Indy Elections takes you behind the headlines of Nevada politics, delivering scoops and smart analysis on the races that could reshape our lives. You can change your newsletter settings here.

In today's edition: What you need to know about the candidates who filed. Plus: An exclusive interview with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) on the war in Iran, a gubernatorial messaging blitz, and former Gov. Steve Sisolak's "dream" presidential contender. 

After a whirlwind two weeks, candidate filing is closed and the primary field is set. Going forward, you can expect a lot more election coverage from us — including through this newsletter, which you'll now receive every Tuesday. 

This newsletter is published every week. We want to hear from you! Email tips and feedback to your newsletter editor Mini Racker at [email protected]. 

Who's running?

Candidate filing closed on Friday, setting the stage for primaries on June 9 and the eventual November matchups that will send a new Nevada representative to Congress and determine who will lead the state for the next four years.

The filing period finally solidified the field in the race for the 2nd Congressional District, answering weeks of questions about which Republicans would jump in. Former state Sen. James Settelmeyer (R-Minden) is running, and Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) will support him at his campaign kickoff (though the congressman is not explicitly endorsing Settelmeyer). Meanwhile, small business owner David Flippo (R), a Las Vegas resident, swapped races from the 4th District and quickly racked up a slew of national MAGA endorsements. 

Twenty candidates have registered to run for governor, with Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) already leading the way with campaign and attack ads. The race for attorney general has just four candidates, but the primaries could be extraordinarily competitive. 

Read our story for the biggest surprises, a few candidate interviews, and insight into the races we're watching most closely.  

— Mini Racker, Tabitha Mueller, Eric Neugeboren and Kate Reynolds

What we're reading and writing

The Nevada Independent: IndyTalks: Lombardo pushes against nationalizing elections, calls it 'state issue'

Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) said he wants to make people "feel better" about election integrity and much more in a 90-minute interview. 

KLAS: Nevada leader launches 'Congressman on the Job' series to work alongside local employees

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) is highlighting his support for workers in a series reminiscent of Undercover Boss.

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D.C. Download

On Friday, I spoke with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) about the Iran war. Recent polling shows views on the war are split along party lines. Here's our interview, edited for length and clarity.

MR: When are you expecting this war to end?

CCM: I don't shed tears for Ayatollah Khamenei. We all know that his Iranian regime not only has oppressed the people, has sponsored terrorism, and it cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. But I will also say, no matter what this administration says and the changing objectives for this war, it is their war of choice, and it is unauthorized by Congress. I don't support it. 

What this administration should be focused on is lowering costs for Americans. I don't understand why we're spending a billion dollars in an unauthorized war when we should be spending that money to lower costs for Americans, including here in Nevada. And this is the number one thing I'm hearing as I'm home right now. 

If this administration had just come to Congress, I could answer your question. I would know what their objective is. … This is a question for this administration that Congress has been demanding, because the American people need to know this, but they're refusing to answer it. 

MR: I know you had a letter this week about the airstrikes that killed 168 people at the elementary school. Have you gotten any answers on that?

CCM: No. This is the challenge. … What we're seeing and hearing is either coming out through investigative reporting, or the Department of Defense keeps saying that they're investigating. … We all need transparency and accountability around this issue. What happened in Minab in this school — it was horrific.

MR: There's some talk the administration will seek supplemental funding for the war effort. What would it take for you to support that?

CCM: The Department of Defense received $150 billion from the Republican tax bill that the Republicans passed, right? [Editor's note: The Pentagon has reportedly made plans to spend all that money this fiscal year, instead of through FY2029 as lawmakers intended.] And that money remains unspent. The Pentagon has almost now, in addition to that, $839 billion that was just appropriated to them for the year, so I want a full accounting of how they are planning to use that money before we approve anything else. So that's my first question.

— Mini Racker

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Indy Ad Watch

If early ads are any indication, Gov. Joe Lombardo's team thinks electoral success is some combination of portraying him as a policy wonk problem-solver and his opponent as a checked-out jetsetter.

In the last few weeks, groups backing the sitting governor released two campaign advertisements. One of the ads from the Service First Fund — a "dark money" political nonprofit that started as Lombardo's inaugural committee — took a positive tack by touting the governor's role in addressing health care. The other, from the Better Nevada PAC, attacked Lombardo's top Democratic challenger Attorney General Aaron Ford for facing an ethics complaint stemming from Ford's busy travel calendar. Both ads are running statewide.

