Politics in 2026: Eyes on Nevada gov. race, mail-in ballot counting case

While 2025 may have been an exciting year of governing, politicos in Nevada will now turn their attention to the main event: election season.

Elected officials, appointees and party members are expected to be heavily focused on midterm elections and new policies in 2026. Here are some of the top stories to watch in the new year.

Governor’s race takes the lead in 2026

Nevadans and politicos across the country will be keeping a close eye on the governor’s race as incumbent Republican Joe Lombardo fights to keep his seat.

Attorney General Aaron Ford and Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill have already announced their plans to seek the Democratic nomination. Ford, the frontrunner in the Democratic race, is neck-and-neck with Lombardo, according to polling released in November.

The primary election is June 9, with early voting from May 23 through June 5. The general election is Nov. 3. Early voting for that election runs Oct. 17 through Oct. 30.

Coming off of his second regular legislative session and third special session, Lombardo has said he is running to continue working on increasing housing stock and fighting for school choice policies in the state, as well as to continue acting as a “last line of defense” against Democratic policies that make it to his desk. Lombardo has set records for the most vetoes of any Nevada governor.

Meanwhile, the term-limited attorney general has said he wants to lead Nevada against “the status quo.” Ford received Democratic establishment backing before he even formally launched his campaign in July. Ford, a former state senator, has said some of his priorities are making Nevadans’ everyday lives more affordable.

Hill, a Reno native, has said she’s focused on addressing “tax giveaways” like the incentives used in the Tesla Gigafactory construction in Northern Nevada and the failed effort to draw Hollywood film studio development in Southern Nevada.

Nevada attorney general seat up for grabs

Ford’s departure from the attorney general’s office has led to several candidate announcements on both sides of the aisle. Democrats Zach Conine, the state treasurer, and Nicole Cannizzaro, the state Senate majority leader, have both launched their campaigns for the chief law enforcement role in the state.

Republicans who have announced their plans to run include Danny Tarkanian — a Douglas County Commissioner and son of famed basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian — and Adriana Guzmán Fralick, a Reno-based attorney who recently resigned from her role as the chair of the state’s Cannabis Compliance Board.

No Senate midterm race

The 2026 election cycle will be unusual with no U.S. Senate seats up for election. Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto are both in the middle of their six-year terms. Cortez Masto is next up for re-election in 2028; Rosen in 2030.

The cycle creates a challenge in fundraising. Without a Senate seat for grabs, out-of-state donors are less likely to be monitoring Nevada’s electoral outcomes. Fewer outside resources flooding the state could affect lower ballot races.

All four of Nevada’s members of the House of Representatives — Democrats Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford and Republican Mark Amodei — will be up for re-election.

June could be a compelling primary race for opponents, with several crowded races already shaping up. Republican challengers who have announced campaigns in Titus’ district include state Sen. Carrie Buck, former celebrity luxury car dealership owner and convicted felon Bobby Khan and former Assemblyman Jim Marchant, among others. Republicans intending to run against Lee include “Halo” composer Marty O’Donnell, among others. Republicans who have announced campaigns to unseat Horsford include David Flippo and Cody Whipple.

Campaign filing begins March 2.

Supreme Court decision could change Nevada elections

A decision expected to come from the U.S. Supreme Court has the potential to drastically alter the administration of future elections in Nevada and more than a dozen other states that allow post-Election Day mail-in ballot counting.

The high court will consider Watson v. Republican National Committee, challenging state laws that allow state election officials to count ballots cast by federal Election Day but received via mail after. In Nevada, ballots without a postmark have up to three days after Election Day to be counted and four days for posted mail.

Clark County received about 98 percent of its mail ballots on or before Election Day, according to the Nevada secretary of state.

Justices are widely expected to release their ruling by June, which could affect the 2026 midterm elections in the fall.

New traffic safety laws go into effect

State politicians made tightened traffic safety laws a priority during the 2025 special legislative session in Carson City. The Legislature passed Assembly Bill 6 unanimously with three senators absent, and Lombardo signed the school zone safety bill on Nov. 29.

The new law doubles traffic penalties in school zones and gives local governments greater control over school zone infrastructure, such as signage and enforcement hours that align with school start and end times. It goes into effect on July 1, ahead of the upcoming school year.

The legislation came onto the special session agenda after an increase in student pedestrian collisions in Clark County since the start of the school year. There have been more than 200 of those collisions since Aug. 11, Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert said at a ceremonial bill signing in December.

Local and state leaders will be monitoring traffic zone changes — plus suggestions from a working group — to see how the implementation may affect crash rates.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.