Washoe County

Benitez-Thompson was most recently chief of staff to Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and previously served as the Assembly Democratic majority leader in 2017 and 2019. She represented Assembly District 27 beginning in 2010, is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in hospice and adoption and won the Miss Nevada pageant in 2002.

Kidd, an entrepreneur and former analyst at the Federal Reserve, is mounting a self-funded campaign. Kidd has founded multiple tech-focused startups and currently serves as CEO of Hard Yaka Ventures, which makes early round investments in technology companies. He ran for this seat in 2024 as a nonpartisan candidate.

Durham is a history, government and economics teacher who grew up in Utah and moved to Nevada in 2000. She previously served on the West Wendover City Council and is a mom, stepmom and grandma.

Enriquez has experience as the owner of a small coffee business and has studied international relations and public policy. He comes from an immigrant family and rebuilt his life after becoming homeless during the Great Recession.

Born on an Arkansas horse farm, Fonken was previously the Nevada Democratic Party’s executive director and has organized in rural communities. He has also been a legislative aide in the state Assembly.

Hebert has a physics Ph.D., trains AI, and is focused on getting money out of politics. He recently moved back to Nevada, where his father’s family is from.

Jolle is a small business owner with a background in archaeology and the trades who moved to Nevada 20 years ago.

Wadsworth is a student who decided to go into politics as a 26-year-old after observing the systemic problems in health care while previously on the pre-med track.

White describes himself as a working-class Nevadan born and raised in Carson City. He is passionate about universal health care after dealing with an autoimmune disorder.

Gorman has worked in broadcasting, software development, and education and moved to Reno in 2013. He is a former Bernie Sanders delegate who ran for this seat in 2022.

Kerns is a former homicide investigator and true crime author who lost a state Senate primary bid in 2024.

Flippo, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, is a financial adviser in Las Vegas. Previously, he worked for oil and gas company BP in Alaska.

A fourth-generation Nevadan, Settelmeyer was most recently director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources under Gov. Joe Lombardo. He represented Senate District 16 from 2010 through 2022, Assembly District 39 from 2006 through 2010 and is the past chair of the Nevada State Conservation Commission and the Carson Valley Conservation District.

Billat is a mom, youth soccer coach and small business owner who was born and raised in Nevada and is campaigning on lands issues.

Doyle has lived in Nevada for half a century and worked in the casino industry for the bulk of that time, frequently as an executive.

Forbush is a retired Sparks police officer who received a settlement from the city after being disciplined over personal tweets amid the protests of summer 2020.

Lowe is a member of the Lander County School Board and a board director for the Nevada Association of School Boards. Her family has been in Nevada for generations.

Shepherd describes himself as a lifelong Nevadan who takes no special interest or foreign lobby money and is pro-Palestine. He ran for this seat as a Democrat in 2020.

Simon is a trauma surgeon and small businessman who lives in Gardnerville. He was previously a medical director at a San Diego trauma center, and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2014, for governor in 2022 and for this seat in 2024.

Smith is a retired U.S. Navy captain who has worked as Nevada’s U.S. Navy Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer and as a commercial airline pilot. He is now a senior tactical systems analyst for the Navy and has two daughters.

Tylawsky is a graduate student who founded The George Washington Institute, which aims to spread lessons from leaders in American history.

Watts is a former Eureka County sheriff who faced recall efforts in that role. His website states he is now executive director of a nonprofit that cares for law enforcement officers wounded on the job.

Grego is a lawyer and former South Lake Tahoe city councilman who moved to Carson City in 2023.

Olsen’s website describes him as a retired Army medic and retired Washoe County deputy sheriff who will run a grassroots campaign and not accept any donations.

Chapman is treasurer of the Nevada Independent American Party. She ran for this seat in 2024.

Daly is a retired construction worker and a former business manager for Laborers’ Local 169. He served in the state Assembly from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2020. He was elected to the Senate in 2022 and is seeking re-election with the endorsement of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Buehler is a U.S. Air Force veteran who previously challenged Daly for this seat in 2022. He also ran for State Board of Education in 2024 and Washoe County treasurer in 2018, losing both races. He serves on the wastewater and sewage board for Northern Nevada Public Health.

Candidate website could not be found.

A plumbing contractor and business co-owner, Hansen was elected to the Senate in 2018 and previously served four terms in the Assembly. He is seeking re-election and is endorsed by the Senate Republican Caucus.

An instructor about the U.S. Constitution at Truckee Meadows Community College and former faculty member at the University of Phoenix, Krasner is vying for her second term in the Senate after a three-term stint in the Assembly.

Stabbert is a conservative radio show host who denied the results of the 2020 election. She was running for Nevada Congressional District 2 before switching to the state Senate race. Stabbert previously ran for this seat in 2022 before losing to Krasner in the Republican primary.

