Former councilman leads in Republican race for Nevada treasurer

Former Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers bested financial planner Derek Uehara in the Republican primary for state treasurer, unofficial vote totals showed Tuesday night.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Beers collected 67 percent, to Uehara’s 24 percent. Beers, who watched the results from home, said he’d been waiting to see the outcome before deciding whether he’d start working on Wednesday.

“I’m going to wait some months and campaign,” Beers, a certified public accountant, said of his face-off with Democrat Zach Conine, who was unopposed, in November. “I’ll be doing my best to peddle my resume across the state. I think I’m the best candidate for this particular job.”

Nevada voters on Tuesday narrowed the number of candidates vying for four statewide offices: treasurer, attorney general, lieutenant governor and secretary of state.

State Sen. Aaron Ford easily beat out opponent Stuart MacKie in the Democratic race for attorney general, earning 68 percent of the votes to MacKie’s 19 percent.

“From West Wendover to Reno to Las Vegas, I look forward to continuing to share my vision for putting Nevada families first by taking on scammers who rip off our seniors, polluters who poison our water, and criminals and drug dealers who prey on our communities,” Ford said in a statement. “I am proud of the campaign that we are running on behalf of all Nevadans, and we look forward to victory on November 6th.”

Wes Duncan emerged as Ford’s general election opponent after his Tuesday primary, where he garnered nearly 60 percent of votes to Craig Mueller’s 31 percent in the Republican attorney general race.

Duncan, who was at a GOP watch party in Las Vegas with his pregnant wife, said he’s striving to make Nevada “the safest place possible.”

“I want to look my kids in the eyes and tell them we’re doing all that we can,” Duncan said. “That’s what drives me.”

In the lieutenant governor race, state Sen. Michael Roberson turned back four other Republican contenders seeking the state’s second-highest executive office. Roberson took in 46 percent of the vote. The candidate closest to him, Brent Jones, had just over 18 percent.

Kate Marshall was the top vote-getter on the Democratic side, with 67 percent, to Laurie Hansen’s 22 percent.

Roberson was already looking forward to matching up against Marshall in November.

“I’m looking forward to matching my record of experience to hers,” he said.

Incumbent Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske defeated challenger Ernest Aldridge in the GOP primary, earning 63 percent of votes to Aldridge’s 27 percent. Cegavske will go up against Democrat Nelson Araujo in November.

The general election is Nov. 6.

Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @Journo_Jamie_ on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writers Colton Lochhead and Bailey Schulz contributed to this report.