Nevada’s candidate filing period opened Monday, giving those interested in running for statewide, legislative and local office 10 days to make it official.

To file for office, candidates must appear virtually or in person at the relevant filing office, pay a fee, show identification and sign paperwork to complete the process. For municipal offices, candidates file with the city clerk; for seats within the county, candidates file at their county clerk’s office; for multiple county or statewide seats, they file with the secretary of state’s office.

Judicial candidates had a separate filing period in January. 

At this point in the election cycle, major candidates usually have announced their campaigns and started raising and spending money. But the period is historically marked by surprises, as some may decide not to follow through on their intentions, switch races, or make an unexpected run for a seat. The filing period runs from March 2 to 13.

The primary election is June 9, with early voting from May 23 to June 5. The general election is Nov. 3. Nevada is a universal vote-by-mail state, so ballots are automatically mailed to all active registered voters — typically before the start of the early voting period.

Below are highlights from the candidate filing period, along with a spreadsheet of filed candidates.

Settlemeyer jumps into open congressional race — 3/6/2026 at 10:17 a.m.

NEW: @SettelmeyerNV WILL run for Congress in #NV02.

The former state senator was appointed head of the department of conservation by @JosephMLombardo in 2023.

Northern NV Republicans have recently sung his praises to me—especially about the fact that he’s from the district.

— Mini Racker (@MiniRacker) March 6, 2026

Settelmeyer jumps into open Northern Nevada congressional race — 3/6/2026 at 4:08 p.m.

James Settelmeyer, a longtime legislator and current director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, has announced his decision to run for retiring Rep. Mark Amodei’s (R-NV) Congressional District 2 seat, representing Northern Nevada.

“As a lifelong Nevadan, rancher, and public servant, I have dedicated my career to standing up for the values and interests of our state,” Settelmeyer said in a press release. “I have listened to the concerns of families, workers, and small business owners across northern Nevada, and I am committed to taking those concerns and making sure they are heard in Washington, D.C.”

After announcing a run for re-election, Amodei decided to retire in February after 15 years in office representing the reliably Republican district. Democrats have never won the district, but several high-profile names have entered the Democratic primary including former Assm. Teresa Benitez Thompson (D-Reno) and wealthy investor Greg Kidd (D), who lost his bid for the seat in 2024 as an independent 

Born in Carson City, Settelmeyer is a fourth generation Nevadan with a long history of service in Northern Nevada. Elected to the Assembly in 2006 and to the state Senate in 2010, Settelmeyer served as the Senate Republican caucus leader from 2018 until term limits forced him out of office in 2022.

Gov. Joe Lombardo appointed him as director of the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in 2023 — prompting an unsuccessful lawsuit claiming it violated constitutional cooling off period rules. Settelmeyer is a rancher with a background in agricultural science. 

In his press release, Settelmeyer said he believed in “limited government, fiscal responsibility, and the power of local communities” and would fight to secure the border. He also said he would preserve the “freedoms that make Nevada and America exceptional.” 

Settelmeyer did not respond to a request for an interview.

— Oona Milliken

Tarkanian files for AG, explains why he isn’t running for Congress — 3/5/2026 at 1:41 p.m.

Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian (R) officially filed to run for attorney general on Thursday, throwing cold water on speculation that he would drop his bid and run to replace Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) in the safely Republican 2nd Congressional District. He previously challenged Amodei in the 2022 congressional primary. 

“I have no interest in running in CD2,” he told The Nevada Independent in a brief phone interview prior to filing. 

Though his campaign had sent out a text message poll comparing him to other potential and declared candidates for the seat earlier this week, he suggested he was too old to start a career in Washington but could make a positive impact on the issues that matter most to him in the attorney general’s office. 

“At my age, I’m 64, if I get in Congress, and I'm at the end of the totem pole, I got a good eight years left in me,” he said. “I don’t even think I can get much done, or do anything. So even though I have a better chance of winning CD2 than I do the AG’s office, I think I can do some really good things.”

Tarkanian predicted he will win the GOP primary for attorney general, barring a huge influx of cash or an endorsement from President Donald Trump for his opponent, attorney Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R), who was endorsed by Gov. Joe Lombardo. 

