Dozens file for office as 2020 election gets underway

Dozens of candidates descended upon the Clark County Government Center on Monday, the first day of a 10-day filing period, to officially declare their intentions to run for some 70 local and statewide offices.

By 5 p.m., 63 candidates had filed paperwork for more than 40 seats, including Congress, state Legislature, county commission, the board of regents and the Clark County School District.

Those figures do not include candidates for judicial offices, who were required to file in January.

The state Democratic Party treated the opening of the window for candidates to file paperwork as a celebration, alerting reporters that Senate and Assembly leaders would be shepherding other Democratic candidates into the Pueblo Room shortly after noon.

“I am so excited to be joined here with my colleagues as we file, to yet again go up to Carson City and represent our constituents in the great state of Nevada,” said Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro. “So happy filing day! And onward to November 2020.”

Outside the county government center, Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson rattled off a list of accomplishments during the past legislative session, but said there was still work to do for one of the most diverse Legislatures in the country. “And the reason that we’re here is because we need to build on that to continue to serve our community,” he said.

Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft and Las Vegas Councilman Stavros Anthony were among the first candidates to file when the doors opened at 8 a.m.

Naft, who is seeking his first election to the seat following his appointment last year by Gov. Steve Sisolak, called it “extra special” to file with family and friends by his side. Anthony, who is seeking to replace term-limited Commissioner Larry Brown in District C, said he has routinely filed early in elections.

Later in the day, former Secretary of State Ross Miller and Hunter Cain, a former aide to Rep. Dina Titus, both filed for the District C seat, too, setting up a primary contest.

And two key state Senate races got their challengers, too: In Henderson’s District 5, Republican Carrie Buck and Democrat Kristee Watson filed to replace the term-limited incumbent Sen. Joyce Woodhouse. And in District 6, Cannizzaro drew April Becker as her Republican opponent.

The county election department will accept candidate filing paperwork from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday during the filing period in the Pueblo Room on the first floor of the county government center, 500 Grand Central Parkway in Las Vegas.

Candidates must appear in person to pay a filing fee, show identification and complete and sign filing forms, the county said.

The primary election is June 9, with early voting from May 23 to June 5. The general election is Nov. 3, and early voting is Oct. 17 through Oct. 30.

For more information about running for office, visit ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.