3 Nevada Legislature races that could shift the state’s balance of power

Only a handful of legislative seats on the November ballot stand between Nevada Democrats and a supermajority in the Legislature, which could render Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo powerless in his ability to veto bills in the coming session.

Democrats are just one seat away from a supermajority in the Senate, and if they maintain their current numbers in the Assembly, they could obtain a supermajority in both chambers that would essentially lead to one-party rule.

Lombardo has fought to keep that power by involving himself in legislative elections, especially those competitive races, endorsing candidates in the primary and helping them raise campaign funds.

A brief look at a few of the most competitive races in Southern Nevada:

Senate District 5

Carrie Buck vs. Jennifer Atlas

Republican Sen. Carrie Buck and Democrat Jennifer Atlas are vying for Senate District 5. In the district that covers parts of Henderson, including Cadence and Whitney Ranch, registered voters are 31 percent Democratic, 30 percent Republican and 31 percent nonpartisan.

Buck, first elected to the seat in 2020, is an educator and the president of the Pinecrest Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on providing funds to charter schools, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s online voter guide and her campaign website.

During the 2023 legislative session, Buck served as the Senate’s assistant minority leader and served on committees for education, commerce and labor, and revenue and economic development. She was unsuccessful in passing any of the 19 bills she introduced.

If re-elected, Buck said she will work to combat inflation, keep taxes and regulation low, and ensure more accountability for schools and better opportunities for children.

Atlas moved to Las Vegas in 2006 to pursue a career as a ballroom dancer and works as a paralegal for a law firm, according to her campaign website.

She wants to bring down school class sizes, pass a universal guaranteed school lunch program, increase teachers’ salaries and increase per-pupil spending. She also wants to cap the cost of prescription drugs and work to prevent corporate landlords from “buying up entire communities and driving up costs,” according to her campaign website. Atlas did not provide answers for the Review-Journal’s voter guide.

If elected, she would first introduce a bill that ensures all babies who require neonatal intensive care are automatically enrolled in Medicaid, according to her campaign website.

Senate District 11

Dallas Harris vs. Lori Rogich

In Senate District 11, which covers southwestern Clark County, Democratic Sen. Dallas Harris faces a challenge from Republican Lori Rogich. Registered Democrats make up 32 percent of the district, nonpartisans make up 34 percent and Republicans make up 26 percent.

Harris was appointed to the seat after Aaron Ford was elected attorney general office in 2018, and she won her election in 2020 by 17 percentage points. Harris, an attorney, served in the Legislature as the chief majority whip and was chair of the LGBTQ+ Caucus.

In the 2023 session, 12 of her sponsored bills became law, including Senate Bill 391, which prohibited towns from sounding a siren, bell or alarm that required people of a particular race to leave at a certain time, known as “sundown sirens.”

Harris, who did not provide information for the Review-Journal’s voter guide, has taken on a variety of issues in the Legislature, including criminal justice reforms, LGBTQ+ rights, housing affordability and cannabis changes, according to past coverage, her campaign website and state websites.

Her opponent, Lori Rogich, is an attorney and child advocate who served as co-chair of Lombardo’s Education Transition Committee. She has played a large role advocating for children with special needs in education.

Her top priorities, listed on her website and in responses for the Review-Journal’s online voter guide, include a swath of proposals on education. Her goals are to ensure that students with learning disabilities receive equal access to education, and she wants to raise teachers’ salaries. She wants to implement a screening process to identify struggling readers within the first 30 days of school. She also advocates for a state-of-the-art mental health care facility.

Lori Rogich is married to Sig Rogich, a longtime political consultant and former U.S. ambassador and senior White House assistant to former President George H.W. Bush.

Assembly District 21

Elaine Marzola vs. April Arndt

In Assembly District 21, which covers the Green Valley area of Henderson, Democratic Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola is vying to keep her seat from Republican April Arndt. Democrats make up 33 percent of registered voters in the district, nonpartisans 31 percent and Republicans 28 percent.

Marzola, an attorney, was first elected to the Assembly in 2020. She has focused on reproductive freedom, child welfare, education and public safety. She is also an advocate for gun legislation, such as strengthening background checks, closing loopholes in existing laws and keeping firearms away from people who pose a threat to themselves or others, according to her campaign website. Marzola did not provide answers for the Review-Journal’s online voter guide.

Arndt worked in law enforcement as a fraud detective, crisis intervention officer and community policing officer, where she ran a drug-and-alcohol diversion program for the Clark County School District, according to the Review-Journal’s voter guide and her campaign website.

Her biggest issues are the economy, education, crime and safety, and immigration. She pledges to cut red tape for businesses, fight against turning Nevada into a sanctuary state and will advocate for school choice.

If elected, she wants stricter penalties for criminals and to safeguard the well-being of victims, according to the Review-Journal’s online voter guide.

For more information about legislative races and candidates, visit the Review-Journal’s online voter guide.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.