Voter registration numbers drop a bit in Nevada
Nevada’s political parties, with the exception of the Libertarian Party, saw declines in voter registration numbers in June, the secretary of state’s office reported last week.
The total decline was modest, however, with the rolls declining by 6,710 registered active voters compared to May.
There are now 1,260,389 registered voters in Nevada as the nascent 2014 election season begins to get underway.
Democrats lost 3,018 voters and now total 530,752, while Republicans lost 2,109 voters and now total 432,824.
Libertarians added 26 voters and total 8,863.
Of the total registered voters statewide, 42.1 percent are Democrats, 34.3 percent are Republicans, 17.6 percent are nonpartisan, 4.7 percent are members of the Independent American Party, and the remaining 1.3 percent are members of the Libertarian or other minor parties.
The November 2014 general election, which will see GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval seek re-election along with races for Nevada’s other constitutional officers and its four congressional seats, is 16 months away but some campaigning has already begun.
The Nevada State Education Association has already ramped up its efforts to win support for a business margins tax proposal that will be on the November 2014 ballot.
This past Monday, Erin Bilbray announced her candidacy as a Democratic Party challenger to Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., in the 3rd Congressional District in Southern Nevada.
The new voter registration numbers for the district show Heck could face a tough re-election campaign. Democrats have 38.9 percent of the active 349,400 registered voters compared to 36.1 percent for Republicans and 18.9 percent for nonpartisans. Minor parties make up the remainder.
— Sean Whaley
SANDOVAL: REPUBLICAN FAVORED
GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval’s seemingly unstoppable re-election effort has not gone unnoticed by Roll Call.
A blog entry by Stu Rothenberg, columnist for Roll Call, on Friday moved Sandoval’s re-election chances from “Lean Republican” to “Republican Favored.”
The item, posted by Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, noted that “you can’t beat someone with no one.”
Democrats are still looking for a challenger to Sandoval, who plans to run for re-election to a second four-year term in November, the blog item says.
State Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto has taken a pass on the race, and Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak is considered to be the most likely Democratic candidate.
Sisolak recently told the Review-Journal that he was still evaluating a run against Sandoval, who has strong popularity ratings with Nevada voters.
“President Barack Obama’s 6-point win in 2012 and the changing demographics of the state fuel Democratic optimism,” Gonzales wrote. “But Sandoval doesn’t look like he is in any imminent danger.”
Rothenberg describes himself as a nonpartisan political analyst/handicapper who has been a Roll Call columnist for more than 20 years.
— Sean Whaley
A patch to remember
Sheriff Doug Gillespie wants something from Clark County commissioners — a vote in favor of a 0.15 percent sales tax increase to pay for police officers under the More Cops proposal.
At the County Commission meeting Tuesday, he started out his presentation by saying he appreciates the commissioners, whom he presented with a patch commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This past Monday was the anniversary of when the Las Vegas and Clark County police agencies merged.
“This is not trying to influence you in any way, shape or form in regards to what we’re discussing here today,” Gillespie said. “I just think it’s a nice thing to do for seven people that I spend a lot of time working with to provide a level of safety in the community.”
Commissioners will vote on the sales tax proposal on Aug. 6.
— Ben Botkin
Contact Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Contact reporter Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Follow him on Twitter @BenBotkin1.
