Indy Elections takes you behind the headlines of Nevada politics, delivering scoops and smart analysis on the races that could reshape our lives. You can change your newsletter settings here.

In today's edition: What Nevadans really think about the feds taking over elections. Plus: Turning Point opens an operation in Vegas, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) says the administration wants to add a new mechanism for wealthy foreigners to move to the U.S. into the Department of Homeland Security bill, and Dr. Aury Nagy (R) explains why he gave money to Democrats.

Now that the matchups are set, there's no shortage of political strategy spilling out into the open. We've got the polling, legal maneuvers and eye-catching endorsements you may have missed. 

This newsletter is published every week. We want to hear from you! Email your newsletter editor Mini Racker at [email protected]. 

Where Nevadans stand on elections

A poll exclusively obtained by The Nevada Independent shows Nevadans overwhelmingly oppose the federal government running elections, but slim majorities support narrowing the state's mail ballot and post-Election Day ballot counting laws.

The survey on behalf of RightCount Nevada —  a nonprofit led by former Republican officials to restore trust in elections — found significant partisan divides on many election topics, ranging from troop deployment at polls (Democrats are very concerned, Republicans not so much) to noncitizen voting (vice versa). An FBI probe into mass noncitizen voting in Nevada recently sputtered after finding scant evidence. 

It also found Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D) with a slight lead in his race over hypothetical opponent Shirley Folkins-Roberts (R).

Read our full story here.

— Eric Neugeboren

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Is Nevada at a Turning Point? 

Turning Point Action — a major conservative political action group founded by the late activist Charlie Kirk — unveiled its new headquarters in Las Vegas at a packed ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday. 

Already, Turning Point Action has endorsed high-profile candidates such as small-business owner David Flippo (R), who's in a crowded primary the 2nd Congressional District, and Gov. Joe Lombardo (R).

"Turning Point has put a big machine into the state of Nevada," Lombardo said during the launch. "That's the way we get it done."

The group has touted Nevada as central to its election strategy, part of a broader national "red wall" effort targeting swing states, such as New Hampshire and Arizona. Turning Point leadership has said it plans to launch a ballot-chasing initiative in Nevada targeting low-propensity Republican voters, hoping to replicate wins in Arizona. 

Erika Kirk, the widow who now leads the organization, made an appearance at the event alongside Nevada Republican Party Chair Michael McDonald.

— Isabella Aldrete

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What we're reading and writing

The Nevada Independent: How many days has AG Aaron Ford spent out of state? Here's what records show.

Is Team Lombardo's favorite attack line making a difference?

The Nevada Independent: Lawsuit seeks to disqualify North Las Vegas mayoral front-runner Scott Black over term limits

The suit could benefit state Democratic Party chair Assm. Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-North Las Vegas).

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D.C. Download

On Friday, I spoke with Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) about his bill to impose a 30 percent tariff on sheep and lamb products from Australia and New Zealand. Both countries are currently tariffed at the 10 percent rate President Donald Trump has imposed for most global imports. Our interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

MR: Can you tell me where this idea came from? 

MA: I grew up in a Nevada where sheep grazed on C-Hill outside of town every summer straight. … My interest has just been, 'Hey, I don't want these folks to go away.' … We introduced a bill to change the tariffs. … In other words, free up a piece of the U.S. market for U.S. producers. … We're prepared to amend it if we need to, but we've talked to [Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee Chair Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA)] to get a hearing on it.

MR: Tariffs have been a huge Trump priority. Have you been in touch with the president or his people about this specific bill?

MA: Yeah, I was in touch with the secretary of commerce going, "I want your tariff guy. We're tired of going through the trade representative. No offense, but that is a recipe for dying of old age in a restaurant."

MR: What was the reaction?

MA: Actually, we're on the guy's calendar for a chat next week. …  He called me about something, and I said, "Now, I need something from you. And it's not a big deal. All this tariff stuff, and it's an emergency or whatever. When your industry is about 10 percent of what it was not that long ago, I think that's an emergency."

