‘Money doesn’t always win’: How a newcomer ousted a sitting councilman in Henderson

Despite fundraising nearly ten times more than his opponent, Henderson City Council member Dan Shaw was voted out.

It was a rare upset in the city’s political arena.

When newcomer Dr. Monica Larson defeated Shaw by over 5,400 votes in the Nov. 5 election, it was the first time in nearly 30 years that a sitting Henderson City Council member lost a re-election race, according to former Henderson mayor Andy Hafen.

“Money isn’t always important during local races,” said Hafen, who is also the president of the Henderson Historical Society.

In the race for the Ward 2 council seat, that would prove to be true.

Dan Shaw

Shaw was appointed to the Ward 2 council seat in 2017 after it became available when Debra March was elected mayor, won a re-election bid in 2019 with 83 percent of the vote, and ran for re-election against Larson in 2024.

But controversy was starting to chase Shaw and lawsuits started piling up.

After being re-elected in 2019, Shaw faced a litany of lawsuits over his loans company, Green Arrow.

Shaw and his company were named as defendants in six lawsuits from 2022 to 2024.

The fifth lawsuit, filed in Illinois in June, alleged that Green Arrow charged interest rates of over 700 percent while presenting as a tribal entity to allegedly evade state laws guarding against predatory interest rates. The lawsuit was settled out of court.

“Shaw owns the financial institution that services the loans of other companies,” Trosper told the Review-Journal in July.

“He doesn’t set the terms, payouts, collections, or interest rates … (Green Arrow) services the loans but they don’t make the loans,” Trosper said in July.

Having run local campaigns, Hafen said that when it comes to highly localized races, voters are perceptive.

“The lawsuits have obviously hurt his race,” Hafen said. “Voters have a pulse on what’s going on with their council.”

Efforts to reach Shaw for comment were unsuccessful.

$506,100 vs. $55,859

In the end, Larson won the race handily, garnering 56.5 percent of the vote compared to Shaw’s 43.5 percent, according to election results posted on the Nevada secretary of state’s website.

It’s the first time since 1995 that an incumbent Henderson city council member was defeated, Hafen said.

So how did Shaw lose?

“We did a post-election analysis, but that’s confidential to the campaign,” Shaw’s campaign communications director, Elizabeth Trosper, told the Review-Journal.

Heading into election day on Nov. 5, the difference between the campaign war chests was huge.

According to campaign finance reports, as of the end of September, Shaw had raised over half a million dollars, whereas Larson had raised over $50,000.

Face to face with voters

From January 1 to September 30, Shaw’s campaign recieved $506,100.00 and spent $562,644.87, while Larson’s campaign raised $55,859.00 and spent $51,851.33 during the same time, campaign finance reports show.

Larson, clearly outmatched on the money front, said her campaign focused on meeting voters face to face.

“Money doesn’t always win,” Larson said.

Shaw also had the support of some his colleagues on the City Council. He was endored by fellow city councilmen Jim Seebock, Dan Stewart and Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero. Each of their political action committees donated $5,000 each to Shaw’s campaign.

Shaw also recieved endorsements from the Local 1883 Henderson Professional Fire Fighters union. He also recieved endorsements from the Vegas Chamber, Henderson Chamber of Commerce and Latin Chamber of Commerce.

Larson recieved endorsements from two law enforcement associations, the Henderson Police Officer’s Association and Henderson Police Supervisors Association. Larson also recieved an endorsement from city councilwoman Carrie Cox.

Larson doesn’t think it’s bad press that contributed to Shaw’s loss, but rather, Shaw’s inaccessibility to constituents, she said. Larson described Shaw as “non-responsive.”

“It’s the people, that’s who matters,” Larson added. “They’re looking for change, for somebody in the community that’s engaged.”

The Ward 2 district includes Anthem, Inspirada and parts of west Henderson.

Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com. Follow @annievwrites on X.