The Nevada 2026 candidate filing deadline closed on March 13 and the election picture for the June 9 primary and November 3 general election is much clearer.
The surprise announcement by Rep. Mark Amodei that he would retire at the end of his term brought a stampede of candidates seeking to replace him in the House.
An astonishing 27 candidates have filed in the heavily Republican Second Congressional District that covers the entire northern third of the state. The field consists of 15 Republicans, 11 Democrats, and an Independent American.
The GOP’s presumptive frontrunner is James Settelmeyer, a state legislator for 16 years and current director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, appointed by Gov. Joe Lombardo in 2023.
Born in Carson City, Settelmeyer is a fourth-generation Nevadan and a Douglas County rancher with a long history of service in northern Nevada.
Elected to the Assembly in 2006 and the state Senate in 2010 (representing Churchill, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties), Settelmeyer served as the Senate Republican leader from 2018 until termed out in 2022.
Congressman Amodei and Governor Lombardo are expected to endorse Settelmeyer.
Republican David Flippo, retired Air Force Lt. Col. and Las Vegas resident, previously announced his running in southern Nevada’s 4th Congressional District where he lives, but decided to run in CD 2 instead.
Flippo ran unsuccessfully for Congress in CD 4 in 2024 and lost an Assembly race in Las Vegas in 2022. Arizona-based “Turning Point Action”, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, reportedly backs Flippo.
Other Republicans in the field include former Eureka County Sheriff Jesse Watts and Dr. Fred Simon who lost the GOP primary to Amodei in 2024.
Though a Democrat has never won CD 2, former Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson, has filed. A Reno native, Benitez-Thompson served in the Assembly from 2010 to 2022 and sees a “narrow path” to winning the seat.
Wealthy cryptocurrency investor Greg Kidd has entered the race—this time as a Democrat. In 2024, he ran a “nonpartisan” campaign losing to Amodei by 19 points. Last cycle, Kidd
bankrolled his campaign by loaning it millions of dollars. He’s prepared to spend big again this year.
Independent American Party candidate Lynn Chapman filed, thereby qualifying for the November ballot.
Match-ups for the six statewide offices are set:
GOVERNOR: Twenty candidates filed for Governor. Lombardo faces six little known opponents in the Republican primary.
Six Democrats filed including Attorney General Aaron Ford and Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill. Ford has endorsements from all five Nevada Democratic members of Congress, while underdog Hill faces a severe fundraising disadvantage going into the Democratic primary.
Seven candidates filed for Governor with no party affiliation, including state board of education member Danielle Ford, whose name on the same November ballot with Aaron Ford may confuse voters.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Four candidates have filed to succeed Aaron Ford: two Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Treasurer Zach Conine and two Republicans, Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian and former Cannabis Control Board Chair Adriana Guzman Fralick.
Lombardo has endorsed Guzman Fralick.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Six candidates filed. Incumbent Republican Stavros Anthony had no GOP opponent. Three Democrats filed, with state Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui being the June primary favorite.
Independent American Party candidate Janine Hansen filed, qualifying for November.
SECRETARY OF STATE: Incumbent Democrat Cisco Aguilar has filed with no Democratic opponent. Two perennial candidates, former GOP Assemblymembers Sharron Angle and Jim Marchant, have filed. Lombardo has endorsed Reno business leader and attorney Shirley Folkins-Roberts in the GOP primary.
TREASURER: With Conine running for attorney general, treasurer is an open seat. Three Democrats and two Republicans have filed and face party primaries.
CONTROLLER: Four candidates filed. Incumbent Republican Andy Matthews has no GOP opponent. Three candidates are vying for the Democratic nomination.
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