2024 election: The top races and what’s at stake

In this historic election, Nevadans will help choose the next president and decide races that could have a major impact on the makeup of federal, state and local government.

Voters will determine Nevada’s lawmakers in Congress and who should preside over local courts. They’ll decide if they want to drastically change how Nevada elects its public officials and whether to implement voter ID. They’ll vote for state legislative candidates, races that will determine whether Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo maintains his power to veto bills from a Democratic majority. In the mayor’s race, Las Vegas voters will determine who leads a new, post-Goodman era in Sin City.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal wanted to help readers make informed decisions, learn what state and local ballot questions entail, and figure out the best way to vote.

As such, this guide focuses exclusively on local races. The Review-Journal has published exhaustive coverage of presidential, U.S. House and Senate campaigns for more than a year, and with so much information available — to say nothing of candidates’ advertising — down-ballot races are having a hard time competing for attention.

These local races are more likely to have a direct impact on our readers’ lives, though all eyes are expected to be on Nevada as one of several swing states whose electoral votes could determine who wins the presidency and control of Congress.

Take Nevada’s Senate race, where Democrat Jacky Rosen is fighting to keep her seat from Republican Sam Brown. The polls show her leading her opponent, but in a state like Nevada, where polling is difficult because of the transiency of the state’s electorate, the campaign could go either way — and with it, control of the Senate.

If 2022’s Senate race is any indication — Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won re-election by less than 0.1 percentage points — voters can expect a tight race between Rosen and Brown.

In Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District — the most competitive seat in Nevada, according to Cook Political Report — Democratic Rep. Susie Lee faces Republican challenger Drew Johnson. Lee previously won her re-election in 2022 by less than 4 percentage points.

In Nevada’s 1st Congressional District, longtime Democratic Rep. Dina Titus is up for re-election as well, facing Republican Mark Robertson, who previously challenged her in 2022 but lost by more than 5 percentage points.

In Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, Rep. Steven Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, faces former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, a relative newcomer to the Republican Party.

For even more election information — including thorough coverage of the aforementioned Senate and House races — visit the Review-Journal’s online voter guide at lvrj.com/voterguide. The guide has candidate responses to office-specific questions, as well as links to news stories and Review-Journal editorial board endorsements. You’ll also find the link to our online voter guide at the top of every page in this section.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.