Carter upsets incumbent Wixom in Board of Regents District 6

Michael Wixom, an 11-year incumbent on Nevada’s higher education board, lost to a candidate who didn’t raise or spend any money to fund his campaign, as Patrick Carter pulled off the upset in their District 6 race.

Wixom — who has never been challenged for his spot on Nevada’s Board of Regents — claimed only 28 percent of votes in the crowded race, according to unofficial results from the Clark County Elections Department.

Wixom ranked second among five candidates — challenger Carter led with 33.9 percent — and will advance to the November election against Carter.

They were battling over the District 6 area, which covers a rural stretch of land near Clark County’s southern tip bordering Arizona and California.

“Patrick’s a fine guy, but he really hasn’t done a lot” to engage with the higher education community, Wixom said Tuesday night after early voting results were posted. “We’ll just see what develops.”

Wixom raised and spent more money than any other candidate — he raked in nearly $31,000 and spent about 38 percent.

Carter, meanwhile, was the only contender who didn’t raise or spend any money on the race.

Downtown attorney John “J.T.” Moran III predictably took the early lead to claim District 13, a C-shaped region that includes northwest and southwest portions of the Las Vegas Valley and a stretch of mountain land to the west. Moran — the scion of a powerful Las Vegas political family — has put up big money to take the open seat, raising nearly $300,000 and spending nearly three-fourths of his political war chest on aggressive campaign efforts, including $54,000 on television advertising buys in Southern Nevada.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting results, Moran claimed more than half of the vote. When those results become official totals, he would avoid a general contest in November thanks to new rules governing nonpartisan primary races.

And for a second voting cycle in a row, Regent Mark Doubrava defeated Lucille Thaler, a retired educator who sought the seat in 2010.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Doubrava had claimed 56.5 percent of the vote, which means he would win the race outright and avoid the general election.

Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Follow @la__ley on Twitter