EDITORIAL: Races set for November general election

Three days after primary election day, Nevada is still counting votes. Blame legislative Democrats, who resist setting an earlier deadline for mail-in ballots. Despite the delays — by law, ballots postmarked by Tuesday must be counted if they arrive no more than four days after the election — last-minute surprises are unlikely as the results in most races are certain to hold.

The balloting sets up a handful of high-profile contests this November, but yielded few upsets. Perhaps the biggest winner was Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Democrats are one seat shy in the state Senate of securing a supermajority in Carson City, draining the ink from the governor’s veto pen. Republicans must either hold serve in the upper chamber or pick up a single seat in the Assembly this fall to remain relevant during the 2025 session. To that end, Gov. Lombardo endorsed GOP primary candidates in 11 legislative races — and all were victorious this week.

Nevada Republicans have had an awful time statewide in the past few elections. But a popular GOP governor now has the opportunity to convince voters that allowing progressive Democrats to operate unchecked at the Legislature would be bad for the state.

In the crowded race to be the first Las Vegas mayor not named Goodman in a quarter-century, Shelley Berkley and Victoria Seaman moved on to the general election by dominating over 13 other candidates.

Ms. Berkley, a Democrat, led the field with 36 percent of the vote and has a long history of public service in the state. She served one term in the state Assembly in the 1980s, sat on the university system’s Board of Regents during for much of the 1990s and was elected to Congress in 1998, where she represented the state’s 1st Congressional District until 2013.

Ms. Seaman, a Republican, garnered 29 percent support. She served in the Assembly from 2014-2016 and has been a member of the Las Vegas City Council since 2019.

The mayor’s race is technically nonpartisan, but voters will notice distinct ideological differences between the more liberal Shelley Berkley and the more conservative Victoria Seaman.

Finally, Republican Sam Brown easily beat 11 other candidates to earn the right to face Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in November. Mr. Brown, a retired Army captain, pulled nearly 60 percent of the vote, a strong showing given the large number of challengers. This November race will be center stage nationally, as Democrats seek to retain control of the U.S. Senate despite a highly unfavorable map. Sen. Rosen, in her first term, is considered one of most vulnerable Democratic incumbents.