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Nevada's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018

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Nevada's 3rd Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 16, 2018
Primary: June 12, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Jacky Rosen (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Nevada
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): R+2
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic
Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
Nevada's 3rd Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th
Nevada elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

Susie Lee (D) defeated Danny Tarkanian (R) and five other candidates in the 2018 general election for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.

Incumbent Jacky Rosen (D) did not seek re-election, leaving the seat open to a newcomer. Both national parties showed interest in the race. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named Lee to its Red to Blue list of candidates selected for organizational and fundraising support. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also backed Tarkanian by adding him to its Young Guns contenders list—the second tier of the program that included resource and organizational support.[1]

Third party, independent, and write-in candidates included Harry Vickers (Independent American Party), Steven Brown (L), and independent candidates Gilbert Eisner, David Goossen, and Tony Gumina.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Nevada District 3

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Nevada District 3 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Susie Lee
Susie Lee (D) Candidate Connection
 
51.9
 
148,501
Image of Danny Tarkanian
Danny Tarkanian (R)
 
42.8
 
122,566
Image of Steven Brown
Steven Brown (L)
 
1.6
 
4,555
Image of David Goossen
David Goossen (Independent)
 
1.3
 
3,627
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Harry Vickers (Independent American Party)
 
1.2
 
3,481
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Gilbert Eisner (Independent)
 
0.7
 
1,887
Image of Tony Gumina
Tony Gumina (Independent)
 
0.5
 
1,551

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 286,168
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Nevada District 3

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Nevada District 3 on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Susie Lee
Susie Lee Candidate Connection
 
66.9
 
25,475
Image of Michael Weiss
Michael Weiss
 
8.2
 
3,115
Image of Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz Candidate Connection
 
7.2
 
2,759
Image of Jack Love
Jack Love Candidate Connection
 
5.8
 
2,208
Image of Richard Hart
Richard Hart
 
4.9
 
1,847
Image of Steve Schiffman
Steve Schiffman
 
3.5
 
1,338
Image of Guy Pinjuv
Guy Pinjuv
 
3.5
 
1,331

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 38,073
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Nevada District 3

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Nevada District 3 on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Danny Tarkanian
Danny Tarkanian
 
44.1
 
15,257
Image of Michelle Mortensen
Michelle Mortensen
 
24.6
 
8,491
Image of Scott Hammond
Scott Hammond
 
16.8
 
5,804
Image of David McKeon
David McKeon
 
4.9
 
1,698
Image of Annette Teijeiro
Annette Teijeiro
 
3.5
 
1,225
Image of Patrick Carter
Patrick Carter
 
2.7
 
942
Image of Stephanie Jones
Stephanie Jones
 
1.3
 
450
Image of Eddie Hamilton
Eddie Hamilton
 
1.0
 
360
Image of Thomas Mark La Croix
Thomas Mark La Croix
 
1.0
 
345

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 34,572
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages
Susie Lee, education advocate
Susie Lee.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Lee earned a master's degree in public management from Carnegie Mellon University. After graduating, she worked in Massachusetts at an environmental and economic consulting firm that specialized in water resource issues. She moved to Las Vegas in 1993 where she then worked as a campaign policy advisor to Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and founded a homeless shelter for parents and children in need. In 2010, she became the president of the Board of Communities In Schools of Nevada (CIS), a program that seeks to lower high school dropout rates.[2]

Key messages
  • Lee said she ran for Congress because "the dysfunction and gridlock in Washington has been making it harder for Nevada families to get ahead. I know that our leaders in Washington should work together to find real solutions to problems in our community."[2]
  • Lee's campaign priorities included improving the Affordable Care Act, increasing funding for early childhood education, and proposing gun safety measures.[3]



Danny Tarkanian, businessman
Danny Tarkanian.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: After earning his bachelor's degree at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Tarkanian went on to complete his law degree at the University of San Diego. He practiced law for seven years and founded the Tarkanian Basketball Academy, a nonprofit organization focused on working with at-risk youth.[4]

Key messages
  • Tarkanian emphasized President Trump's support in his campaign. The home page on his website read, "In 2016 you voted to Make America Great Again. Help us continue the fight."[5]
  • Tarkanian's campaign priorities included supporting military veterans, defunding Planned Parenthood, supporting school vouchers, and repealing the Affordable Care Act.[6]



Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Susie Lee Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Danny Tarkanian Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Harry Vickers Independent American Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Steven Brown Libertarian Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Gilbert Eisner Independent $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
David Goossen Independent $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Tony Gumina Independent $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," . This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[7][8][9]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: Nevada's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesTilt DemocraticTilt DemocraticTilt DemocraticTilt Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+2, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 2 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Nevada's 3rd Congressional District the 224th most Republican nationally.[11]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[12]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


Noteworthy general election endorsements
Endorsement Lee Tarkanian
National figures
President Donald Trump (R) ✔
Former President Barack Obama[13] (D) ✔

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Susie Lee

Support

"Forward" - Susie Lee for Congress ad, released October 2, 2018
"Helping" - Susie Lee for Congress ad, released September 10, 2018

Oppose

"Stop the lies" - Tarkanian ad, released October 23, 2018
"Scam" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released October 1, 2018
"Rich" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released September 20, 2018

Republican Party Danny Tarkanian

Support

"I can relate" - Tarkanian campaign ad, released September 26, 2018

Oppose

"Surfacing" - House Majority PAC ad, released October 23, 2018
"Dirty Work" - DCCC ad, released September 27, 2018
"Went on" - DCCC ad, released September 17, 2018

Campaign themes

The themes below were taken from the candidates' campaign websites.

Susie Lee

Standing Up for Women

The Equal Pay Act was passed 52 years ago, yet women still earn only $.78 for each dollar that a man earns for an identical job. That pay gap is even larger for women of color. This is unacceptable, and I will fight every day for pay equity. When women thrive, families thrive.

Moreover, it is long past time that we address the pervasive issue of sexual misconduct and harassment. As we’ve seen, there are not sufficient safeguards in place for women in the workplace. Additionally, we need to fight for fair representation for women in leadership roles in all industries, so that we can truly change the culture of harassment that has gone unchallenged for far too long.

The gender pay gap and workplace harassment aren’t the only issue harming American women’s economic opportunities. Anti-choice ideologues in Washington are fighting to defund Planned Parenthood and write laws that limit women’s reproductive health decisions. I’ll stand up for a woman’s right to choose. I’ll also fight for paid family leave, contraceptive access, and fair workplace protections for the young women throughout this country who are just beginning to pursue their dreams.

Health Care

Health care is an issue that is deeply personal to me. After my father was laid off in his late 50s, my parents struggled after being denied health insurance due to pre-existing conditions. As they entered their senior years, my mother suffered a heart attack and they almost lost their house. We must never go back to the days where pre-existing conditions meant exorbitant premiums or denial of insurance coverage. In Congress, I will work for bipartisan solutions to improve the Affordable Care Act, and fight back against efforts to sabotage it. All Americans should have access to affordable, quality health care.

Instead of playing partisan games with people’s health care, we should work together to address the flaws in our health care system. In Nevada, we need to ensure we are able to attract and retain quality medical providers. I’ll be a strong advocate for decreasing health care costs. For example, Medicare should be able to negotiate prescription drug prices, and we must also take steps to stabilize the health care marketplace to prevent spiraling insurance costs.

Health care needs in 21st century America must also include expanding access to mental health treatment and long-term care. Too many Americans cannot afford or get access to treatment for mental illness. Too often, patients are only first able to access mental health treatment after they have entered our justice system. We must work to expand the availability and accessibility of preventive mental health services.

As our population ages, we must take a proactive approach to expand long-term care options that are cost-effective, dignified and support high-quality end of life services.

Education

I would not be where I am today without the opportunities I had to get a good education. Because of this, I have spent my career working to build a better public education system for children throughout Nevada. I was the Founding Director of After-School All-Stars, a program that provides our most at-risk students with after-school enrichment activities and academic support. As President of Communities in Schools of Nevada for the past six years, I have worked to close achievement gaps, adequately fund education and keep kids on the road to graduation. Under my leadership, CIS has grown to serve 68,000 students in Nevada and dramatically increased graduation rates in the schools we serve.

Education must be a top national priority. We should invest in students and teachers from pre-kindergarten through college. In Congress, I will work to increase funding for early childhood education and programs that assist students living in poverty. I will also fight to ensure that every classroom in America has a great teacher with the resources he or she needs to succeed.

