Who Controls Elections Matters. Right Now, Democrats Are Running the Table
Imagine your neighbor telling you he’s going to referee the big game… and the other team gets to pick him.
That’s basically what’s happening with Nevada’s Secretary of State race right now. This is the office that runs our elections. It oversees voter rolls. It certifies results. And heading into 2026, Nevada Republicans don’t have a serious candidate in the race.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Why This Office Is a Really Big Deal
The Secretary of State isn’t some behind-the-scenes paper-pusher. This is the person who decides how elections are run in Nevada. Voter registration. Mail ballots. Ballot counting. The whole operation flows through this office.
And 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most consequential election years in recent memory. Nevada voters will head to the polls on Voter ID, a measure that 73 percent of voters already approved when it was last on the ballot. How that measure gets implemented could depend significantly on who sits in the Secretary of State’s chair.
So it matters. A lot.
What’s the Situation Right Now?
Democratic incumbent Cisco Aguilar won the office in 2022 by just about 2 percentage points. That’s razor-thin in a purple state like Nevada. You’d think Republicans would be lining up to challenge him.
They’re not.
Right now, the only announced Republican candidate is Sharron Angle. She’s been a familiar name in Nevada politics for decades.
She ran for U.S. Senate against Harry Reid in 2010 and lost. She ran for Congress in 2018 and lost in the primary. She ran for State Senate in 2024 and lost in the primary. Wikipedia describes her plainly as a “perennial candidate.”
Nobody questions Sharron Angle’s conservative principles. But a track record of losses doesn’t inspire the kind of donor confidence or grassroots enthusiasm needed to beat a well-funded incumbent.
And Aguilar is very well-funded.
Democrats Are Playing Offense. Where’s the GOP?
While Republicans are still looking for a credible candidate, Aguilar has been busy. He’s now serving as Chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, a national group that has announced plans to spend $40 million to elect Democrats to secretary of state offices across the country ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
“Secretaries of state are on the front lines of protecting our elections,” Aguilar said when the chairmanship was announced.
That’s true. Which is exactly why conservatives should be alarmed that nobody strong has stepped up on the Republican side.
The Clock Is Ticking
Here’s the hard deadline. Nevada’s candidate filing period for non-judicial offices runs from March 2 through March 13, 2026. That’s less than three weeks away. After that window closes, the field is set.
If no credible Republican steps up before March 13, the GOP could be heading into November with a candidate who has repeatedly struggled to win even primary elections. That’s a tough position to be in against an incumbent who’s actively being bankrolled by a national Democratic operation.
A Lesson From Maryland
While Nevada Republicans are scrambling, the Maryland GOP just launched something worth noting. Their “Seat by Seat” initiative is a candidate-recruitment push aimed at filling every open seat on the ballot, even in tough districts.
Their message is simple: you can’t win a seat you don’t contest. And having a candidate in every race builds the party’s grassroots network, whether you win or lose.
Nevada Republicans could use that same mindset right now. Not just for Secretary of State, but up and down the ballot.
What Conservatives Can Do
If you care about election integrity in Nevada, you can’t sit this one out.
Talk to your local Republican Party chapter about the need for a serious candidate. If you know someone with the credentials and the temperament to run — a business leader, a former county official, a lawyer with election law experience — encourage them.
The more people understand what’s at stake, the more pressure there is on party leadership to recruit a quality candidate before that March 13 door slams shut.
Election integrity starts with having someone in the room who shares your values. Right now, that room has a vacancy sign.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
