Progressive Nevada lawmaker draws challenger, as unions accuse him of siding with 'Big Tech'

In his four previous bids for office, Assm. Howard Watts (D-Las Vegas) has never faced a serious challenge.

But that's changing in 2026, as a first-time candidate who promises a new approach to local politics — and is backed by a coalition of labor groups unhappy with Watts — is making a serious primary bid against the longtime lawmaker.

The race is not just a test of Miguel Dávila's fresh-faced appeal or of Watts' name recognition. It's also one of several Democratic legislative primaries on this year's ballot poised to test labor groups' political strength as they seek to oust incumbents who they say voted against their interests in the last legislative session amid worries about an economic downturn in Las Vegas and the threat of automation.

Dávila, 34, was born in Venezuela and emigrated to Las Vegas at 15. He earned degrees at UNLV and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before becoming a senior planner for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. 

Watts, 38, got his start in politics through activism, volunteering and working for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) before launching his own public relations firm. 

Dávila told The Indy he decided to run after seeing President Donald Trump (R) win in 2024 and realizing that residents were disillusioned with the same old politics. 

"This is not an issue of Howard Watts. It's an issue of the entire Democratic Party," he said, but adding that he also believes Watts should be more of a regular presence in his constituents' lives.

Watts says that criticism is unfair.

"I have talked with hundreds of people in this district," he told The Indy in an interview. "I might not have been as active posting on social media … but just because it was not as visible doesn't mean that I have not been actively engaged in this community."

Assembly District 15 is a hospitality-heavy area of Las Vegas that spans portions of the Arts District, Chinatown and the Strip. No Republicans declared in the race, so the winner of June's primary will automatically win the seat.  

Dávila — a union member — has been endorsed by major unions including Laborers Local 872, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Association and Nevada's Teamsters affiliates. 

Some of the unions supporting Dávila endorsed Watts in past elections but broke with the lawmaker this year due to his 2025 votes on labor-related issues, including tax credits for film companies, self-driving trucks and craft breweries' beer sales. 

"We're just trying to show solidarity with the other non-building trades unions," said Vince Saavedra, executive director of the Southern Nevada Building Trades Association. "It's been a while since organized labor has been this organized when it comes to politics."

Watts is more progressive, but little separates the two candidates on policy. Both say they thrive at finding middle ground: Dávila cites his experience as an urban planner, while Watts cites a title he's earned twice now — based on how successful his sponsored bills are — as one of Nevada's 10 most effective Democratic assemblymembers.

Dávila is endorsed by PLAN, the progressive advocacy group where Watts formerly worked. Executive Director Laura Martin told The Indy that a group of volunteers made that decision because they believed Dávila would be more engaged locally. 

She said she believed Watts was a "strong progressive and a great assemblyman" but said the volunteers on the endorsement panel felt he wasn't visible enough.

"People don't have time to watch hearings during the legislative session or the interim committee, but they are going to public meetings, they're going to community events, and they're looking to see who shows up," said Martin.

Watts says he talks to voters constantly and that his track record on fighting for his district speaks for itself: pressing NV Energy on energy costs, seeking accountability from The Boring Co. and the state on worker safety violations and pushing for greater protections for low-income renters. He's especially proud of his environmental record, having led the push to conserve water and boost solar access in one of the nation's hottest, driest states.

"I obviously have my ideological beliefs, but I also have my approach as a policymaker, and that means listening to everybody's opinion … and making decisions I think are going to be in the best, long-term interest of the district I represent," he said.

Watts is significantly outraising Dávila, collecting four times more money than his opponent in the first three months of 2026. It's rare for sitting Nevada lawmakers to lose in the primary, although this year has seen more union-backed candidates than usual challenging incumbents. 

But strange things can happen in down-ballot primaries, said Dávila.

"There's no outreach or engagement strategy to engage low-propensity, low-income voters in a district like this, where the median household income is $40,000," he said. 

Is Watts pro-Big Tech? 

Though Watts has remained the favored candidate of unions such as the Clark County Education Association, AFSCME and Clark County Firefighters, many unions have backed Dávila. Labor leaders told The Indy that's because they view Watts as insufficiently committed to protecting union jobs from automation.

It centers around a bill in last year's Legislature, SB395, which would have mandated human drivers in autonomous trucks and buses in Nevada through 2035. 

