Nevada held its general election on November 6, 2018, deciding 53 legislative seats and 6 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Democrats won the governor's office and gave the party its first trifecta since 1992, while a recount left them one seat short of a two-thirds Senate majority.
- Clark County Commission chair Steve Sisolak (D) beat Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R) by about 4 points to become the first Democratic governor in two decades. Sisolak's campaign said a key message with Republican and independent voters was that outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval had opted not to endorse Laxalt.
- Democrats finished with 29 of 42 Assembly seats, a two-thirds supermajority, and 13 of 21 in the Senate, one seat short. That one seat kept them from passing taxes or overriding vetoes without Republican votes. It was Senate District 20, the open seat of former Senate Republican leader Michael Roberson (R), where a recount upheld Assemblyman Keith Pickard (R)'s 24-vote win over Julie Pazina (D).
- Democrats took five of the six statewide offices, several by narrow margins. State Sen. Aaron Ford (D) won the open attorney general's race over Wesley Duncan (R) by less than half a point to become the state's first African American attorney general, Zach Conine (D) beat Bob Beers (R) for treasurer by under a point, Kate Marshall (D) defeated Roberson for lieutenant governor by about 7 points, and Catherine Byrne (D) unseated Controller Ron Knecht (R) by about 4 points. Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske (R) was the only Republican to win statewide, edging Nelson Araujo (D) by less than a point.
- Every legislative seat that changed hands, 4 in all, went to Democrats. Besides Controller Knecht, the incumbents who lost were the two Assembly Republicans named above. Once post-election appointments filled vacancies, Nevada became the first state with a female-majority Legislature.
- Voters passed 5 of 6 ballot questions. The one that failed was Question 3, the energy-choice amendment to end NV Energy's electric monopoly: voters reversed their 2016 vote after the utility spent heavily against it in the most expensive ballot fight in state history. Question 6, raising the renewable portfolio standard to 50% by 2030, needs a second approval in 2020 to enter the constitution. Voters also approved Question 1 (Marsy's Law crime-victim rights), Question 2 (a sales-tax exemption for feminine hygiene products), Question 4 (a sales-tax exemption for medical equipment), and Question 5 (automatic voter registration at the DMV).
Legislature
- Assembly (42 seats): 27 D, 14 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 29 D, 13 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
- Senate (21 seats): 10 D, 8 R, 3 other or vacant before the election, 13 D, 8 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Question 1 | Expands the rights of crime victims | Passed (61.19% yes) |
| Question 2 | Exempts feminine hygiene products from sales tax | Passed (56.48% yes) |
| Question 3 | Regulations on the energy market | Failed (32.95% yes) |
| Question 4 | Sales tax exemption for medical equipment | Passed (67.38% yes) |
| Question 5 | Automatic voter registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles | Passed (59.57% yes) |
| Question 6 | Requires 50 percent of energy to come from renewable resources by 2030 | Passed (59.28% yes) |