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The 2022 Nevada Statewide Elections

In 2022, Republicans nationwide were able to make gains in several states due to a slightly Republican leaning environment, taking control of the United States House. In Nevada, Republicans flipped the gubernatorial, lieutenant gubernatorial, and controller positions, while Democrats flipped the secretary of state office, while holding the attorney general and treasurer offices. This year saw several election oddities around the nation, and Nevada was no exception.

Gubernatorial Election

In the gubernatorial race, incumbent Democratic governor Steve Sisolak ran for re-election. In the Democratic primary, he faced nominal opposition from a former state assemblymember, Tom Collins, winning 157,283 votes (89.53%) to Collins’s 12,051 votes (6.86%). The Nevada-only option None of The Candidates took 6,340 votes (3.61%).

In the Republican primary, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo ran against fourteen other candidates, which included John Lee, the mayor of North Las Vegas and Dean Heller, the United States Senator from Nevada from 2011-2019. Joey Gilbert, an attorney in the state, also ran a strong campaign. Lombardo placed first in the Republican primary with 87,761 votes (38.40%), Gilbert placed second with 61,738 votes (27.01%), Heller placed third with 32,087 votes (14.04%), and Lee placed fourth with 17,846 votes (7.81), while the remaining candidates earned 24,919 votes (12.74%). The None of These Candidates option received 4,219 votes (1.85%).

A Libertarian and Independent American candidate also advanced to the general election after being uncontested in their primaries, being Brandon Davis and Ed Bridges. Three independents also declared their candidacy for the general election: Bradley Beck, Austin Billings, and Monique Richardson.

CountyLombardo (R)Sisolak (D)3rdTotalRPCTDPCT
Carson City12,7219,8221,12223,66553.75%41.50%
Churchill7,0202,2236229,86571.16%22.53%
Clark308,760347,39724,198680,35545.38%51.06%
Douglas19,0709,0141,07029,15465.41%30.92%
Elko12,1732,9231,08716,18375.22%18.06%
Esmeralda338645145374.61%14.13%
Eureka681614078287.08%7.80%
Humboldt4,4881,2014206,10973.47%19.66%
Lander1,6783162142,20876.00%14.31%
Lincoln1,7102641862,16079.17%12.22%
Lyon16,3385,9601,30323,60169.23%25.25%
Mineral1,1386131421,89360.12%32.38%
Nye13,8245,8131,17820,81566.41%27.93%
Pershing1,2863841041,77472.49%21.65%
Storey1,7486781362,56268.23%26.46%
Washoe91,86294,6467,534194,04247.34%48.78%
White Pine2,5426122963,45073.68%17.74%
Total497,377481,99139,7031,019,07148.81%47.30%
MarginR +15,386R +1.51%

Once the votes were all counted, Lombardo had won a narrow victory over the Incumbent Sisolak. He did this without carrying the most populous counties, Clark, and Washoe, where a majority of the state’s votes are cast. Sisolak won Clark County 347,397– 308,760 votes (51.06%-45.38% and a difference of 38,637 votes), while carrying Washoe County 94,646–91,862 votes (48.78%-47.34% and a margin of 2,784 votes). However, Lombardo’s margins in the rest of the state were enough to power him to victory. He won the rest of the state’s counties 96,755–39,948 votes (66.88%-27.61% or a difference of 56,807 votes), allowing him to win the state narrowly against Sisolak. This was a rare occurrence, as usually a Republican roadmap in winning the state is to lose Clark County narrowly, win Washoe County, and win the rest of the state by higher margins. Overall, Lombardo won by a margin of 15,386 votes (1.51%).

Lieutenant Governor     

In the Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, Democratic incumbent Lisa Cano Burkhead ran for re-election after being appointed to her position by Incumbent Democratic governor Steve Sisolak when the incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kate Marshall resigned to work in the White House in 2021. She ran against three other candidates in the Democratic primary, securing 98,746 votes (57.67%), while the three other candidates garnered 61,621 votes (35.98%). The None of These Candidates option received 10,853 votes (6.34%).

