7 things to watch in Nevada’s midterm election

CARSON CITY — The big potential story coming out of Nevada on Election Day, ahead of any single race, will be whether the state becomes the first to elect a female majority to its legislature.

To be certain, female candidates for the Assembly and Senate would have to nearly run the table to make it happen. And even then, they would constitute a majority in Assembly and overall, but maybe not in the Senate. Still, that’s never happened before, and it would be major national news.

Here are other storylines to watch when Nevadans head to the polls Tuesday:

— Will the state elect its first Democratic governor since Bob Miller left office in 1998? Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak hopes to accomplish that by defeating Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt. If he succeeds, how will Democrats fare in down-ballot races for the state’s executive offices, none of which they currently hold?

— Democrats took control of the Legislature in 2016 as Nevada also swung to back Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Will they expand their majorities in both houses, possibly even reaching the two-thirds supermajority status?

— In this climate of extreme, often bitter political partisanship across the nation, in which direction will Nevada lean? Will Trump’s five visits to the state this cycle have helped or harmed Republican chances here?

— Will voters elect a dead man? Dennis Hof, the brash Nevada brothel owner who was the Republican candidate for Assembly District 36, died unexpectedly in early October, too late for his name to be taken off the ballot. If he wins, commissioners in three counties will choose a fellow Republican to take the seat.

— Will Nevadans split on two energy-related ballot initiatives? Question 3 asks voters whether to open the state electricity market to competition, while Question 6 asks them if power companies should be required to have 50 percent of their output come from renewable energy sources by 2030. The first question, which has become the most expensive campaign in state history, becomes law if it passes. The second would come up for a second vote in two years.

— The state has set new marks for early voting in a midterm election, with turnout approaching presidential year levels. Will Election Day see more of the same, and will polls close with long lines of voters waiting to cast ballots?

Contact Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @Dentzernews on Twitter.