A seismic haul for the Assembly speaker front-runner. Record-breaking fundraising in the treasurer’s race. Shots fired in a top law enforcement contest.

Nevada campaign finance reports released last week provide the most extensive look to date on the strength of candidates for statewide, legislative and local government races up in 2026. 

Any candidate who raised more than $10,000 in 2025 was required to disclose their fundraising and expense data by last Thursday. Official candidate filing occurs in March, three months before the party primaries in June. 

The more money that a candidate raises, the more resources they have to pitch themselves to voters, and an Indy analysis found that in two-thirds of the closest legislative races from 2016 through 2022, the candidate who raised more money in the year before an election was ultimately victorious.

The Indy reported on the topline numbers in the statewide races here, including Gov. Joe Lombardo’s sevenfold lead over the second-strongest gubernatorial fundraiser, but here are other tidbits that caught our eye.

• Governor’s race tidbits
• Assembly details
• Senate Democrat success
• Money pours into key Washoe races
• Southern Nevada local government breakdown

Ford’s ex-boss backing Lombardo

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is running for governor, used to work at a law firm under attorney Robert Eglet and has received more than $6,000 from him over the years (and his office hired Eglet’s firm on major opioid litigation). 

However, in August, Eglet donated $50,000 to the Nevada Way PAC, which is affiliated with Gov. Joe Lombardo’s re-election campaign.

Lombardo’s PACs have a penchant for sending money to Republicans in important races, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that play out in the coming months. Here’s a visual refresher on the state of play in the governor’s race:

Presumptive next speaker posts big haul, prominent vacant Assembly seats see a lot of money

Assm. Elaine Marzola (D-Henderson), who has the inside track to be the next Assembly speaker, raised a whopping $402,000 in 2025. This is more than any other speaker or potential speaker has raised in a non-election year in recent memory.

However, Marzola has to win in her swingy district first. She won by just more than 500 votes in 2024 (but doesn’t have an announced challenger yet this year).

Legislative Democrats stand one seat short of the two-thirds threshold needed to overturn a governor’s veto in both legislative chambers.

There are many more Democrats running for Assembly than Republicans, and the median Democratic candidate raised $13,000 more than the median GOP candidate, The Indy found.

In one of the more vulnerable GOP-held districts, Assm. Rebecca Edgeworth (R-Las Vegas) brought in more than $100,000, good for third most among GOP assemblymembers. A Democrat running in the race, special education teacher Tyler Cavey, raised only about $5,000. 

There was also a lot of money raised by candidates looking to fill vacant seats.

Ryan Hampton, an addiction recovery advocate who is running for the seat held by retiring Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas), was the second-strongest Assembly fundraiser. He raked in a seismic $230,000 and has $192,000 in cash on hand. Another Democrat running for the seat, Maria Teresa Hank, a flight attendant and union member, raised about $24,000.

Republican business owner Rafael Arroyo — who is vying for the Assembly seat held by Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas) — raised more than $54,000 in 2025, about $11,000 more than the highest-earning Democrat in the race. The 2024 race between Jauregui (who is now running for lieutenant governor) and Arroyo was close, with Jauregui winning by less than a percentage point. 

Democrats in state Senate see significant fundraising haul

The latest campaign finance records show that state Senate Democratic candidates held about a 2-to-1 median fundraising edge over Republican candidates.

State Sen. Edgar Flores (D-Las Vegas) was the top fundraiser among any state Senate candidate, raising more than $145,700 in 2025. The haul comes as Flores faces a DUI charge and is evidence of his commitment to run for re-election in the heavily Democratic district in spite of his legal troubles.

Across the board, the median Democratic candidate raised more than $125,800 while the median Republican candidate raised a little more than $60,000. Former and current state Democratic Senate staffers described the reports as likely the strongest off-year fundraising for Senate Democrats in state history. 

As Republicans seek to keep Democrats far from a supermajority, they could face a challenge as senators in the three most likely competitive Democrat-held districts, Sens. Marilyn Dondero Loop (D-Las Vegas), Melanie Scheible (D-Las Vegas) and Julie Pazina (D-Henderson), have significantly more cash on hand than they did when they ran in 2022.

The fundraising margin for some of those races, however, is still narrow. Though Dondero Loop outraised one of her Republican challengers, Laz Chavez, by more than $66,800, she only led her other Republican challenger, George Harris, by a slim $141. Dondero Loop has significantly more cash on hand than Harris.

Scheible, the only other senator with a declared challenger who reported raising funds, outraised Republican Maria Thompson by more than $19,100 when the value of non-monetary donations were removed.

Sens. Fabian Doñate (D-Las Vegas) and James Ohrenschall (D-Las Vegas), who are in safe Democrat districts, raised the least of any Democratic lawmakers with $49,000 and about $13,700 respectively. On the Republican side, Harris topped the list of Republican fundraisers with more than $138,100, followed by Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus (R-Wellington), who raised more than $76,000.