In the Republican primary, Stavros Anthony, a Las Vegas City Councilor, won the primary with 68,232 votes (30.70%). The other Republican candidates in the primary took a combined 135,633 votes (61.03%), while the None of These Candidates achieved 18,374 votes (8.27%). Three other candidates also ran for the office: John Delap, an Independent, William Hoge, an Independent American, and Javi Tachiquin, a Libertarian.

CountyAnthony (R)Burkhead (D)3rdTotalRPCTDPCT
Carson City12,7849,3641,37523,52354.35%39.81%
Churchill7,0612,0806799,82071.90%21.18%
Clark312,329335,44630,321678,09646.06%49.47%
Douglas19,0708,4551,26128,78666.25%29.37%
Elko12,1132,9031,09516,11175.18%18.02%
Esmeralda337625245174.72%13.75%
Eureka659536777984.60%6.80%
Humboldt4,4951,1494286,07274.03%18.92%
Lander1,6553092362,20075.23%14.05%
Lincoln1,7052541882,14779.41%11.83%
Lyon16,3455,6071,51323,46569.66%23.90%
Mineral1,1335581871,87860.33%29.71%
Nye14,0085,4611,24820,71767.62%26.36%
Pershing1,2693641411,77471.53%20.52%
Storey1,7296411792,54967.83%25.15%
Washoe91,72290,5579,834192,11347.74%47.14%
White Pine2,5806082363,42475.35%17.76%
Total500,994463,87149,0401,013,90549.41%45.75%
MarginR +37,123R +3.66%

Anthony secured a solid victory over Burkhead. He did this by losing Clark County very narrowly, winning Washoe County narrowly, and overpowering Burkhead’s narrow margin in Clark with the rest of the state’s rural counties. Burkhead won Clark County 335,446-312,329 votes (49.47%-46.06%), or with a margin of 23,117 votes (3.41%) while Anthony won Washoe County 91,722–90,557 votes (47.74%-47.14%), or a margin of 1,165 votes (0.61%). Anthony won the rest of the state’s counties 96,943–37,868 votes (67.46%-26.35%) or a margin of 59,075 votes (41.11%). This margin in the rest of the state was more than twice as much as Burkhead’s margin in Clark County, allowing Anthony to carry the state by a margin of 37,123 votes (3.66%).

Attorney General

In the Attorney General election, Aaron Ford, the Democratic incumbent, ran for re-election. He did not face primary opposition, as his opponent was disqualified before the primary. On the Republican side, Sigal Chattah, a defense attorney, ran against Tisha Black, an attorney. Chattah won 112,941 votes (50.99%) to Black’s 88,019 votes (39.74%), while the None of These Candidates option received 20,545 votes (9.28%). A Libertarian, John T. Kennedy, also ran in the general election, was disqualified after it was discovered that he did not meet the requirement for candidates to belong to the Nevada State Bar.

CountyChattah (R)Ford (D)3rdTotalRPCTDPCT
Carson City10,33511,1641,00622,50545.92%49.61%
Churchill5,8392,8745589,27162.98%31.00%
Clark274,986362,00519,387656,37841.89%55.15%
Douglas16,43210,2761,22827,93658.82%36.78%
Elko11,5063,28857015,36474.89%21.40%
Esmeralda302773341273.30%18.69%
Eureka604875074181.51%11.74%
Humboldt3,7541,6003705,72465.58%27.95%
Lander1,4624771212,06070.97%23.16%
Lincoln1,5363751382,04974.96%18.30%
Lyon13,7097,1601,17822,04762.18%32.48%
Mineral9057301281,76351.33%41.41%
Nye12,2846,40998319,67662.43%32.57%
Pershing1,0495091121,67062.81%30.48%
Storey1,4918121072,41061.87%33.69%
Washoe75,529102,6707,021185,22040.78%55.43%
White Pine2,3617501453,25672.51%23.03%
Total434,084511,26333,135978,48244.36%52.25%
MarginD +77,179D +7.89%

