Nevada 2022 Midterm Election Recap

Most votes from Nevada’s midterm election have been counted, with races decided for almost all seats in the Nevada state House, state Senate, state constitutional offices, and the state’s U.S. congressional delegation.

Federal Races

In an extraordinarily close race with national implications, Catherine Cortez Masto held onto her seat in the U.S. Senate with a narrow 0.8% victory over former Attorney General Adam Laxalt. Cortez Masto’s victory ensured that Democrats would retain control of the Senate for at least the next two years.

The makeup of Nevada’s congressional delegation stays the same – one Republican and three Democrats in the U.S. House – with all four incumbents defeating general election challengers to retain their seats: While Republican Rep. Mark Amodei easily held his seat in CD-2 (by 22 points), the three Democrats, Rep. Dina Titus (CD-1), Rep. Susie Lee (CD-3), and Rep. Steven Horsford (CD-4) each won by 6 points or less.

Statewide Races

In the Governor’s race, Former Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, a Republican, narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak by 1.5 points. Voters also elected Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, as the two offices have run as a ticket since 2018.

In contests for other statewide offices, Democrat Francisco Aguilar was elected Secretary of State, defeating Jim Marchant by 2 points; incumbent Democratic Treasurer Zach Conine ran a similarly tight race against Republican Michele Fiore, also winning by 2 points; incumbent Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford defeated Republican challenger Sigal Chattah by 8 points; and Republican Andy Matthews was elected State Treasurer, defeating Democrat Ellen Spiegel by 4 points.

Ballot Measures

Voters weighed in on three statewide ballot measures:

Equal Rights Amendment – With 59% approval, voters agreed to amend the Nevada Constitution to ensure “equality of rights under the law,” regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, and several other factors.

Increasing Minimum Wage – With 55% approval, voters increased the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour, effective July 1, 2024. The amendment also ended the existing method of setting rates based on whether a company provides health insurance.

Open Primaries / Ranked Choice Voting – With 53% approval, voters agreed to amend the Nevada Constitution to establish open primaries for most statewide offices and implement ranked-choice voting in general elections, beginning in 2026.

Legislative Races

11 of 21 seats in the State Senate were up for election, with each party controlling five (plus one vacant seat). In the general election, Democrats won six seats while Republicans secured four, giving Democrats a net gain of at least one seat.

One race – District 8 – is too close to call, though Democratic incumbent Marilyn Dondero Loop currently leads Republican Joey Paulos, 50.7% to 49.3%.

In all Senate races, the victor won by at least 12 points, except for two battleground races:

In District 9, Democratic incumbent Melanie Scheible defeated Republican Tina Brown by a 6-point margin.
In District 12, Democrat Julie Ann Pazina defeated Republican Cherlyn Arrington by 4 points.

All 42 seats were up for election in the State Assembly, including 16 highly contested races – 10 in Democratic-held districts and six in Republican-held districts.

Going into the general election, Democrats maintained a 25-16 margin, with one vacant seat. After the election, Democrats now hold 28 seats and Republicans hold 14.

Highly contested State Assembly races included:

In District 1, Democratic incumbent Daniele Monroe-Moreno defeated Republican Garland Brinkley with over 54% of the vote.
In District 2, Republican incumbent Heidi Kasama defeated Democrat Nick Christenson with over 54% of the vote.
In District 5, Democratic incumbent Brittney Miller defeated Republican Kelly Quinn with over 52% of the vote.
In District 9, Democratic incumbent Steve Yeager defeated Republican Ryan Fleming with over 53% of the vote.
In District 12, Democrat Max Carter narrowly defeated Republican Flemming Larsen with over 50% of the vote.
In District 13, Republican Brian Hibbetts defeated Democrat Will Rucker with over 55% of the vote.
In District 21, Democratic incumbent Elaine Marzola defeated Republican Jon Petrick with over 52% of the vote.
In District 25, Democrat Selena La Rue Hatch defeated Republican Sam Kumar with over 53% of the vote.
In District 29, Democratic incumbent Lesley Cohen defeated Republican Rhonda Knightly with 53% of the vote.
In District 30, Democratic incumbent Natha Anderson defeated Republican Ricci Rodriguez-Elkins with over 55% of the vote.
In District 35, Democratic incumbent Michelle Gorelow narrowly defeated Republican Tiffany Jones with nearly 49% of the vote.
In District 37, Democrat Shea Backus narrowly defeated Republican opponent Jacob Deaville with over 50% of the vote.
In District 41, Democratic incumbent Sandra Jauregui defeated Republican Paul Bodine with over 51% of the vote.