Tough primaries, easy wins: Fallout from Nevada’s filing deadline

A handful of state lawmakers escaped contested races this year and will cruise to victory unopposed in November.

But many others drew challengers, some from within their own party, setting up some contested fights in the June 9 primary election.

Nowhere is that primary contest apt to be more contentious than in state Senate District 7, where two Democratic Assembly members — Richard Carrillo and Ellen Spiegel — will face off against the former chairwoman of the Nevada Democratic Party, Roberta Lange.

The Senate Democratic caucus has endorsed Lange, who got death threats after presiding over the nasty 2016 state convention contested by the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in Nevada.

In Assembly District 19, Mesquite Councilwoman Annie Black made a surprise filing just before Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline to challenge incumbent Assemblyman Chris Edwards. Black in 2019 ran a spirited campaign to lead the Nevada Republican Party, but lost to incumbent Michael McDonald.

Three Republicans, including former Assemblywoman Jill Dickman, are challenging Democrat Richard “Skip” Daly in Assembly District 31, the only legislative seat held by a Democrat that has a Republican majority voter registration.

Assembly District 2, an open seat formerly represented by Republican John Hambrick, has drawn five Republicans. And what was shaping up to be a two-person Republican primary in Assembly District 37 between former Nevada Policy Research Institute President Andy Matthews and ex-TV journalist Michelle Mortensen ended up drawing four total GOP candidates.

Candidates in those contested primaries will undoubtedly envy those who ended up with no opponent at the end of Friday’s deadline.

State Sens. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas and Chris Brooks, D-Las Vegas and Assembly members Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D-North Las Vegas, Selena Torres, D-Las Vegas, Tom Roberts, R-Las Vegas, Melissa Hardy, R-Henderson, Sarah Peters, D-Reno, Jill Tolles, R-Reno and John Ellison, R-Elko, all drew no challengers at all.

The 2020 election is considered especially important because lawmakers in 2021 will redraw political district boundaries based on this year’s census. If Democrats retain their majorities in both houses, Gov. Steve Sisolak is expected to sign a redistricting plan that would favor the party through the next decade.

Contact Steve Sebelius at SSebelius@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253. Follow @SteveSebelius on Twitter.