Statewide

The governor is the head of the executive branch in Nevada and is constitutionally granted the “supreme executive power of this State.” This person is elected every four years by popular vote and limited to two terms. They have the power to approve or veto laws approved by the Legislature, grant pardons and are considered the commander in chief of the state’s military forces. The governor is also granted the power to fill certain vacancies, can call the Legislature into session and serves on several major boards. With the duty of preparing the state’s two-year executive budget every two years, and the Legislature’s tendency to fine-tune it rather than change it wholesale, the governor wields immense power in setting the agenda and state priorities. In times of crisis, such as the pandemic, the governor can invoke sweeping emergency powers, including setting a statewide mask mandate. About 50 employees work directly for the governor.

Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) is seeking re-election to a second term after successfully blocking record-breaking numbers of bills passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature. The governor’s campaign apparatus has sought to highlight his efforts in education, health care, public safety and the economy, while criticizing his top challenger, Attorney General Aaron Ford (D), over Ford’s frequent out-of-state travels. Meanwhile, Ford, who handily won the Democratic Party’s nomination for the seat in June, has focused on frustrations surrounding the political and economic climate. Ford and other Democrats hope disapproval of President Donald Trump helps them unseat Lombardo amid a contentious political climate and complaints about high gas prices, rising health care costs and a continued dearth of affordable housing. If Democrats maintain majorities in the Legislature and flip the governor’s seat, they would have the ability to more easily achieve their agenda.

The attorney general is Nevada’s chief legal officer, and represents the people of the state in civil and criminal matters before trial and appellate courts in Nevada and the United States. The office also provides legal advice to state agencies and officers through numerous “deputy attorneys general” with specialized expertise, and can help county, local or national law enforcement agencies in investigations or court cases.

The attorney general’s office also has several divisions focused on areas such as consumer protection, Medicaid and insurance fraud, and takes the lead on joining and negotiating Nevada’s position in major multi-state lawsuits and settlements. The office employs about 400 people. Attorneys general are limited to two four-year terms.

For the first time in eight years, the attorney general seat is open because incumbent Democrat Aaron Ford is termed out and running for governor. The race will see Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) square off against Republican lawyer and political newcomer Adriana Guzmán Fralick, both of whom coasted to victory in their primaries. The winner of the race will play a key role in determining how Nevada responds to the final two years of the Trump administration. Ford has frequently sued the administration — including co-leading multiple suits that blocked election-related executive orders — and that will likely continue if voters elect Cannizzaro, whose campaign has included a focus on pushing back against federal overreach. On the other hand, Guzmán Fralick, who received Trump’s endorsement in the Republican primary, has supported the president’s policies, and a key attack against her opponent in the primary was that he was not supportive enough of Trump.

The treasurer serves as the state of Nevada’s chief financial officer, meaning this person is charged with overseeing state investments, including a portfolio of about $7 billion in state investments. They also accept, safeguard and disburse all money received by the state and allocated through the state’s budget. Additionally, they serve as the state’s representative in dealing with bond credit rating agencies and for issuing any bonds in the name of the state. The office has several divisions, including ones focused on unclaimed property, college savings accounts and the Millenium Scholarship for college-bound Nevada high school graduates. Treasurers are allowed to serve two four-year terms. About 26 people work in the treasurer’s office. While the job deals with state money, the treasurer does not have a direct role in creating the state budget or setting tax policy.

The Millennium Scholarship, a merit-based award that has helped more than 177,000 Nevada students since its establishment, is expected to become insolvent in 2027. Candidates for the treasurer’s office have provided alternative visions for its future. Democratic nominee Tya Mathis-Coleman, who has served as executive director of the scholarship, said that she hopes to increase private partnerships to support the program. Her Republican challenger, policy analyst Drew Johnson, said that he would like to create a system to automatically return up to $300 per person in unclaimed property and direct a portion of remaining unclaimed property funds in a trust for the scholarship.

The controller serves as the chief fiscal officer of the state, meaning they’re responsible for administering the state’s accounting system, registering vendors, selling claims against the state and collecting any debts owed to the state. The office also provides citizens and government agencies with financial information, and produces a lengthy annual financial report and a simplified version meant for the general public. About 45 people work in the controller’s office. The controller does not have any special authority to develop the state budget or to set tax policy.

Controller Andy Matthews (R) is running for his second term after deciding against a bid for Congress. In Matthews’ first term, his office launched an online tool that shows state spending information. He will face Democrat Michael MacDougall, a high school social studies teacher who easily advanced to the general election. One key element of MacDougall’s campaign has been improving the timeliness of the state's financial reports. The latest one took two years, but Matthews told The Nevada Independent he was optimistic the ship had been righted.

The lieutenant governor is first in the line of succession to the office of governor in case of the governor’s death or permanent incapacitation. They also serve as the president of the state Senate when the Legislature is in session, a largely symbolic role in which they preside over daily proceedings and are allowed to cast a tie-breaking vote (a rarity in the 21-member state Senate). They also serve on several boards and commissions, including chairing the Nevada Commission on Tourism. The lieutenant governor is limited to two four-year terms, is elected separately from the governor and can be from a different political party. About seven employees work directly for the lieutenant governor. The job is considered part-time, and the salary is accordingly lower.

Republican Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony is seeking a second term in the position, but Democrats are making a serious play too for the seat by backing Majority Leader Assm. Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas), who is retiring from the Nevada Legislature this upcoming cycle. Because governor and lieutenant governor do not run on a unified ticket, it’s possible there could be officials from two different parties in the top two executive branch roles. Jauregui has pushed for progressive policies during her tenure — including several gun control bills that Lombardo vetoed. Anthony, meanwhile, has spearheaded an initiative to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports. In March, the Nevada Commission on Ethics found that Anthony violated state law by using state resources to promote the group. A measure backed by Gov. Joe Lombardo to limit transgender athletes’ participation in school sports will not be on the November ballot.

The secretary of state is responsible for maintaining the official records of the state’s executive and legislative branches, but the office has a wide variety of other functions and responsibilities. It’s charged with overseeing state elections, which includes certifying candidates, maintaining voter registration records, certifying ballot questions and reporting campaign finance records. The secretary of state's office has about 150 authorized positions, though not all are filled at the moment.

The office also handles the registration of the several hundred thousand business entities in the state, and collects the associated business license fees. Other responsibilities within the office include managing, training and overseeing state-licensed notaries, regulating the state’s securities industry, and maintaining the state registry of living wills, advanced medical directives, and a list of ministers and clergy. The secretary of state can serve a maximum of two four-year terms, and serves on several prominent state boards, including the budget-focused Board of Examiners and the Board of Prison Commissioners.

The two candidates vying for the office have very different views on how to run Nevada’s elections. Incumbent Cisco Aguilar (D) has been a vocal defender of the state’s universal mail ballot system and the overall integrity of elections. However, his opponent, former Assm. Jim Marchant (R), is one of the loudest skeptics of Nevada’s election system. He said he has not trusted election results in decades, and that he wants to unregister, then re-register all voters, while floating using technology that measures people’s heartbeats to verify their identities. The race is a rematch of the 2022 general election, when Aguilar beat Marchant by about 2 percentage points. Marchant’s victory in the Republican primary this year was a significant upset — he hardly raised any money and didn’t campaign much, but his name recognition in Southern Nevada was enough to beat a candidate backed by Gov. Joe Lombardo.