The bill had strong support from the Teamsters and the AFL-CIO, which believe self-driving trucks endanger drivers' jobs and Nevadans' lives. Industry advocates opposed the bill, saying it ignored evidence about driverless vehicles' safety and would harm Nevada's economy by effectively preventing autonomous trucks from passing through the state. 

While the bill passed the state Senate with bipartisan support, it died in the Assembly. Unions blame Watts because the committee he chaired advanced the bill without recommending it for a floor vote — a rare move. It died after failing to meet a deadline for bills to advance out of their second house.  

Watts told The Indy the bill would not have passed, as it did not have enough support or time for changes. He said he anticipates the Legislature will reconsider the proposal next year.

Dávila said he favors greater regulations on the tech industry and would have "done everything in my power" to advance the bill.

Watts lost further support from Teamsters after introducing a bill last year (AB404) aimed at helping craft breweries sell beer in person and online. He said he sponsored the proposal to support the many brewery businesses in the Arts District, which he represents.

Teamsters accused the bill of undercutting traditional distribution processes and harming drivers' incomes. Watts subsequently reworked the bill, which passed with wide bipartisan support and was signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo (R). Teamsters say the final bill doesn't hurt their members, but they're still upset about its original form.

Is Dávila anti-film tax?

Another vote that cost Watts some union support was his vote against the special session bill to massively expand tax credits for film companies, AB5. The measure, championed by organized labor, narrowly passed the Assembly but fell one vote short in the state Senate. 

Of the roughly $15,000 Dávila has raised so far in 2026, a quarter came from two unions that supported the film tax bill.

Watts has defended his vote, telling The Indy he is "all for economic diversification" but couldn't justify the bill's price tag given the state's more pressing budgetary needs. 

He also says he's not convinced Dávila has been fully transparent about his stance on the issue. 

Dávila told The Indy he would have made a final decision on the film bill based on constituents' feedback but that he thought many residents of the district, which has an outsized share of entertainers and performers given its proximity to the Strip, wanted the bill to pass. 

But Martin, whose group PLAN strongly opposed the bill, said that when her organization spoke to him, they discussed corporate tax giveaways and that "it did seem like Dávila was leaning toward the position that we have."

"It's one thing to not really have your mind made up," said Watts. "But if he's telling people different things on one issue, that is an issue of integrity and honesty."

Watts said he'll continue to seek relationships with unions regardless of policy differences. 

"There's been issues where we don't see eye to eye, and I'm upfront with them about that and will work with them," he said. "It falls to each of these organizations to decide whether they value that, or want to go in a different direction."

Environmental issues

Watts — a leader on environmental issues in the Assembly — has sponsored successful bills to boost solar adoption, create clean energy incentives for truck companies and protect wildlife. 

Other bills belonging to Watts took aim at reducing water use by making Las Vegas less reliant on septic tanks and banning irrigation of decorative turf.

Environmental planning is also a key issue for Dávila, given his infrastructure background. He said he was skeptical of elements of Watts' water policies, describing turf restrictions as overly punitive and citing a 2023 ProPublica article that found flaws with the turf policy. 

Some families, Dávila said, "feel like their individual contribution to the water crisis is so small, so why should they pay the price for that? That is a fair question." 

He added that he would focus on using water resources more efficiently and wants further investments in green spaces, bike lanes and public transit.

Both men also said they want to limit data centers' effects on Nevadans' utility bills by ensuring companies pay for their own energy and infrastructure needs — something state law doesn't currently require. 

Dávila said he wanted stricter scrutiny of data center projects but that in instances where the centers are built, he'd push the state to "capture and reuse" the excess heat they produce.

Housing

While they agree the best solution is building on empty lots (infill development) rather than purchasing federal land at Clark County's outskirts, Watts and Dávila have different explanations for the strategy to address the state's affordable housing crisis.

Watts described federal land sales as a Republican talking point and said he was against them because of environmental concerns about disrupting otherwise undisturbed land.

When asked if he supported federal land sales, Dávila said it wouldn't be within his power to decide as an assemblymember but said he understood why builders and developers have pushed for it.

"Our builders want to grow and build in the periphery, because there is not an alternative," he said. 

But he said his preference is still for new housing to be built on vacant lots because it's cheaper and faster.

Watts has also called for more protections of Nevada tenants and voted for multiple bills in the last legislative session to strengthen tenants' rights, several of which Lombardo vetoed.