MR: Can you tell me what he called you about?

MA: The only reason they call me is because Homeland's the only bill still open. … I think they were calling it the "Platinum Card" or something; 5 million bucks a year, you can come over and be a resident noncitizen, something like that. [Editor's note: The Trump administration has advertised the Platinum Card as a program through which foreign nationals can pay $5 million to spend 270 days a year in America without paying taxes on non-U.S. income, "coming soon."] So anyhow, it's like, "Hey, we talked to the Speaker, the President likes it, we talked to the folks in the Senate." … So I'm like, "Well, listen, if you've run all those traps, you're not going to get anything from me, other than, 'I want to talk to your tariff guy, so I'd like to know how that works.'"

— Mini Racker

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Mini Series

🗳️ Post-Election Day ballot counting in jeopardy? — The U.S. Supreme Court appears skeptical of a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots to be counted after Election Day — a decision that could upend the Nevada law that allows counting ballots that arrive as many as four days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked in time.

• Oral arguments were held Monday and the high court's conservative majority appeared poised to overturn the law. In the 2024 general election, about 9,500 Clark County ballots arrived post-Election Day, while about 2,400 came in post-Election Day in Washoe County — together accounting for less than 1 percent of total ballots cast in both areas.
• The poll from the top of this newsletter found a narrow majority of Nevadans would back a law requiring all ballots to be received by the time polls close.

✔️ Lombardo backs O'Donnell — Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) endorsed video game composer Marty O'Donnell (R) in the race to take on Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) in the 3rd Congressional District. O'Donnell also got the governor's endorsement in 2024, when he placed fourth in the GOP primary. Former Ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter (R), 2024 Las Vegas mayoral candidate Tera Anderson (R) and Dr. Aury Nagy (R) are the other Republicans running this year.

💵 Nagy addresses donations to Democrats — Nagy has loaned his campaign more than $1 million. But he also donated to Democrats, including Lee, as recently as 2024. He explains himself:

• Nagy told The Indy he was a longtime Democrat because he opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement, but left the party in 2022 because of Democrats' resistance to drugs such as ivermectin and to criticisms of the COVID-19 vaccine. 
• He hoped to sway them. "To get into the rooms to talk to people in the Democratic Party, they don't pay attention unless you donate," he said. "The power brokers in Nevada at the time were pretty much all Democrats. … I was making these donations to save the lives of the people in the state of Nevada, to try to allow people to use drugs that could save their lives and to stop them from taking medications that were causing harm." 
• Nagy said he started to feel Democrats had gone too far in pushing for "superior rights" for some minorities as early as 2014. 
• He formed the White Coat Party to improve health care. "It wasn't until 2024, when Trump embraced [Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] that I was sure that being a Republican was OK," Nagy said. "When I saw RFK advocating for the same things and trying to remove the poisons from the food supply, I was all-in on that guy. The stuff he's doing on the vaccines — I think he's right to start to force the conversation, force us to look at if we're doing things in the optimal way and the healthiest way for our kids." 
• Nagy said he voted for Trump. 

👷 Union endorsements — Southern Nevada Building Trades — a major construction union and political force in Southern Nevada — endorsed Tya Mathis-Coleman (D), a staffer in Treasurer Zach Conine's (D) office, in her bid for Nevada treasurer earlier this month. Assm. Joe Dalia (D-Henderson), Mathis-Coleman's main Democratic opponent in the treasurer's race, has secured the endorsement of the Clark County Education Association, one of the state's largest teacher unions. 

— Eric Neugeboren, Mini Racker and Isabella Aldrete

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Looking Ahead

• Friday, March 27 — Transportation Security Administration agents are set to miss second full paychecks as Congress leaves D.C.
• Saturday, March 28 — No Kings protesters rally across the state

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A post that caught our eye: 

Who will be first to propose a source meeting here?

We'll see you next week. 

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