2014 Nevada gubernatorial election


The 2014 Nevada gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Nevada. Incumbent Republican governor Brian Sandoval won re-election to a second term in office, defeating Democratic nominee Bob Goodman in a landslide. Sandoval won a higher percentage of the vote than any other incumbent governor in 2014. This was one of nine Republican-held governorships up for election in a state that Barack Obama won in the 2012 presidential election.
Sandoval's coattails allowed Republicans to win both chambers of the legislature for the first time since 1931, thereby giving Republicans a trifecta in the state for the first time since then.
As of, this is the most recent time that the Republican candidate carried Clark County in a statewide race, the last time that the winner of the gubernatorial election carried all counties in Nevada, the last time the winner received a majority of votes, and the last time the winner received more than 70% of the vote.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Democratic primary

For the first time in a gubernatorial election since it was added in 1975, the None of These Candidates option received a plurality of the votes. This has been ascribed to the eight Democratic candidates' lack of name recognition, money and political experience. High-profile Democrats were put off by Sandoval's popularity and large war chest, leading to no "serious challenger" emerging. According to state law, even if the "None of These Candidates" option receives the most votes in an election, the actual candidate who receives the most votes still wins the election. Thus, Bob Goodman was certified as the Democratic nominee.

Candidates

Declared

Withdrew

  • Fernando Lopes

Declined

Independent American Party of Nevada primary

Candidates

Declared

Green primary

Candidates

Withdrew

Independents

Candidates

Withdrew

  • Frederick Conquest, anthropology professor and Democratic candidate for governor in 2010

General election

Candidates

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Brian
Sandoval 		Catherine
Cortez Masto 		Undecided
Public Policy PollingJune 7–10, 2012500± 4.4%51%33%16%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Brian
Sandoval 		Chris
Hyepock 		David Lory
Undecided
Precision ResearchMarch 3–5, 2014216± 6.67%58%16%12%14%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Brian
Sandoval 		Ross
Miller 		Undecided
Public Policy PollingJune 7–10, 2012500± 4.4%50%28%22%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Brian
Sandoval 		Generic
Democrat		Undecided
Public Policy PollingNovember 3–4, 2012750± 3.6%55%32%12%
Public Policy PollingOctober 8–10, 2012594± 4.0%53%34%13%
Public Policy PollingAugust 23–26, 2012831± 3.4%53%35%12%

Results

By congressional district

Sandoval won all four congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat.
DistrictSandovalGoodmanRepresentative
59%35%Dina Titus
78%16%Mark Amodei
71%24%Joe Heck
66%28%Steven Horsford
66%28%Cresent Hardy