Ford won a decisive victory over Chattah. Ford won Clark County 362,005–274,986 votes (55.15%-41.89%) with a margin of 87,019 votes (13.26%), while also winning Washoe County 102,670–75,529 votes (55.43%-40.78%), or with a margin of 27,141 votes (14.65%). Ford also won Carson City, an independent city-county (the first time since 2014 a Democrat has won a jurisdiction outside of Clark and Washoe Counties), which lowered Chattah’s margins in the rest of the state’s counties compared to the winning Republican candidates in the 2022 election to 83,569–46,588 votes (61.05%-34.03%), or a margin of 36,981 votes (27.02%). Chattah’s margin in the rural counties would not have been enough to overcome Ford’s margin in Clark County alone; this meant that Ford won the state by a margin of 77,179 votes (7.89%).

Secretary of State

In the Secretary of State election, incumbent Republican Barbara Cegavske was term-limited and was prohibited from running again. Cisco Aguilar, a former staffer for Harry Reid and a Counsel for a law firm, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. In the Republican primary, Jim Marchant, a former assemblymember and prominent election denier, ran against six other candidates, winning 82,843 votes (37.62%), while the other candidates took 119,131 votes (54.10%). The None of These Candidates option took 18,245 votes (8.28%). Two other candidates also ran: Ross Crane, a Libertarian, and Janine Hansen, an Independent American.

CountyMarchant (R)Aguilar (D)3rdTotalRPCTDPCT
Carson City11,77810,4511,26423,49350.13%44.49%
Churchill6,7212,5185899,82868.39%25.62%
Clark295,920355,07427,068678,06243.64%52.37%
Douglas18,1719,4801,18328,83463.02%32.88%
Elko11,7213,1111,28816,12072.71%19.30%
Esmeralda335724445174.28%15.96%
Eureka646656978082.82%8.33%
Humboldt4,2291,3884746,09169.43%22.79%
Lander1,5664102302,20670.99%18.59%
Lincoln1,6902971662,15378.50%13.79%
Lyon15,7326,4001,32723,45967.06%27.28%
Mineral1,0856491511,88557.56%34.43%
Nye13,6545,8941,20720,75565.79%28.40%
Pershing1,1944351441,77367.34%24.53%
Storey1,6877181472,55266.11%28.13%
Washoe84,81098,9618,833192,60444.03%51.38%
White Pine2,5286462533,42773.77%18.85%
Total473,467496,56944,4371,014,47346.67%48.95%
MarginD +23,102D +2.28%

When all the votes were recorded, Democratic candidate Aguilar won a narrow victory over Marchant. Aguilar was able to do this by carrying Clark County 355,074-295,920 votes (52.37%-43.64%) with a margin of 59,154 votes (8.72%), while carrying Washoe County 98,961–84,810 votes (51.38% – 44.03%) with a margin of 14,151 votes (7.35%). Marchant was able to win the rest of the state’s counties 92,737–42,534 votes (64.49%-29.58%), with a margin of 50,203 votes (34.91%), which was not enough to overpower Aguilar’s margin of 59,154 and 14,151 votes in Clark and Washoe; this allowed Aguilar to carry the state by a margin of 23,102 votes (2.28%).

State Treasurer     

In the State Treasurer election, Incumbent Democrat Zach Conine ran for re-election and was unopposed in the Democratic primary. In the Republican primary, Michele Fiore, a Las Vegas City Councilor, ran against Manny Kess, a business owner. Fiore took 134,184 votes (61.10%), to Kess’s 65,048 votes (29.62%), while the None of These Candidates option took 20,370 votes (9.28%). Two other candidates also advanced to the general election: Bryan Elliott, a Libertarian, and Margaret Hendrickson, an Independent American.