Roll is a social worker who has lived in Northern Nevada for more than 20 years. She is also vice chair of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus for the Nevada Democratic Party.

Roth was elected to the Assembly in 2024. She is an attorney who works for the Washoe County Public Defender’s Office.

Candidate website could not be found.

A teacher in the Washoe County School District, La Rue Hatch has served in the Assembly since 2022.

Ginsburg is a manager with NV Energy who formerly ran for state Senate in 2024 and who has Gov. Joe Lombardo’s endorsement. He has never held public office before but formerly served as the chair of the Reno Parks and Recreation Commission.

Candidate website could not be found.

A geologist and natural resource manager, DeLong was the chairman of the Nevada Commission on Mineral Resources for 16 years and also the chairman of the UNLV College of Science Advisory Board. He has held his Assembly seat since 2022.

Baugh is a high school government teacher. He has a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University.

Goulding was first elected in 2024 and is a senior project manager at ADM Associates, an energy research and evaluation firm. The Reno Democrat helped pass legislation as a volunteer prior to running for office and has been involved in several community organizations.

Cortes was born and raised in Sun Valley, Nevada, and formerly worked in nutrition services in a Washoe County elementary school. She is the founder of the outdoors-focused group Valley Amigos Horseback Riding & Farming Club.

An educator, Anderson has served as president of the Washoe County teachers’ union and has held office since 2020. She is seeking re-election and is endorsed by the Assembly Democratic Caucus.

Trista Gomez is a graduate from Truckee Meadows Community College and UNR. She is a real estate agent and has managed her family’s small business.

Owner of a custom manufacturing business and long active in local and state Republican Party politics, Dickman has held an Assembly seat on and off since 2014. She is seeking re-election to the seat, and is endorsed by the Assembly Republican Caucus.

Schwartz is a retired businessman who has been a real estate agent for nearly 30 years.

Co-owner of Hansen and Sons Plumbing, Hansen has held her Assembly seat since 2018 and is seeking re-election. She is married to Sen. Ira Hansen, and is endorsed by the Assembly Republican Caucus.

Fuentes is a lifelong Carson City resident who describes himself as a Latino leader and public servant. He is currently a safety manager for the Nevada Department of Transportation and is an AFSCME member.

Butler worked for the State of Nevada for 30 years, including as director of the Department of Motor Vehicles, before retiring in 2024. She’s endorsed by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Ribar owns his own media company and previously ran for this seat in 2024.

Candidate website could not be found.

Woodbury held many roles in state government, including deputy secretary of state and executive director of the Nevada Commission on Ethics. She is now a corporate public affairs manager.

Rodriguez is a community services officer for the Reno Police Department. She has also worked in the airline industry and as a truck driver.

Withdrew from race May 4, 2026. Candidate website could not be found.

Clark is wrapping up his first term as Washoe County commissioner after serving as the county assessor. He has also worked in the Northern Nevada real estate industry.

Killoran is a former broadcast journalist who has served as CEO of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition.

Originally from Elko, Garcia works as the executive director of UNR’s Dean’s Future Scholars program and holds a Ph.D. in education. She was first elected in 2022.

A business owner and self-described Hells Angel who has spoken publicly about a past federal incarceration, Regas is running for Washoe County Commission, citing frustration with county spending, including the Moon Rocks public art project. The Washoe County Republican Party’s chair has said the party won’t support him.

Wadsworth is the chief operating officer for Native Public Media and has served on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council.

Holt-Still has been an advocate for victims of the Lemmon Valley floods in 2017 and contamination of Swan Lake.

Pierce is a Navy veteran who held various positions at AT&T and has served on several county boards, including the regional planning commission.

Yriarte runs a professional horse training business, founded the Nevada Equine Council and has worked as a veterinary assistant at Comstock Equine Hospital.

Lee is a science writer and editor who has worked in various public health settings, including the Washoe County Human Services Agency.

A Nevada resident since 1993, McDowell earned a law degree in 2021 and has since worked with Reno civil rights attorney Mark Mausert, representing employees facing workplace discrimination based on sex, race or disability. He’s endorsed by the Washoe County Democratic Party.

Meyer is a retired captain with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and a U.S. Navy veteran. He also worked as a security manager for the federal government, and is running on a platform of transparency and efficient service for county residents.

Hicks has served as district attorney since 2014. His father was also district attorney and a federal judge.

Duncan is the Sparks city attorney and former Nevada assemblymember. He is also an Air Force veteran.

Klitzke is the incumbent Washoe County public administrator, elected in 2022 as the office’s first female officeholder. She has more than 20 years of experience in the Public Administrator’s Office, managing complex estate cases, and is running for re-election on a platform of continued institutional knowledge.

Jorgensen, chief operating officer of the estate planning business TrustMasters, holds a state certificate of registration for document preparation services and was raised in Washoe County. He’s running on a platform centered on transparency.