Clark County DA Steve Wolfson to seek re-election

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson announced Thursday that he will seek re-election in 2022.

Wolfson has served as the county’s top prosecutor since 2012, when he was appointed to the position.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished, and I feel strongly that there is still work to be done,” Wolfson said in a news release. “There are several reform initiatives I created that are well under way. However, there are still other projects I still want to see through to completion. Reform requires action, and I look forward to continuing my efforts in this area.”

There is a March deadline for filing in the June primary race.

In Wolfson’s announcement, he vowed to cut down on a backlog in criminal courts, including 450 murder cases, heightened during the pandemic.

Should he win re-election, Wolfson said he planned to address the pandemic’s “devastating effect” on the court system, “while at the same time protecting people and providing public safety.”

Hoping to enter what would be his third term, the 67-year-old pointed to a series of programs created under his watch, including a Conviction Integrity Unit, created in 2016 to review claims of actual innocence, along with diversion programs for people before and after they have been charged with low-level, nonviolent crimes.

“We should focus on the violent offenders,” Wolfson said in an interview. “That’s what people are most concerned with … So that’s what I want to do.”

While no other candidates have announced a bid to unseat Wolfson, former Nevada legislator and veteran trial attorney Ozzie Fumo, 55, said Thursday that he was “strongly considering” entering the race as a Democrat. Last year, Fumo ran an unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the Nevada Supreme Court.

“I’d like to see a change in the way we do things in Clark County,” Fumo said.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.