbent in Congress. Nevada's three members of Congress sailed through primary night. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) ran unopposed, while Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Susie Lee (D-NV) easily dispatched their challengers — even those with money and online buzz. 

14.Trump's pardon isn't as good as his endorsement. Suspended Nye County Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore was trailing two opponents as of early Wednesday. The unlikely outcome occurred despite Trump pardoning Fiore after her 2024 conviction on federal wire fraud charges. The indictment said she used $70,000 meant for a fallen police officer's memorial for her own personal gain, including her rent, plastic surgery and her daughter's wedding. Fiore could still finish second. A Nye County spokesman said 3,000 votes, from the mail and drop boxes, will be tabulated on Wednesday.

15.People love their parks. It looks like Henderson's parks will be saved. A vote to continue a 12-cent property tax — amounting to about $42 annually per house — passed by more than 70 percent. The tax, which was originally enacted in 1997, raises $22 million dollars, around 40 percent of the city's parks budget and 5 percent of the city's total budget, according to Mayor Michelle Romero. If it wasn't extended, Romero said the effects could be "overwhelming." The tax, which was set to expire next summer, will now be renewed for another 30 years.