What Just Happened
Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro just announced she’s running for attorney general in 2026. She’s making this all about fighting President Trump, Elon Musk, and big corporations. That tells you everything you need to know about her priorities.
Cannizzaro said she’s running to:
“keep Nevadans safe, protect our rights, and fight for a fairer economy where Nevadans can actually get ahead”
She claims:
“the Trump administration and Congress have continued their assault on ordinary Nevadans, cutting Medicaid and funding for our schools, attacking Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights, and raising the cost of energy, housing and groceries.”
Instead of focusing on crime and public safety, she’s already making this about partisan politics. That should worry every Nevada voter who wants an attorney general focused on law and order.
The Republican Alternative
Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian announced he’s running for the office as a Republican. But here’s the problem conservatives need to face: Tarkanian has a long history of losing elections.
The numbers don’t lie about Tarkanian’s track record. He lost races for Nevada Senate in 2004, Nevada Secretary of State in 2006, U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2018, and U.S. House in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2022. His first win came in 2020 when he was elected to Douglas County Commission by just 17 votes.
That’s a lot of losses for someone asking Nevada Republicans to trust him with a statewide race.
Tarkanian also had serious financial problems that became campaign issues. He faced a $17 million judgment from the FDIC and filed for bankruptcy in 2013. There were also questions about $700,000 he received from a children’s charity he ran. These aren’t the kind of baggage you want in a statewide campaign.
Campaign Finance Troubles
The GOP has accused Cannizzaro of breaking campaign finance laws to get around donation limits. The Nevada Republican Party filed a formal complaint with the secretary of state’s office claiming she misused political action committees to skirt the rules.
Here’s how the alleged scheme worked. Two donors had already given Cannizzaro the maximum $10,000 allowed by law. But then they each gave $5,000 to a PAC called “Majority 2020” that lists Cannizzaro as president. That PAC then turned around and donated $5,000 back to Cannizzaro’s campaign.
The complaint also alleges similar problems with another PAC called “Battle Born and Raised Leadership.” Republicans say this shows a pattern of using shell PACs to funnel money around donation limits. State law specifically prohibits making contributions to a PAC “with the knowledge and intent” that it will give the money to a specific candidate in violation of contribution limits.
This isn’t small potatoes. The GOP pointed out that Rory Reid was fined $25,000 for similar violations when he ran for governor in 2010. If someone running for attorney general can’t follow basic campaign finance laws, how can voters trust them to enforce the law fairly?
Cannizzaro’s Constitutional Problem
Here’s something the mainstream media won’t tell you about Cannizzaro. She was part of a major lawsuit about Nevada’s separation of powers doctrine while working as a prosecutor and serving in the legislature. The Nevada Policy Research Institute sued her and other legislators, arguing they couldn’t serve in both the executive and legislative branches at the same time.
One judge actually ruled that a similar prosecutor-legislator “did not have the legal authority to prosecute” cases because of this constitutional conflict. While the Nevada Supreme Court eventually ruled in favor of the legislators in a complicated 4-3 decision, it took years to resolve.
Think about this for a minute. Cannizzaro and other Democratic legislators had to leave their prosecutor jobs during the litigation. If there wasn’t a real constitutional issue here, why did they have to quit their day jobs?
Why This Matters to Conservatives
This attorney general race shows everything wrong with today’s Democratic Party. Instead of talking about rising crime rates, drug problems, or protecting families, Cannizzaro is already focused on fighting Trump and defending Planned Parenthood.
Nevada needs an attorney general who will crack down on crime, not someone who sees the job as a way to resist federal immigration enforcement or push progressive social policies. Cannizzaro has sponsored bills like adding reproductive rights to the Nevada Constitution and expanding contraceptive access. That’s not what attorneys general should be spending their time on.
The other big issue is experience. Cannizzaro worked as a prosecutor for about 11 years before returning to private practice in 2022. But being a prosecutor is different from running the entire attorney general’s office. And her focus on partisan politics suggests she’ll use the office for political purposes rather than public safety.
What the Other Side Says
Democrats argue that Cannizzaro’s prosecution experience makes her qualified for the job. She worked as Chief Deputy in the Gang Unit at the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. They say her legislative experience gives her a better understanding of how to work with lawmakers.
She’s joined by Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine in the Democratic primary, so Democrats will have their own contested race to deal with.
The Bigger Picture
This race is happening because current Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford is termed out and mounting a run for Nevada governor. That means Nevada could have two major statewide races with partisan Democrats trying to advance their progressive agenda.
The timing couldn’t be worse for conservatives. With Trump back in the White House, having hostile attorneys general in swing states like Nevada could create major problems for federal law enforcement cooperation, immigration policy, and other conservative priorities.
What’s Next
Candidates cannot file until March next year, so there’s still time for other Republicans to jump into this race. The question is whether any serious conservative candidates will step up to challenge Tarkanian in the primary.
Republicans need to ask themselves: Is Tarkanian really the best choice to take on a well-funded Democratic opponent? His history of losses and financial problems could hand this seat to the Democrats on a silver platter.
Meanwhile, Cannizzaro will likely raise serious money from progressive donors who want to use state attorney general offices to fight conservative policies. This could be an expensive race that Nevada Republicans aren’t prepared for.
What Conservatives Can Do
First, start looking for stronger Republican candidates to enter this race. Tarkanian may be the only option right now, but March filing is still months away. Nevada conservatives need someone who can actually win a statewide race.
Second, pay attention to what Cannizzaro says about crime and public safety. If she keeps focusing on fighting Trump instead of fighting criminals, call her out on it. Voters need to know where candidates really stand on law and order issues.
Third, get involved early. Attorney general races don’t get as much attention as governor or senator races, but they’re just as important. These offices have huge power over criminal justice, election law, and how states respond to federal policies.
The bottom line is simple: Nevada conservatives can’t afford to lose this race. But they also can’t afford to nominate someone who’s proven he can’t win statewide elections. The clock is ticking to find a better option.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