We also need to do more to make college more affordable and reduce the burden of student loans. We should protect and expand programs like the Pell Grant, and others that help students afford college. We tell our students that they need higher education, so we need to make sure that the cost of doing so does not crush them, as they begin their careers.

In addition to college affordability, we need to ensure that people can live a middle class life in this country without a 4-year degree. Congress should help fund training and apprenticeship programs, so that our workforce has the skills needed to compete in the 21st century. Due to our strong union apprenticeship programs, we are well-positioned to benefit from innovative training programs for the careers of the future. For decades, blue-collar workers helped form the backbone of the American middle class. We cannot leave them behind.

Immigration

The U.S. has a proud tradition of opening its doors to immigrants from across the world, who in turn have made immeasurable contributions to our country. We must continue to welcome immigrants, while at the same time reforming our broken immigration system by securing our borders and providing a path to citizenship for the immigrants who strengthen our communities. Congress also must act to protect TPS recipients, and the thousands of Nevada DREAMers who have lived, worked, and studied in the United States since they were children. I will continue to oppose the cruel practice of separating families at the border.

For too long, politicians in Washington have used the issue of immigration as a wedge to divide people and score political points, instead of doing the hard work of fixing the system. While I do not support the abolishment of ICE, which protects communities as a part of the Department of Homeland Security, I believe ICE, like any other federal agency, should be held to a high standard of accountability, and Congress should remain vigilant in its oversight of the federal government. In Congress, I will work to hold our government accountable, make comprehensive immigration reform a top priority, and won’t play partisan games with people’s lives.

Environment

After I graduated from college, my first job was as an environmental consultant, handling water management, air quality, and other environmental issues. I have also been a strong advocate for conservation here in Nevada, and have a deep appreciation for the value of Nevada’s natural resources and public lands.

In addition to being a strong voice for conservation, smart environmental protections, animal welfare, and environmental justice, I will be a leader in Congress when it comes to energy independence and combating climate change. I will continue to work to position Nevada as a leader in clean energy, and I will fight back against the damaging policies coming out of Washington that are threatening our environment.

Economic Opportunity

As one of eight kids in a working class family in Ohio’s rust belt, I grew up knowing the value of hard work. When I was young, my parents taught me that if I worked hard and did well in school, I would have a chance to live a better life than they had. And they were right. I started with my first job delivering papers at the age of eight. After high school, I was able to go to college with government aid and by working as many as four jobs at a time. I knew it was worth it, and after years of hard work, I graduated and had doors of opportunity open to me.

For too many Americans, my story is no longer possible. Instead of working for the middle class, our government works only for those who can afford to write the biggest checks to politicians in Washington. Congress needs to do more to focus on expanding economic opportunity for working families. In Congress, I will support real middle class tax relief, invest in our communities so that we can attract good-paying careers to Southern Nevada, and ensure that everyone enjoys the impact of economic growth, not just a privileged few.

Too many Americans are being left behind in today’s economy. The American Dream should be accessible to all. We need job training to equip our workforce for the careers of tomorrow, with or without a 4-year degree. We need to protect service industry employees who rely on tips in addition to their wages, especially here in Nevada. We need to ensure that working class families have health care and can save for retirement. I’ll also fight to ensure that no worker faces discrimination because of their sexual orientation, race, or disability. No American, regardless of their background, should lose out on the chance to live a dignified, secure life. Those are the values I grew up with, and they’re the values I’ll fight for in Congress.

National Security and Veterans

America needs a smart foreign policy that promotes our values and keeps us safe. With so many threats on the global stage, I will work hard to ensure that our military remains the strongest, most well-equipped force in the world. I will also make sure that our State Department and diplomats have the resources they need, because whether it’s in North Korea, Iran, or elsewhere around the globe, we need to keep all of our options on the table, both militarily and diplomatically. I’ll also fight for the security of key allies, including Israel, so that we can promote stability and peace around the globe.

We as a nation need to support our brave men and women in uniform while they serve, but we must not forget about them when they come home. My father was a veteran, and critical veterans’ services were incredibly important to our family, especially in his later years. In Congress, I will fight for a fully funded and functional Veterans Administration that provides returning veterans the care they need and deserve. This care, however, must be extended to mental health services and suicide prevention. Our country’s bravest and finest deserve access to this care if they should need it, and I will push to increase funding for veterans’ mental health programs. I will also be a tireless advocate for training and education programs that ensure that our veterans can smoothly enter the civilian workforce and work with the dignity they deserve.

