2018 Nevada gubernatorial election
The 2018 Nevada gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Nevada. Incumbent Republican governor Brian Sandoval was ineligible to run for re-election due to the absolute two-term limit established by the Nevada Constitution. Nevada is one of eight U.S. states that prohibits its governors or any other state and territorial executive branch officials from serving more than two terms, even if they are nonconsecutive.
The candidate filing deadline was March 16, 2018 and the primary election was held on June 12, 2018. The Republican nominee was Adam Laxalt and the Democratic nominee was Steve Sisolak. Sisolak won the election, becoming the first Democrat to be elected governor of Nevada since Bob Miller won his second full term in 1994, and the first non-incumbent Democrat to win since 1982. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state won by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. As of, this is the only time a Democrat was elected governor of Nevada in the 21st century.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in primary
- William W. Boyd, small business owner
- Stephanie Carlisle, businesswoman
- Jared Fisher, small business owner
- Dan Schwartz, Nevada State Treasurer and candidate for NV-04 in 2012
Declined
- Mark Amodei, U.S. representative
- Joe Heck, former U.S. representative and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2016
- Dean Heller, U.S. senator
- Steve Hill, former executive director of the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development
- Mark Hutchison, lieutenant governor
- Ron Knecht, Nevada State Controller
- Brian Krolicki, former lieutenant governor
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominated
- Steve Sisolak, chair of the Clark County Commission
Eliminated in primary
- Kyle Chamberlain, activist and photographer
- Chris Giunchigliani, vice-chair of the Clark County Commission and candidate for mayor of Las Vegas in 2011
Declined
- Aaron Ford, Majority Leader of the Nevada Senate
- Vince Juaristi, consultant and former gubernatorial aide
- Tick Segerblom, state senator
- Dina Titus, U.S. representative for Nevada's 1st congressional district and nominee for governor in 2006
Independents
Declared
- Ryan Bundy, rancher
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Adam Laxalt | Steve Sisolak | Jared Lord | Ryan Bundy | None of these | Other | Undecided |
| HarrisX | November 3–5, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 44% | 45% | – | – | – | – | – |
| HarrisX | November 2–4, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 44% | – | – | – | – | – |
| Emerson College | November 1–4, 2018 | 1,197 | ± 3.0% | 47% | 48% | – | – | – | 4% | 2% |
| HarrisX | November 1–3, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 44% | – | – | – | – | – |
| HarrisX | October 31 – November 2, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 43% | – | – | – | – | – |
| HarrisX | October 30 – November 1, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 43% | – | – | – | – | – |
| The Trafalgar Group | October 29 – November 1, 2018 | 2,587 | ± 1.9% | 47% | 45% | – | – | – | 4% | 4% |
| HarrisX | October 29–31, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 45% | – | – | – | – | – |
| HarrisX | October 24–30, 2018 | 1,400 | ± 2.6% | 43% | 45% | – | – | – | – | – |
| CNN/SSRS | October 24–29, 2018 | 622 LV | ± 4.8% | 45% | 46% | 2% | – | 5% | 0% | 2% |
| CNN/SSRS | October 24–29, 2018 | 807 RV | ± 4.2% | 40% | 44% | 3% | – | 9% | 0% | 3% |
| Gravis Marketing | October 24–26, 2018 | 773 | ± 3.5% | 44% | 46% | – | – | – | – | 10% |
| Ipsos | October 12–19, 2018 | 1,137 | ± 3.0% | 46% | 41% | – | – | – | 4% | 9% |
| Vox Populi Polling | October 13–15, 2018 | 614 | ± 3.7% | 48% | 52% | – | – | – | – | – |
| Emerson College | October 10–12, 2018 | 625 | ± 4.2% | 46% | 41% | – | – | – | 3% | 11% |
| NYT Upshot/Siena College | October 8–10, 2018 | 642 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 45% | – | – | – | – | 8% |
| Marist College | September 30 – October 3, 2018 | 574 LV | ± 5.5% | 44% | 40% | 8% | – | 2% | <1% | 6% |
| Marist College | September 30 – October 3, 2018 | 574 LV | ± 5.5% | 46% | 45% | – | – | 3% | <1% | 6% |
| Marist College | September 30 – October 3, 2018 | 780 RV | ± 4.5% | 41% | 40% | 8% | – | 2% | <1% | 8% |
| Marist College | September 30 – October 3, 2018 | 780 RV | ± 4.5% | 44% | 45% | – | – | 4% | <1% | 7% |
| Kaiser Family Foundation/SSRS | September 19 – October 2, 2018 | 513 | ± 5.0% | 46% | 40% | – | – | – | 2% | 12% |
| CNN/SSRS | September 25–29, 2018 | 693 LV | ± 4.6% | 41% | 45% | 5% | – | 7% | 0% | 1% |
| CNN/SSRS | September 25–29, 2018 | 851 RV | ± 4.1% | 38% | 41% | 5% | – | 12% | 1% | 2% |
| Ipsos | September 7–17, 2018 | 1,039 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 40% | – | – | – | 5% | 12% |
| Gravis Marketing | September 11–12, 2018 | 700 | ± 3.7% | 38% | 50% | – | – | – | – | 8% |
| Suffolk University | September 5–10, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 35% | 37% | 5% | 4% | 2% | 1% | 15% |
| Suffolk University | July 24–29, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 42% | 41% | 2% | 1% | 4% | 2% | 7% |
| McLaughlin & Associates | July 21–24, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 40% | 3% | – | – | 4% | 8% |
| Gravis Marketing | June 23–26, 2018 | 630 | ± 3.9% | 43% | 41% | – | – | – | – | 17% |
| The Mellman Group | April 12–19, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 37% | 43% | – | – | – | – | 20% |
| TargetSmart | January 3–7, 2018 | 1,103 | ± 4.4% | 37% | 34% | – | – | – | – | 29% |
| Remington | May 23–24, 2017 | 1,021 | ± 3.1% | 46% | 37% | – | – | – | – | 17% |
with Chris Giunchigliani
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Adam Laxalt | Chris Giunchigliani | Undecided |
| The Mellman Group | April 12–19, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 40% | 38% | 22% |
| TargetSmart | January 3–7, 2018 | 1,103 | ± 4.4% | 39% | 34% | 27% |
Results
While Sisolak only won two of the state's counties, those two counties account for more than 80% of the total state population. His overwhelming victory in Clark County, home of Las Vegas, and his narrow victory in Washoe County were enough to pull him over the finish line. Sisolak became the first Democrat to be elected Governor of Nevada since Bob Miller's successful re-election bid in 1994.By county
While Laxalt won 15 of Nevada's county-level jurisdictions, Sisolak carried the two largest, Clark and Washoe. Sisolak ultimately prevailed by winning his home county, Clark, by over 86,000 votes, double his statewide margin of 39,700 votes.Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
By congressional district
Sisolak won three of four congressional districts.| District | Sisolak | Laxalt | Representative |
| 62% | 32% | Dina Titus | |
| 41% | 53% | Mark Amodei | |
| 50% | 46% | Susie Lee | |
| 50% | 44% | Steven Horsford |