The more difficult part, he said, will be winning a general election in what’s shaping up to be a good year for Democrats. 

— Mini Racker

Matthews will stay in controller race, not run for Amodei's seat — 3/4/2026 at 11:46 a.m.

New: @AndyMatthewsNV is NOT running in #NV02.

“After a lot of prayer, reflection, consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided to remain in my race for a second term as Nevada Controller,” he wrote in a release.

— Mini Racker (@MiniRacker) March 4, 2026

—Mini Racker

Reno business leader enters GOP primary for secretary of state — 3/4/2026 at 10:18 a.m.

Shirley Folkins-Roberts, the co-founder of a Reno nonprofit to help children facing cancer, filed Wednesday to run in the Republican primary for secretary of state.

Folkins-Roberts, who is also an attorney and has spent more than a decade working at a commercial real estate company, joins a field of candidates seeking to unseat Democrat Cisco Aguilar. Two other Republican candidates have filed to run as of Wednesday, including perennial candidate Sharron Angle.

Folkins-Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

A press release announcing her candidacy said Folkins-Roberts “supports keeping voter rolls accurate, implementing voter ID responsibly, ensuring election results are delivered clearly and on time, and streamlining business services so companies can grow and create jobs in Nevada.”

Aguilar has opposed voter ID, which voters overwhelmingly approved in the form of a 2024 ballot question (and must do so again this year for it to take effect). During last year’s legislative session, when Democrats introduced a bill to implement voter ID, Aguilar said in a statement that “voters made their voices heard at the ballot box supporting similar changes.” Gov. Joe Lombardo ultimately vetoed that bill because it still allowed signatures to be the sole source of identity verification for mail ballots.

The secretary of state’s office has also been the subject of multiple failed GOP-led lawsuits alleging the state is insufficiently maintaining its voter rolls — an allegation that Aguilar has refuted. In February, the state removed 177,000 voters as part of its regular voter roll maintenance.

Nevada has also long faced scrutiny for the time it takes to count votes. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted as long as they are received up to four days after Election Day. Aguilar has not sought to change these rules, but he supported efforts to expedite ballot counting by establishing a grant program to funnel resources to local election offices and increase ballot drop boxes in the days leading up to Election Day. Lombardo also vetoed these proposals.

Because Democrats control the Legislature, it is unlikely that Republican-led election reforms will gather enough support to become law.

— Eric Neugeboren

Flippo swaps races, will now seek Amodei’s seat — 3/4/2026 at 9:06 a.m.

Small-business owner and retired Lt. Col. David Flippo (R) announced Wednesday morning that he is swapping races to run for the 2nd Congressional District currently represented by retiring Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV). He was previously running in the 4th Congressional District, a Democratic-leaning battleground currently represented by Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV).

“After a series of conversations with MAGA leaders, both in Washington and in Nevada, David has decided to enter the race in the Second Congressional District to replace the GREAT Congressman, Mark Amodei,” his campaign wrote in a release. 

Flippo’s team wrote that he is launching his campaign with $1 million cash on hand, almost three times as much as what his campaign committee reported at the end of December. 

In a campaign launch video, Flippo stressed how he will take on illegal immigration and inflation. 

“We need to give President Trump the firepower that he needs to fight the liberals in Washington,” he said in the video. 

His decision comes one day after 2024 Senate nominee Sam Brown (R), the presumptive front-runner to replace Amodei, declined to run. A slew of ambitious Republicans are now expected to get in the race for the seat, where the GOP is heavily favored.

Turning Point Action, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, quickly backed Flippo, writing on social media, “He will be a HUGE upgrade from Mark Amodei.”

— Mini Racker

Where we stand on the first day of campaign filing — 2:00 a.m.

Official candidate filing has opened, but nearly 200 people have already announced intentions to run for a seat in local government, the Legislature, statewide government or Congress, according to a Nevada Independent tally.

Congressional District 2, represented by the soon-to-be-retiring Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), has the most announced candidates at 12, followed by seven candidates running for the open Clark County Commission District F and four candidates in the Assembly District 39 race.

This lay of the land could change depending on who files in the next 10 days. 

There’s plenty of time for last-minute switcheroos and tomfoolery. Keep following this blog for the latest need-to-know details.

— Tabitha Mueller