Lee wins re-election, other races still tight

Rep. Susie Lee has won a second term in Congress, according to the Associated Press.

The race was called at 9:21 a.m. Saturday for Lee, a freshman Democrat who faced an unusually close race against former WWE pro wrestler and businessman Dan “Big Dan” Rodimer in the 3rd Congressional District.

The tally in the 3rd District currently stands at 49 percent for Lee, 45.7 percent for Rodimer.

The 3rd District, which encompasses the suburbs of Green Valley and Summerlin, is Nevada’s closest congressional district by voter registration; Democrats outnumber Republicans there by about 10,000 votes. It has flipped between Democrats and Republicans since it was created in 2001, but since 2016 has seen narrow Democratic victories.

“Nevadans can trust that I will remain steadfast in my mission to bring both parties together to break through gridlock and get things done for our communities; and, they know that I will be a representative, not just for the people who voted for me, but for every constituent in the Third District,” Lee said in a statement.

“Now, more than ever, we need leaders who are willing to pull up a chair and put the federal government to work for the people: we need economic support for Nevadans who lost their jobs because of COVID-19, we need funding for our schools and teachers who are trying to serve our kids virtually, and we need a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to end this pandemic now,” she added.

Speaking to reporters via Zoom Saturday afternoon, Lee said her top priority for her second term is getting a second economic relief package passed.

Lee’s victory comes a day after fellow Democratic incumbent Steven Horsford was declared the winner of Nevada’s other competitive House seat in the 4th Congressional District.

But down the ballot, Republicans are proving to be more competitive and appear on their way to flipping at least two state Assembly seats, which would break the Democrats’ supermajority in the lower chamber if those races hold.

Here’s a look at some of those key races:

County Commission

Republican Stavros Anthony’s lead in the Clark County Commission District C race tightened Friday a very narrow 0.2-percentage-point margin. Anthony’s lead over Democratic former Secretary of State Ross Miller sat at just 273 votes as of Saturday.

If Anthony were to hold on, he would be the lone Republican on the Clark County Commission and the first since Chip Maxfield and Bruce Woodbury left the commission in 2008.

State Senate

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro remains locked in a tight race to keep her seat in Senate District 6.

Cannizzaro took a narrow lead Friday, and Saturday’s ballot tally extended that slightly to 461 total votes, and a margin of 0.8 percentage points.

The race for the open Senate District 5 seat looks like it will come down to the wire, with Republican Carrie Buck leading by just 93 total votes over Democrat Kristee Watson.

In the Washoe County area Senate District 15, Republican incumbent Heidi Gansert looks like she’ll hold onto her seat. She leads Democrat Wendy Jauregui-Jackins by 2,600 votes, or by 3.5 percentage points.

State Assembly

On the Assembly side, Democrats would need a significant shift in the final ballots in order to hold on to their supermajority in the lower chamber.

Republicans need to flip two seats without losing any they currently hold to erase that advantage, and are currently leading in three of four key races.

In AD 4, Republican Richard McArthur’s 5-percentage-point lead over incumbent Democrat Connie Munk remained steady, and Munk would need to make up nearly 2,000 votes in order to hold onto her seat.

In AD 29, incumbent Democrat Lesley Cohen saw her lead over Republican Steven Delisle continued to grow Saturday. She now leads by about 860 votes, or 2.6 percentage points.

AD 31, the Sparks district, saw little change Thursday. Incumbent Democrat Skip Daly has not been able to make up ground and still trails Republican Jill Dickman by about 1,300 votes, a margin that has remained relatively steady since election night.

And in AD 37, Republican challenger Andy Matthews’ lead over incumbent Democrat Shea Backus continued to narrow after Saturday morning’s results, down to 689 votes and a margin of 2 percentage points.

District and Family Court

There were razor-thin margins in three Clark County District Court races, although the current leaders in those races have started to widen their leads in recent days.

The lead for challenger Jessica Peterson (50.3percent), a truancy diversion judge, stretched to 3,400 votes Saturday over incumbent Judge Trevor Atkin (49.7 percent) in Department 8.

In Department 19, incumbent William “Bill” Kephart (49.6 percent) lost some ground to challenger Crystal Eller (50.4 percent), and Eller’s raw vote lead sits at just over about 5,200 votes.

In a contest for an open seat, attorney and former police officer Tara Clark Newberry (50.7 percent) led by roughly 9,100 votes against attorney Jacob Reynolds (49.3 percent) in Department 21.

Three county Family Court races also were shaping up to be decided at the wire.

Family Court Hearing Master Amy Mastin (50.5 percent) was up by about 6,400 votes against attorney Lynn Hughes (49.5 percent) in Department M; attorney Dawn Throne (50.4 percent) widened her lead to roughly 5,200 votes over attorney Bill Gonzalez in District U; and attorney Heidi Almase (50.65 percent) led against attorney Jim Davis (49.35 percent) by about 8,300 votes in District X.

Ballot questions

Nevadans were on their way to approving four of the five constitutional amendments that appeared on the ballot this year, including measures to legalize same-sex marriage, which was passing with 62 percent.

But Question 1, which would have removed the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents from the state constitution, was failing. As of Saturday evening, the margin was 51 percent against, 49 percent in favor. That measure drew endorsements from business and labor groups, but was opposed by regents. The measure gained support in Clark County, but was voted down in every other county in Nevada.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.