Real estate and development groups gave a record amount of contributions to Nevada legislators in the 2024 election cycle, with high-dollar contributors pouring in more than $1.8 million to lawmakers at a time when housing costs weigh heavy on voters and lawmakers are eager for fixes.

It is the second straight cycle where the industry was the second-highest category of donor to state lawmakers, slotting in behind gaming groups, but this year’s haul had much more of a Republican lean than the 2022 cycle.

The data reflects the continued prominence of the industry in electoral and legislative realms, which The Indy categorized as groups relating to real estate (including apartment or rental companies) or development, such as construction groups. 

The record-setting influx of money came ahead of a legislative session widely expected to prominently feature housing issues. There is a consensus that housing costs remain too high in the Silver State — as well as bipartisan agreement about the need to free up more federal land for housing — but partisan divides exist regarding the Legislature’s role in addressing the tenant-landlord relationship and rent control measures.

Last week, Gov. Joe Lombardo unveiled his long-awaited housing bill. It would establish a $250 million housing fund with the goal of supporting more than $1 billion in housing through loan programs, grant initiatives and tax rebates.

A host of other housing-related bills are on deck, including ones that require local governments to allow housing development on commercially zoned properties and increase transparency in rental agreements. Democrats are also bringing back housing bills that Lombardo vetoed in 2023, such as temporary rent caps for seniors and Social Security recipients — which has drawn pushback from real estate groups — and reforming the state’s summary eviction process, the latter of which Lombardo said he is open to reconsidering.

Although Democrats hold 40 of the Legislature’s 63 seats, they only received about 54 percent of industry dollars during the 2024 cycle. The median Republican legislator received much more from the industry ($27,375) than the median Democratic lawmaker ($15,500).

This marked a much more Republican lean than the 2022 cycle, when about 63 percent of the industry’s donations went to Democrats.

The analysis is part of The Nevada Independent’s “Follow the Money” series, which explores the industries that gave the most money to state legislators during the 2024 election cycle and their goals for the 2025 session. The series results from a manual categorization of about 11,000 contributions from donors who gave more than $200 throughout the cycle.

Click here to read other installments in the series.

Who gave the most money?

The typically dominant Nevada Association of Realtors, also known as Nevada Realtors, once again gave the most money to lawmakers of any entities in the real estate sector. It made up about 16 percent of the total share of industry donations, roughly half of its share during the prior two election cycles.

The $288,000 donated by the group was also directed more toward Republicans than in past cycles. In the 2022 cycle, about 46 percent of the group’s donations went to GOP lawmakers, but that number soared to 61 percent during the 2024 cycle.

In an interview, Nevada Realtors President Brandon Roberts said the group’s decreased spending this cycle was not a strategic decision, but noted turnover in the people affiliated with the group’s PAC can affect how it donates to candidates.

He also downplayed the Republican lean of the donations, saying the group in general backs legislators who support property rights — the owner’s prerogative to do what they wish with their property.

This session, the group has prioritized opposing rent control measures — which limit the amount that landlords can charge for rent — and so far this year has spent more than $300,000 in ads this year to oppose the policies, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

A bill from Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford to crack down on price fixing of essential goods and services was opposed by development groups that argued it was akin to a rent cap.

Nevada Realtors is also opposing a bill (AB280) from Assm. Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas) to temporarily cap rents for seniors and Social Security recipients.

Jauregui, whose background is in the housing sector and who is the vice chair of the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor, which has jurisdiction over housing-related bills, received the maximum $10,000 from the group during the 2024 cycle.

“We’ve been very active in the anti-rent control campaign,” Roberts said.

For the second straight cycle, the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association slotted in as the second biggest donor in this category, giving $174,000 to legislators with about 70 percent going to Democrats. 

Tina Frias, the CEO of the association, said in an email that the group supports legislators who are “dedicated to ensuring our industry is a part of productive conversations.”

The group is pushing back against policies it sees as hindering housing development by delaying construction or increasing building costs. It is also supporting efforts to free up federally owned land for housing development, and Frias said Lombardo’s housing bill “is a strong step toward incentivizing more housing supply.”

“Nevada is facing a significant housing shortage, made more challenging by land constraints, rising development costs, a shortage of qualified labor, and regulatory hurdles,” Frias said. “We look forward to continuing our efforts to promote policies that support — rather than restrict — the creation of attainable housing in our communities."

Associated General Contractors, a trade association for the construction industry, was the third largest donor with about $149,000 contributed, split mostly evenly between the two parties.

In fourth was Howard Hughes Holdings, the company that developed the Summerlin community in Las Vegas and gave about $40,000 more to legislators than it did in the 2022 cycle for a total of about $138,000 contributed.

Howard Hughes is deeply involved in one of the proposals to lure the film industry to Nevada through measures that would greatly expand the state’s film tax credit program.

The developer is partnering with Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery in an effort to pass AB238, the film tax credit bill sponsored by Jauregui. There are two different film tax credit proposals, but the one involving Howard Hughes has momentum and a hearing was held on it last month.

Howard Hughes gave the maximum $10,000 to four Democrats who will likely play a prominent role in the outcome of the film tax credit legislation: The top Senate and Assembly Democrats — Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzarro (D-Las Vegas) and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) — as well as Jauregui and Assm. Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-North Las Vegas), who chairs the Assembly budget committee and has signed on as a primary sponsor to the film tax credit bill.

Who received the most money?

Many of the top recipients of the industry’s donations were those in Democratic leadership roles.

However, the top Republican recipient was Assm. Lisa Cole (R-Las Vegas), a freshman legislator who prevailed in a race widely seen as one of Democrats’ best chances to flip a seat.

Cole brought in about $110,000 from the industry during the cycle — good for second among all legislators, $15,000 more than any other Republican and $25,000 more than any other freshman.

In an interview, Cole said this was likely in part because of her own ties to the sector — she is the vice president of a Las Vegas development company that helps coordinate the Apex Industrial Park’s infrastructure activities.

“I have a lot of industry knowledge, just in infrastructure development and roadways and all of the planning and the master planning and zoning, and that's sort of a unique characteristic for a campaign,” Cole said.

Senators and assemblymembers who served in 2023 on their respective commerce and labor committees — which are largely responsible for hearing housing-related bills — also made up six of the 10 top non-freshman recipients of the industry’s donations.

Some of the top legislators’ PACs also received money from the industry, including Cannizzaro’s raking in more than $50,000 and Jauregui’s bringing in $25,000.

Some legislators  are also real estate agents themselves, with Assm. Heidi Kasama (R-Las Vegas) receiving the 11th most from the industry and Assm. Bert Gurr (R-Elko) slotting in at 15th.

Kasama received the most money from the Nevada Realtors — $17,500, an amount exceeding the $10,000 contribution limit because the group donated through multiple affiliates. She was the group’s Realtor of the Year in 2018. 

“She’s definitely pro-property rights,” Roberts said.