Everything we know on why Democrats picked South Carolina over Nevada

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: A reporter's perspective on the Democratic insiders who relegated Nevada to second. Plus: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) pushes back on the admin's approach to immigration, a $1 million ad buy is a good sign for the GOP and Nevada lawmakers have their eye on changing elections in a few key ways. 

Nevada may not be first in the nation … but between one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country, members of Congress eager to take on fights around immigration and prediction markets and — oh yeah — visits from a steady stream of presidential hopefuls, we're still getting plenty of national attention. 

And in case you didn't see — Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) is finally on the airwaves after being dramatically outspent to date by Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) and his allies in the gubernatorial race. Check out the ad here. 

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

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How Nevada lost its bid to be first

I started reporting on Nevada's Democrats' fight to host the first in the nation primary years before I joined The Indy. 

It looks like I'll be watching it for several more.

On Friday, a panel of Democratic National Committee (DNC) members chose South Carolina to host the first primary of 2028, leaving Nevada stuck in second despite a heavy lobbying campaign. The decision truly seemed to come down to the wire. About a dozen members of the panel, many of them undecided, attended a reception with Nevada's senators Wednesday evening as they mulled their choice. 

Late Thursday night, as Democrats discussed the calendar behind closed doors, no one I spoke to knew which way the panel would fall. The deciding committee was larger than in the past and included several new members. There was no Democratic president to put his thumb on the scales and DNC chair Ken Martin did not push for one state over another. 

South Carolina Democratic Party chair Christale Spain also went there, tellingThe New York Times that putting Nevada first would be akin to "telling Black voters that you matter less than brown voters." 

As DNC members began their public meeting Friday morning, I started to have an inkling that Nevada would not be first. Several Black members of the committee gave impassioned speeches about why South Carolina should be first. A DNC vice chair posted in support of the Palmetto State. 

Members (to the great delight of GOP rubberneckers on X) raised concerns that mail-in ballots could keep Nevada from announcing a primary winner on election night. Even as Nevada's representatives, state party chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno and DNC vice chair Artie Blanco rebutted that argument, I saw another member of the panel like my X posts about South Carolina. I knew several members had evening flights and wanted to get the decision over with.

As I marked down the votes, the two states were neck and neck. Then, South Carolina pulled ahead. The panel's co-chairs, Minyon Moore and Jim Roosevelt III, put the Palmetto State over the line. Committee members Donna Brazile, whose voice broke as she spoke about Black voters, former Democratic National Convention Committee CEO Leah Daughtry and Elaine Kamarck, an expert on primary politics, also backed South Carolina. 

Several committee members downplayed the notion that any early state was losing out, but that rang false to me. South Carolina will likely get tens of millions of dollars in extra spending and visits from more presidential candidates. 

After the vote, Nevada Democrats released a diplomatic statement claiming that the state remains "the first true test of a candidate's ability to win in a general election." New Hampshire Democrats were much more aggressive, stating their primary will still be first anyway and accusing party insiders of failing to make the decision based on their stated criteria of rigor, fairness and efficiency.

Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) quickly blamed Nevada's loss on it not having all votes in and counted on election night. His Democratic opponent Aaron Ford responded, "Nothing says you're scared of working people being able to vote like this cheap shot."

The DNC has promised to revisit the calendar ahead of 2032. We'll check back on Nevada's push then. 

After all, one must imagine Sisyphus happy.

— Mini Racker

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What we're reading and writing

Who's paying for this year's push for abortion rights? (One answer — Reproductive Freedom for All, which announced a six-figure canvassing push in the state on Monday.)

The governor's race is close as ever. 

One potential presidential candidate owns a piece of the A's. 

Reps. Steven Horsford (D-NV) and Mark Amodei (R-NV) introduced a bill to ban sports betting on prediction markets. 

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D.C. Download: For the Dreamers

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced a bill yesterday to prohibit the deportation of "Dreamers" enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA by definition is supposed to defer deportation actions, but detentions and removals of beneficiaries have been happening regardless.

