Recently, a Republican candidate winning statewide in Nevada was tough, and winning as a presidential candidate was almost impossible. The difference in 2024 is that President-elect Donald Trump built a coalition that had been as elusive as a hole in one.

A broad and well-organized canvassing effort has been the critical instrument in Democrats’ electoral toolbox over several cycles. That superior ground game is why Democrats — despite tied polls and strong Republican turnout in early voting — still believe in Nevada. 

Neither Bush’s 2004 win nor the long string of Democratic victories that followed were inevitable. Strategists and political experts said a combination of an impressive data operation, successful voter registration strategies, get-out-the-vote efforts and a national mood that favored Bush powered Republicans’ success in the 2004 campaign. 

Republican Las Vegas attorneys Sigal Chattah and Tisha Black battle for the chance to face Democrat incumbent Aaron Ford in November for the title of Nevada’s “top cop.”

The end of filing means campaign season is officially underway, as candidates — including more than 60 who filed in Clark County on Friday — prepare for the June 14 primary election and Nov. 8 general election.

Black’s entrance into the race is likely to shake up what was once considered a cakewalk to the nomination for Chattah, an Israeli-born Las Vegas attorney best known for leading lawsuits challenging COVID restrictions. 

Nevada, of course, mattered to both campaigns this election cycle. It’s why the Trump campaign focused on building out its Nevada operation long before there was even a Democratic presidential nominee. It’s why Joe Biden’s campaign doubled down on its voter outreach this summer when it felt like the contest was narrowing.