CountyFiore (R)Conine (D)3rdTotalRPCTDPCT
Carson City11,91710,0791,54723,54350.62%42.81%
Churchill6,7752,2887289,79169.20%23.37%
Clark285,803348,51642,258676,57742.24%51.51%
Douglas18,3678,9941,55228,91363.53%31.11%
Elko11,8943,0451,12216,06174.06%18.96%
Esmeralda328595944673.54%13.23%
Eureka645656577583.23%8.39%
Humboldt4,3151,2624846,06171.19%20.82%
Lander1,6663182222,20675.52%14.42%
Lincoln1,6602812042,14577.39%13.10%
Lyon15,8545,9411,65223,44767.62%25.34%
Mineral1,1005801961,87658.64%30.92%
Nye13,3075,6391,76820,71464.24%27.22%
Pershing1,2203871581,76569.12%21.93%
Storey1,6856811812,54766.16%26.74%
Washoe86,56293,98111,201191,74445.14%49.01%
White Pine2,4726463003,41872.32%18.90%
Total465,570482,76263,6971,012,02946.00%47.70%
MarginD +17,192D +1.70%

When the votes were cast and counted, Conine won a narrow victory over Fiore. He was able to do this by carrying Clark County 348,516 – 285,803 votes (51.51% – 42.24%), or with a margin of 62,713 votes (9.27%), while carrying Washoe County 93,981 – 86,562 votes (49.01% – 45.14%), or with a margin of 7,419 votes (3.87%). Fiore won the rest of the state’s rural counties 93,205 – 40,265 votes (64.86% – 28.02%), or with a margin of 52,940 votes (36.84%). Fiore’s margins in the rest of the state would not have been enough to overpower Conine’s 62,713 vote margin in Clark County alone. These factors allowed Conine to carry the state 482,762 – 465,570 votes (47.70% – 46.00%, or by a margin of 17,192 votes (1.70%).

State Controller

In the State Controller election, Incumbent Democratic Controller did not run for re-election, making this an open race. In the Democratic primary, Ellen Spiegel (a business owner) ran against Alex Costa, taking 111,989 votes (67.26%) to Costa’s 40,664 votes (24.42%). The None of These Candidates option earned 13,841 votes (8.31%). Republican Andy Matthews (a president of the Nevada Policy Research Institute) ran unopposed in the Republican primary, advancing to the general election. A Libertarian candidate, Jed Profeta, also ran in the general election.

CountyMatthews (R)Spiegel (D)3rdTotalRPCTDPCT
Carson City13,0349,4101,04023,48455.50%40.07%
Churchill7,2032,0944929,78973.58%21.39%
Clark312,102336,09425,896674,09246.30%49.86%
Douglas19,3178,4191,04728,78367.11%29.25%
Elko12,3842,85978716,03077.26%17.84%
Esmeralda357593545179.16%13.08%
Eureka686513877588.52%6.58%
Humboldt4,5921,1403346,06675.70%18.79%
Lander1,7303121562,19878.71%14.19%
Lincoln1,7732531092,13583.04%11.85%
Lyon16,5415,6871,12023,34870.85%24.36%
Mineral1,1545631551,87261.65%30.07%
Nye14,1175,5081,04220,66768.31%26.65%
Pershing1,2833571281,76872.57%20.19%
Storey1,7516451412,53769.02%25.42%
Washoe94,03689,0237,719190,77849.29%46.66%
White Pine2,6436181653,42677.15%18.04%
Total504,703463,09240,4041,008,19950.06%45.93%
MarginR +41,611R +4.13%

Matthews won a solid victory over Spiegel. He was able to do this by losing Clark County narrowly, carrying Washoe County, and winning the rest of the state by high margins. Spiegel won Clark County 336,094-312,102 votes (49.86%-46.30%), or with a margin of 23,992 votes (3.56%), while Matthews won Washoe 94,036–89,023 votes (49.29%-46.66%), or by a margin of 5,013 votes (2.63%). Matthews won the rest of the state’s counties 98,565–37,975 votes (63.73%26.49%), or by a margin of 60,590 votes (37.24%). This combination allowed him to win the state by a margin of 41,611 votes (4.13%)

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