The Service First Fund ad is the group's first in support of Lombardo after previously running spots for Republican legislative candidates in 2024. Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly tried to increase the transparency of inaugural committees, but Lombardo has vetoed them, calling the most recent one "yet another 'transparency' measure driven by political motives."

The ads preview what is likely to be a brutal barrage of messaging surrounding the governor's race and underscore Team Lombardo's strategy. Health care is a top concern among Nevadans, and Democrats have recently linked Lombardo to layoffs and service cuts at Boulder City Hospital, which Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) said were due to the Trump administration's Medicaid cuts.

It's noteworthy that campaigns are increasingly weaponizing ethics complaints as an opportunity to slam candidates, even without a formal ruling. Hey, if you can get the headline, I suppose that's all that matters.

— Tabitha Mueller

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2028 Watch

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)— a top contender in the 2028 presidential election — made a pit stop in Las Vegas two weeks ago to promote his new memoir. In a nearly hourlong conversation with state party chair Assm. Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-North Las Vegas), Newsom criticized the president's immigration policy and revealed that former Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino surrounded a launch event for California's successful Democratic middecade redistricting with masked agents who tried to "intimidate every single person walking in." "They are not screwing around," Newsom added. "Nor are we."

• Former Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-NV) called Newsom becoming president his "dream." 
• Newsom also winked at his own anticipated bid: "Let's be honest, a politician coming out with a book in Nevada, if you're not rolling your eyes, you have the right to roll your eyes," he said. 

— Isabella Aldrete and Kate Reynolds

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Mini Series

🤝 Bipartisanship in the Legislature, but not on the campaign trail — Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) brokered a massive education deal in the form of SB460 during the 2025 legislative session, but you wouldn't know it from the governor's social media posts. 

Careful cropping has ensured that photographic references to the majority leader during the bill signing were removed. In one instance, the governor went so far as to tout the legislation, which bears Cannizzaro's name at the top, as "my" education bill.

The distancing from Cannizzaro is a far cry from the post of the two politicians on the governor's Instagram from the UNR vs. UNLV football game in December 2025.

"One of the first things you learn as a woman in elected office is that there's always a man standing by to take credit for your work," Cannizzaro told The Nevada Independent about the situation. 

She also emphasized that while she sponsored the bill, she had support from a number of other women legislators, including Sens. Angie Taylor (D-Reno) and Marilyn Dondero-Loop (D-Las Vegas) and Assm. Selena Torres-Fossett (D-Las Vegas).

Lombardo's team said it had planned the bill signing as a collaborative event and had recognized the collaborative nature of the bill in numerous social media posts, including calling it a "collaborative bill," calling out Cannizzaro by name in another, and recognizing the partners on the legislation.

📺 A new documentary on the block — Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill (D) filed to run for governor Wednesday afternoon, the same day her campaign released a short documentary chronicling the launch of her statewide tour earlier this year. The campaign said Hill, who has been an outspoken critic of film tax credits, did not leverage any for the documentary.

🎥 The Fiore show — Former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore, who was convicted (and later pardoned) for fraud and is now embroiled in a legal battle over whether she can be suspended from her role as a Pahrump justice of the peace, has a new weekly show in which she alleges corruption in the legal pursuits against her.

✅ Endorsement watch — Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), whose district includes North Las Vegas, has endorsed Assm. Daniele Monroe-Moreno's (D-North Las Vegas) mayoral bid. Monroe-Moreno last week also notched an endorsement from the Nevada Legislative Black Caucus. City Councilman Scott Black (D) is also running in the primary. Up North, meanwhile, Lombardo on Monday endorsed Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks (R) for re-election; Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan (R) is also running.

— Tabitha Mueller, Eric Neugeboren and Mini Racker

Looking Ahead

• Monday, March 23 — Challengers file candidate financial disclosures 
• Tuesday, June 9 — Nevada holds primary elections

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A post that caught our eye: 

Out: DOGE. In: Crab.

We'll see you next week. Interested in more newsletters from The Nevada Independent? Find all of them here.

This story was updated on 3/17/25 at 11:58 a.m. to include a response from Gov. Joe Lombardo's campaign to social media posts mentioning Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas).