Twenty-six states hold elections for secretary of state this year, with only four states—Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada—having races rated as “toss ups” by highly regarded political handicapper Larry Sabato.
Democrat Cisco Aguilar has filed for re-election as Nevada’s Secretary of State and advanced to the general election with no primary opponent.
Aguilar, 50, won the office in 2022 by just two percentage points. That should invite a serious Republican challenge in Nevada.
Secretary of State is generally considered the third most important constitutional office, following Governor and Attorney General.
The Secretary of State is the referee of Nevada elections. Voter registration, ballot counting, voter roll maintenance are all run through the office.
While Republicans are still seeking a nominee, Aguilar has been busy building a national organization.
He is now chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, a national group with plans to spent $40 million to elect Democrats to secretary of state offices across America.
In November, Nevada voters will vote a second time on Voter ID— a ballot measure that 73 percent of voters already overwhelmingly approved in 2024. How that measure gets implemented will depend on who is Secretary of State.
It’s a huge issue and Aguilar has opposed Voter ID. He’s the one who will implement it – or undermine it— if he’s re-elected.
In the first quarter, Aguilar raised $326,000 from various unions and gaming companies, and has $751,000 cash-on-hand, significantly more than any other candidate running for his job.
Shirley Folkins-Roberts is the perceived frontrunner in the Republican primary for Secretary of State. She has been endorsed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo who encouraged her to run.
A political newcomer, Folkins-Roberts, 61, is a Reno business leader, attorney and nonprofit executive who is running for office for the first time.
She is the co-founder of a Reno nonprofit for children fighting cancer and has spent more than a decade working in commercial real estate and community development. She is a member of the Nevada Bar.
In the June GOP primary Folkins-Roberts faces former state Assemblymembers Sharron Angle and Jim Marchant, and Socorro Keenan.
Angle, Marchant and Keenan have run—and perpetually lost—in numerous races. Each has made unproven claims of mass fraud in Nevada elections.
A longtime fixture in far-right politics, Angle, 76, served in the Assembly from 1998-2006. However, in the past 22 years she has not won a general election (losing races in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2018 and 2024).
Similarly, Marchant, 69, won one Assembly term but has since lost four consecutive elections (losing for Assembly in 2018, for Congress in 2020, for Secretary of State in 2022, and for U.S. Senate in 2024).
Keenan,69, finished last among seven candidates in the 2022 Republican primary for secretary of state and lost a GOP Assembly primary in 2024.
In the first quarter, Folkins-Roberts led the Republican primary pack having raised $101,000. She had $90,000 cash-on-hand substantially more than the other Republican candidates.
Angle brought in $14,400 and has $1,400 cash-on-hand. Marchant reported raising no money and Keenan also received no direct donations.
Folkins-Roberts has signaled election integrity would be central to her campaign.
She supports reforms including Voter ID and wants to stop accepting mail ballots after Election Day, which Nevada allows for up to four days if postmarked by or before the election date.
Folkins-Roberts calls for ending universal mail ballots, believing only qualified military, or registered voters who request a mail ballot, should receive a mail ballot.
She does not claim there is widespread voter fraud in Nevada.
“I don’t know that security is the issue. I think there’s confusion, there’s lack of confidence,” she said. “I am not alleging fraud in any way, shape or form.”
This seat is winnable for a Republican– but it requires a credible nominee.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views.
