Candidate filing closed on Friday, setting the stage for primaries on June 9 and the eventual November matchups that will send at least one new Nevada representative to Congress, seven new state lawmakers to Carson City, one new official to the Clark County Commission and new people to the attorney general and treasurer positions.

For the full list of candidates running, check out our list and live blog here.

Here's what you need to know about the races we'll be watching:

• Congress
• Statewide
• Legislative
• Local government

Congress

The most crowded congressional race is in Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, where a whopping 27 candidates — including 15 Republicans — are running to replace retiring Rep Mark Amodei (R-NV). 

Former state Sen. James Settelmeyer (R-Minden) is the presumptive favorite. Amodei himself will soon appear at fundraising events for Settelmeyer, though he told The Nevada Independent via text he would do the same for others "on a case-by-case basis."

Small business owner David Flippo (R), who dropped a repeat bid for the state's 4th Congressional District to run for the Northern Nevada seat, has racked up endorsements from big MAGA names, including Turning Point Action, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and many, many, many others. 

The Democratic primary for the seat, meanwhile, includes 11 candidates. Former Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson (D), who said she left her job as chief of staff to Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) last week so she could focus on the race, promised to be a firewall against Trump. 

"There isn't a community in Northern Nevada that hasn't been negatively impacted by his policies," she said in a Monday interview with The Nevada Independent. "That's a matter of fact, and we're going to talk about how disastrous those policies have been in Northern Nevada."

Wealthy investor and 2024 nonpartisan candidate Greg Kidd (D) has Rep. Susie Lee's (D-NV) endorsement and plenty of cash. While Benitez-Thompson has deep ties to the community, he's positioning himself as a fresh face. 

"We're going to see whether for this open seat this time around, people want to go with something that is part of the establishment or want to basically take a chance on voting for something that is really independent and new for the district," he said in a Friday interview.

One member of the Independent American Party of Nevada is also running. 

Few filing surprises happened in the state's other congressional races. In Lee's 3rd Congressional District, Republicans seeking to flip the seat include video game composer and 2024 candidate Marty O'Donnell (R), former ambassador to Iceland and 2024 Senate candidate Jeff Gunter (R), Tera Anderson (R) and Dr. Aury Nagy (R).

Challenging Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) in the 1st Congressional District, state Sen. Carrie Buck (R-Las Vegas) is the favorite but still faces four GOP opponents, including retired teacher and pastor Jim Blockey (R) and real estate investor Rick "Indicted" Saga (R). After announcing a congressional bid, former state Rep. Jim Marchant (R) opted to run for secretary of state instead, while former celebrity car dealer and ex-felon Bobby Khan (NP) decided to run in the general election. 

In the 4th Congressional District, where Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) seeks re-election, small business owner and rancher Cody Whipple (R) won't be alone on the ballot; Ronda Kennedy (R), who was previously running for secretary of state with an endorsement from Roger Stone, made a last-minute switch into the race.

Statewide

There were few surprises among the 20 candidates (seven nonpartisan) who registered to run for governor as Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) seeks a second term. Top Democratic challengers include Attorney General Aaron Ford, Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill and four others — including a former Las Vegas businessman who was accused of money laundering and plotting to harm an ex-prosecutor, but the charges were later dropped.

Lombardo has attempted to put his thumb on the scale in at least two contests for statewide office: He's backing Adriana Guzmán Fralick, former chair of the Cannabis Compliance Board, in her bid for attorney general, and Reno business leader Shirley Folkins-Roberts' bid to unseat incumbent Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar. Folkins-Roberts will face perennial candidates Sharron Angle and Marchant in the GOP primary.

Fralick faces a primary challenge from Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian. The winner will face either Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) or Treasurer Zach Conine (D), competing in a sure-to-be-expensive Democratic primary.

In the Democratic primary for treasurer, incumbent Conine has endorsed Tya Mathis-Coleman, a longtime staffer in the office, while Cannizzaro is backing Assm. Joe Dalia (D-Henderson). There are two Republican contenders: policy analyst Drew Johnson and the conservative businessman Jeff Carter.  

After deciding against a run for Congress, GOP Controller Andy Matthews has three Democratic challengers, including a high school teacher, a tax specialist and a former Silicon Valley engineer and venture capitalist who was a citizen lobbyist in the 2025 legislative session.

Six candidates are running for lieutenant governor, including incumbent Stavros Anthony, the sole Republican running for the seat. Assembly Majority Leader Assm. Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas) — who announced her retirement from the Legislature late last year — is the Democratic favorite in the race.

Legislative

Among the 11 state senators on the 2026 ballot, all but two drew a challenger: Sens. Fabian Doñate (D-Las Vegas) and Ira Hansen (R-Sparks).

Three incumbent senators face a primary challenge: Sen. James Ohrenschall (D-Las Vegas) against law student and community organizer Junior Romero, Sen. Edgar Flores (D-Las Vegas) against North Las Vegas City Councilman Isaac Barron and Sen. Lisa Krasner (R-Reno) against radio host Monica Jaye Stabbert, who previously planned to run for Congress.

