Numbers game leads to 14 uncontested races for Nevada Legislature

More than one-fifth of the Nevada Legislature seats up for election this fall have effectively been decided.

Of the 53 races on the Nov. 6 ballot, 14 are uncontested, meaning there’s only one candidate on the ballot for the Nov. 6 election. In those 14 races, only four of the candidates had primary opponents. Ten candidates knew from the end of the filing period that they would retain their seats.

That means more than a dozen lawmakers can eschew campaigning for themselves to prepare for the upcoming session and help fellow candidates in competitive districts.

Numbers game

Voter registration numbers are the No. 1 reason people choose not to run in certain districts, said Eric Roberts, executive director of the Assembly Republican Caucus. Once the voter registration deficit hits about 20 percent, winning becomes nearly impossible, he said.

Roberts thinks poorly drawn districts are why so many races have only Democrats on the ballot.

When he talks to Republican candidates interested in those districts, he lets them know it’s going to be a tough road, with little or no resources or support them, because there’s going to be more focus on the tighter districts.

Getting a candidate who is willing to “fall on the sword” can help the party as a whole, he said, because they can get out and talk to undecided or nonpartisan voters and may convince them to go to the polls and vote Republican.

“It could be the difference from that person choosing to vote at all,” Roberts said. “It can make a big impact there.”

Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, D-Las Vegas, said the time commitment required to serve in the Legislature also leads to uncontested races. Between work and family, many good candidates can’t carve out the time. Frierson said he doesn’t necessarily believe in putting a candidate up in a district just for show, and that continuous cultivating of leaders in districts is going to matter more as term limits prevent someone from spending decades in the same office.

“We have to stay ready with lists of people who are engaged and able again to make that sacrifice to serve,” he said. “That’s part of what I believe my responsibility is. As term limits have fully matriculated now, we have to be ready for transitioning leadership.”

District representations

In Senate District 10, Democrat Yvanna Cancela easily defeated a primary challenger and drew no Republican opponent. The remaining 13 uncontested races are on the Assembly side, with three Republicans — all incumbents — and 10 Democrats.

Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, said she can’t remember a time before this year when she didn’t have a challenger for her seat. Carlton served 12 years in the state Senate before moving to the Assembly in 2010.

“I think part of it is if you do a good job, people don’t feel like they need to replace you, and if you stay connected to your district and you stay involved, folks feel like you represent them,” she said.

Carlton’s district, like almost all the uncontested races, swings heavily in her favor in terms of voter registration, with more than 14,000 registered Democrats compared to 4,600 registered Republicans. It would be a clear uphill battle for a Republican to unseat her — another reason Carlton thinks she has an easy path back to Carson City.

But Carlton says it’s still important for her to get out and knock on doors in her district. If she doesn’t, who will, she asks.

Assemblyman John Ellison, R-Elko, won his primary by a large margin and said he doesn’t think Democrats could find anyone to challenge him.

Assembly District 33, which Ellison represents, has about 5,600 registered Democrats and more than 17,000 registered Republicans. But Ellison, who has served as a city councilman and county commissioner in his district, said he works with all his constituents to try to represent their concerns.

“We work with everybody,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we always agree to everything, but we try to work through everything that we can. I still am a very conservative individual.”

Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.