Nevada secretary of state race for 2018 takes an unexpected turn

Reno City Councilman Oscar Delgado looked like a top Democratic contender for the secretary of state race to challenge incumbent Republican Barbara Cegavske.

But on Thursday he announced that he would not be running for the seat after all.

“While I was certainly excited about the prospect of helping Nevadans on a statewide level, I have decided against making a run,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. “Running for office is always a personal decision, and at this point in time my priorities are to continue fighting for my constituents on the City Council and to spend as much time as possible with my wife, Sarita, and our twin babies, Samiya and Dario.”

Two other Democrats are still eyeing a possible run for the seat: State Sen. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas, and Assemblyman Nelson Araujo, D-Las Vegas.

Nelson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal Friday that he is “still very seriously considering the race,” and intends to make a decision sometime this week. Spearman did not respond a request for comment Friday.

Who’s in for 2018?

Philanthropist and noted education advocate Susie Lee is running for Congress in Nevada’s 3rd District. Lee, a Democrat ran unsuccessfully in the 4th Congressional District in 2016.

State Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, is officially in for the state attorney general race. The office’s current occupant, Republican Adam Laxalt, is expected to run for governor and former Republican Assemblyman Wes Duncan is expected to run against Ford.

Former two-term Democratic state Treasurer Kate Marshall is running for lieutenant governor. Marshall most recently ran for secretary of state in 2014, losing to Cegavske.

Candidate endorsements this week

Republican congressional candidate and Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony received an endorsement from Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak nabbed an endorsement from the Nevada Law Enforcement Coalition, a group composed of police unions and organizations, including the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, the Metropolitan Police Department’s uniformed officers union.

Ford, the Democratic attorney general candidate, received endorsements from a plethora of former law enforcement officials on Friday, including former Clark County Sheriff Bill Young, former Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley, former Henderson Police Chief Richard Perkins and longtime Las Vegas police officer and detective Dave Kallas, who previously served as the president of the Southern Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.