The revamped version of a bill that Cortez Masto introduced in 2023 includes several new provisions, such as requiring the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress within 24 hours of detaining a U.S. citizen. 

She will face an uphill battle to pass the bill in a Republican-controlled Congress. 

Before introducing the bill, Cortez Masto talked with The Indy in an exclusive interview. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

IA: Can you tell me more about why you had decided to reintroduce this bill at this particular moment?

CCM: I've worked with several groups to make it better and to address the concerns I have heard directly from families in Nevada. I will say that everyone knows that our immigration system is broken, and we've got to do something about it.

IA: How have you seen this issue play out in Nevada specifically?

CCM: People are afraid to go out, afraid to go to church, they're afraid to go into their community … And these are not, and let me just stress it, these are not the hardcore criminals.

I have asked several times what's happening in our detention facilities, in Nevada. What is happening across the country? Give us accurate data, break it down. Who are the hardcore criminals, who are not? They refuse to do it to provide that data. 

IA: Do you have any leads on GOP supporters? 

CCM: Not yet. 

— Isabella Aldrete

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Indy Ad Watch: EXCLUSIVE — $1M ad buy hits AG's race

Safer Nevada Now, a newly established group tied to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), has reserved $1 million in Las Vegas ad space in October to support GOP attorney general nominee Adriana Guzmán Fralick in her bid against Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas).

It's common for the RAGA to pour seven figures into a Nevada attorney general race, but the early reservations indicate that Republicans think they have a shot to flip the seat. 

In 2022, a group tied to RAGA spent about $1.4 million in ads supporting GOP nominee Sigal Chattah. Four years before that, it spent $2.2 million backing Republican Wes Duncan. Both lost.

The initial $1 million ad buy is not expected to be all of the group's spending in the race. Republicans are likely to focus on topics such as public safety and transgender students' participation in school sports. Officials overseeing school sports have not said whether there are any transgender student athletes in Nevada, and, if so, how many. 

— Eric Neugeboren

Mini Series: And do you recall…

🗳️ Election bills on deck — An interim legislative committee on Friday is set to discuss resurrecting several election-related bills from the 2025 legislative session:

• Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill to make ballot drop boxes available between the end of early voting and Election Day. The committee's proposal would allow counties to add drop boxes during this three-day, dead-zone period.
• Think election season doesn't last long enough? One proposal would require an automatic recount in all elections where the margin is 0.25 percentage points or less. It mirrors a stalled bill from 2025.

📺 Million-dollar Marty — 3rd Congressional District GOP nominee Marty O'Donnell is putting his deep pockets to good use, placing a nearly $2 million broadcast ad buy for the final two months of the general election. 

✅ On the Flippo side — Nearly two months after David Flippo (R) defeated Gov. Joe Lombardo's preferred candidate in the GOP primary, the governor has formally endorsed the Republican nominee in the 2nd Congressional District. The endorsement comes after the pair discussed policy, including releasing federal land for attainable housing, per Lombardo. A strong turnout for Flippo in the traditionally red district is likely to boost Lombardo's odds in the competitive governor's race.   

📍 Tracking the 2028 candidates — Like hungover tourists flocking to an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, Nevada keeps attracting a slew of potential presidential candidates. Since we introduced our candidate tracker this spring, eight potential contenders have visited the state, with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) dropping by just last week. Keep an eye on the feature for a glimpse at who's prioritizing you before the presidential campaign begins in earnest. 

— Eric Neugeboren and Mini Racker

Looking Ahead

• Thursday, Aug. 27 — Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) participates in IndyTalks
• Saturday, Jan. 22, 2028 — South Carolina Democrats hold their presidential primary 👿

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A post that caught our eye: 

After the first-in-the-nation decision, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) sure seems to be paying extra attention to South Carolina … I thought what we had was special!

We'll see you next week. 

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