Perkins garners the most votes in race for state Board of Regents seat

In a crowded primary race for District 1’s seat on the state Board of Regents, Laura Perkins pulled in a majority of the votes and will advance to the general election later this year.

Perkins had garnered about 33 percent of the vote as of 10:40 p.m. Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Clark County Elections Department. With 87 percent of vote centers reporting, Jo Cato pulled in the second-highest number of votes, claiming 20 percent of the vote, and also will likely appear on the ballot in November.

District 1’s seat was vacated in April after Cedric Crear won a special election for the Ward 5 seat on the Las Vegas City Council. With his second, six-year term almost at an end, Crear was term-limited and would have been unable to run for reelection. Anthony Williams was appointed to the board in April by Gov. Brian Sandoval, and will serve the remainder of Crear’s term.

The board oversees the state’s seven colleges and the Desert Research Institute, setting policies and establishing budget priorities for the schools and the research institution.

Overall, Clark County voters narrowed the field of candidates in District 1 from five to two.

The race for a second seat on the board — this one covering District 12 — was almost as crowded until Regent Andrea Anderson, the incumbent, withdrew her name from the ballot. Anderson has been serving on the board since she was first appointed to the seat by former Gov. Jim Gibbons in 2009.

Political newcomer Amy Carvalho took an early lead Tuesday night with 47 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Andrew Coates trailed behind Carvalho with 34 percent of the vote, but both will likely advance to the general election.

Two other seats were open on the board, but their races were uncontested in Tuesday’s primary, with Donald Sylvantee McMichael as the sole candidate for District 4 and incumbent Carol Del Carlo, as the sole candidate for District 9, which covers Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Esmeralda, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Storey and Washoe counties.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.