Big money pours into Reno mayor, Washoe County DA Races

The first competitive primaries in years for Reno mayor and Washoe County district attorney spurred significant fundraising.

In the race for Reno mayor, all four announced candidates reported raising more than $100,000. However, Eddie Lorton, a perennial candidate for the office, loaned his campaign $150,000.

Leading the pack was Kate Marshall, the former lieutenant governor and treasurer who brought in about $187,000. This was about $8,000 more money raised than Kathleen Taylor, a Reno city council member and vice mayor. 

Meanwhile, City Council Member Devon Reese raked in about $130,000. He has about $81,000 in cash on hand, which trails all the other candidates, whose bank accounts hold more than six figures.

The position of Reno mayor is open for the first time since 2014.

In the race for Washoe County district attorney, the top prosecutor for Nevada’s second-largest county, incumbent Chris Hicks, raised about $316,000 and has about $369,000 in cash on hand.

His opponent, Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan, raised about $274,000 but has a significant cash on hand advantage.

Disputes over Duncan’s existing fundraising has been one of the many barbs traded between the two candidates so far this cycle. After donors to Duncan’s campaign for Sparks city attorney asked for their money to be returned (and not used on his DA bid), Duncan called it a “cheap political stunt” orchestrated by Hicks.

In a press release about the finance reports, Hicks’ campaign also criticized sizable numbers  of Las Vegas and out-of-state donors to Duncan, which it said reflects “limited local support in Washoe County.” Duncan’s own press release said his totals reflect that “people are sick and tired of the crime in Washoe County and an ineffective District Attorney.”

Hicks has never faced a challenger since assuming office in 2015. His office has come under fire from the Washoe County legal community over new plea bargaining and charging standards.

Southern Nevada local government

Clark County Commission races have seen record-breaking numbers raised for campaigns in 2026. Albert Mack, a Republican running for the District F seat that’s open because incumbent Justin Jones won’t seek re-election, has raised $1.2 million so far.

Mack, who donated $500,000 of his own money to his campaign in November, is a grandson of casino magnate and Bank of Las Vegas founder Jerome Mack. Four other donations, totaling $40,000, have the name “Mack” associated with them. Two other donations — a total of $20,000 — are linked to the “Thomas” family, longtime family friends of the Macks. 

Facing Mack in the GOP primary for the seat is Assm. Heidi Kasama (R-Las Vegas), endorsed by Lombardo, who also gave $510,000 of her own funds to her campaign for a fundraising total of $636,000. She donated the money in late December, months after her campaign told reporters that she had reached the $450,000 mark. 

Nonpartisan candidate for the seat Becky Harris, a former state senator and former chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, is trailing behind Mack and Kasama at $114,000 raised. 

Incumbent District E Commissioner Tick Segerblom is running one more time before he is termed out of office. He raised around $250,000. Segerblom’s colleague, fellow Democrat and incumbent for District G, is Jim Gibson, who has raised $447,000. Challengers for those seats have reported little or no fundraising. 

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who is seeking a second term, has raised almost a million dollars, with major casinos including Bellagio, Park MGM, Fontainebleau and Red Rock donating to his campaign. 

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson is running for a fourth four-year term and raised just over a million dollars, with top donors including law firms such as Hutchinson & Steffen, Dimopoulos and Naqvi Injury Law. Both Wolfson and McMahill are currently running opposed. 

As for Las Vegas City Council races, incumbent Ward 6 City Council Member Nancy Brune reported raising more than $430,000. Her opponent and former president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association (LVPPA), Steve Grammas, has raised around $194,000, with around $20,000 of that money coming from the political action committee for the police union. 

Former firefighter and longtime executive board member for International Association of Firefighters, Local 1908 union Luke McCarthy has raised $186,000 as a candidate for Las Vegas City Council Ward 2. His opponent, former judge Shannon Nordstrom, is behind McCarthy at $84,000 raised. 

In the contentious city council and mayoral races in Henderson, Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero has raised $726,000 in her race for a second term. Her opponent Hollie Chadwick, a former Henderson police chief who was ousted from that position last year, raised just $15,000. 

Councilwoman Carrie Cox, who was charged with a felony this year for allegedly spying on a colleague and recording the conversation surreptitiously, has not filed a campaign finance report yet for 2025, though the deadline was Jan. 15. 

In North Las Vegas, the mayoral money race is dominated by City Councilman Scott Black, who has raised $536,000, with Assm. Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-North Las Vegas) playing catch-up at $106,000 raised. Monroe-Moreno also spent more last year than she raised, according to state financial records, with expenses totaling more than $144,000. 

Other candidates in North Las Vegas, such as Ward 3 city council candidate Ida Zeiler and Esmerelda Villeda for Ward 1, have raised $112,000 and $83,000, respectively.