The only open Senate seat is the Henderson-area District 20, where Assm. Danielle Gallant (R-Las Vegas) — endorsed by Lombardo — and Democrat Calvin Sandoval are the only candidates. Former Assm. Annie Black (R-Las Vegas) had announced a run as well, but she withdrew her candidacy prior to filing after Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, endorsed Gallant.

Twelve incumbents in the 63-member Assembly are facing primary challengers, 10 of whom are Democrats. One of the most notable races involves Assm. Howard Watts (D-Las Vegas), who is facing a challenge from Miguel Davila, a senior planner for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada endorsed by several unions.

The only Republicans facing primary challengers were those appointed to vacant seats last year: Assms. Jason Patchett (R-Henderson) and Blayne Osborn (R-Gardnerville). Osborn, endorsed by Lombardo, is facing a challenge from the previous officeholder, Assm. Ken Gray (R-Dayton), who vacated the seat for a position in the Trump administration, which he has since left.

There are also eight open Assembly seats, which have drawn an average of more than four candidates apiece. 

In the primary for Assm. P.K. O'Neill's Carson City seat, Lombardo endorsed Julie Butler, choosing the former Nevada DMV director over several other Republicans, including longtime state employee Stacy Woodbury.

The race to replace outgoing Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) has drawn four candidates: two Democrats and two Republicans.

Six assemblymembers are running unopposed, three from each major party.

Local government

The outcomes of some local races could be determined as early as June, as state law dictates that candidates who win a majority of votes in the primary for nonpartisan offices win the position outright. All candidates run as nonpartisan in races for mayor and city council. Races for county-level positions, such as county commission, assessor and district attorney, are partisan.

Notable Southern Nevada races this year include open seats on the Clark County Commission and the Las Vegas City Council and a contested mayoral race in Henderson.

Nearly a dozen candidates are running for the open Clark County Commission seat in District F, where Democratic incumbent Justin Jones isn't seeking re-election. The Republican primary for the seat is highlighted by the fight between Assm. Heidi Kasama (R-Las Vegas) and businessman Albert Mack, scion of a well-known Las Vegas family. Nonprofit leader Minddie Lloyd, a former Republican, is running as a Democrat with Jones' endorsement in the seven-way Democratic primary. Two nonpartisans also filed for the seat, including Becky Harris, a former gaming regulator and Republican state senator.

Two Democratic incumbents on the commission are seeking re-election, including in District G where Commissioner Jim Gibson is facing a progressive primary challenge from activist Christian Solomon. Commissioner Tick Segerblom will run for a third time against labor organizer Marco Hernandez in the Democratic primary.

In Las Vegas, half the city council seats are up for election this year. The Ward 2 seat is open, with councilmember Victoria Seaman resigning last year to work for the federal health department. Three candidates are vying for Seaman's seat: businesswoman and entrepreneur Marilyn Booker, lawyer Shannon Nordstrom and firefighter Luke McCarthy. None have held office before. 

In Ward 6, incumbent councilmember Nancy Brune is facing two challengers in Steve Grammas, the former head of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, and David Marlon, the director of a substance use recovery clinic and a two-time former city council candidate. Incumbent councilmember Francis Allen-Palenske didn't draw a challenger.

North Las Vegas will get a new mayor this year, as current officeholder Pamela Goynes-Brown is term-limited. Assm. Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-Las Vegas), the assembly's speaker pro tempore and chair of the state Democratic Party, is running against longtime city councilman Scott Black and three other candidates. There are also two open seats on North Las Vegas' city council. 

Henderson also has a mayor's race this year, with incumbent Michelle Romero, a registered Republican, running for re-election. She's drawn four primary challengers, including Democratic organizer Adam Price. Carrie Cox, the Henderson city councilwoman who was censured by her colleagues and is facing a felony charge, is also running for re-election and has three primary challengers.

Also in Clark County, District Attorney Steve Wolfson didn't draw a challenger in his re-election bid. County Assessor Briana Johnson — who's responsible for determining property taxes — isn't running for re-election, and the race to succeed her includes two of the office's current staffers, Melissa Martinet and Tamicka Washington, both Democrats. On the Republican side, former Clark County School District trustee and 2020 election denier Kevin Child is running. 

Finally, Assm. Tanya Flanagan (D-Las Vegas) is leaving her seat in the Legislature to run as a Democrat for county recorder, the office that manages Clark County's public documents. 

In Northern Nevada, the most notable races are the first open Reno mayoral contest in a dozen years and a rare primary challenge for Washoe County district attorney.

In the nonpartisan mayoral race, nine candidates are running, including city council members Devon Reese and Kathleen Taylor and former Nevada treasurer and Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall. 

In the race for district attorney, Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan, a former GOP assemblyman and nominee for attorney general, is challenging incumbent Chris Hicks, who has never faced a primary challenger since assuming office in 2015. Lombardo endorsed Hicks on Monday.

There are also two city council races on the ballot in each of Reno and Sparks — with only one incumbent running — and three Washoe County commission seats up for grabs, with two open and one incumbent facing one challenger.