Gun Safety

On October 1, 2017, our community experienced, in the most horrifying way possible, the traumatic impact of gun violence in our country. For too long, Congress has shamefully failed to act, as tragedy after tragedy unfolds. Shootings are now the 3rd-leading cause of death for children in America, a truly shocking statistic. Some common sense gun safety measures are long overdue. First of all, I will pressure Nevada’s leaders to recognize the will of the people and implement the background check law that was passed by voters in 2016. I’ll also advocate for national background check legislation, and limiting the ability to modify legal firearms with devices like bump stocks that make them military-grade weapons capable of causing the carnage that we witnessed in our community. Congress should also take concrete steps to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, felons, and individuals on the no fly list. We must work to keep guns out of the hands of those who mental health professionals deem to be a risk to themselves or others. Expanding Red Flag laws, as well as access to preventive mental health treatment, will help prevent high-risk individuals from committing acts of mass violence, as well as address the pandemic of gun suicides in this country. Furthermore, we need federal legislation that cracks down on illegal gun trafficking, including stiffer penalties for those who engage in illegal straw purchasing, when prohibited purchasers buy guns by funneling money to a different buyer.[14]

Danny Tarkanian

Veterans

  • I believe the men and women serving in our military, as well as their families, should receive the pay, health care, retirement benefits, housing and education that they deserve.
  • I support extending hiring preferences for veterans in federal employment.
  • I support President Trump’s efforts to fix the Veterans Administration and terminate employees who fail to properly provide for the needs of those who have sacrificed so much for our nation.
  • I support allowing veterans to choose alternative medical care from other than VA facilities if they so choose.
  • I believe we need to do more to address the problem of homeless veterans.
  • I support efforts to address the tragedy of 22 military veterans committing suicide every day in America, as well as programs to address problems such addiction and mental illness due to their service.

National Defense

Providing for our national defense is one of the few authorized responsibilities of the federal government. Indeed, as former Congressman Jim Talent wrote, “National defense is the only mandatory function of the national government” as outlined in Article 4, Section 4 of the United States Constitution.

As such, I am fully committed to rebuilding our military, which was severely weakened during the eight years of the Obama administration. As President Reagan put it, we must always be prepared so that we’ll always be free.

In addition…

  • I believe Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ loosening of the “rules of engagement,” which has allowed our troops to more quickly and effectively combat and defeat ISIS and other terrorists groups in the Middle East and elsewhere, is wise and correct.
  • I believe we should not be using our military for “nation building” purposes.
  • I believe our allies, who enjoy the protections we provide them, should help pay for that protection as agreed and appropriate.
  • I believe that appeasement efforts towards the brutal North Korean dictatorship have failed and a stronger U.S. strategy in dealing with them is both necessary and appropriate.
  • I believe we should never underestimate the dangers posed by Russia, but agree with President Trump that if we can find peaceful means to co-exist, it’s in both nations’ best interest to do so.
  • I believe border security and national security go hand-in-hand and support building the wall on our southern border, as well as President Trump’s limited travel ban and ending the visa lottery program.
  • I oppose calls to reinstate the draft, as well as oppose requiring women to register for the draft.
  • I oppose using our military for social experimentation.

Pro-Life

Danny Tarkanian Believes Life Starts At Conception.

  • Danny is pro-life.
  • He is dedicated to fighting for the unborn and standing up for life.
  • He is against federal funding of abortions.
  • He is in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood.

School Choice

In the 1950s the government stood in front of schoolhouse doors and refused to let minority children in. Today the government stands in front of schoolhouse doors and refuses to let minority children out. That must change.

I am amazed at the hypocrisy of liberals who command a woman’s “right to choose” when it comes to terminating a pregnancy but denies women the right to choose what school to send their children to.

Parents deserve REAL school choice. They should be allowed to pick their child’s teachers and schools just as they’re allowed to choose their child’s doctors and hospitals. And no, choosing between one government school or another isn’t a real “choice.”

While we have an obligation to continue finding ways to improve our public schools other than dumping more and more taxpayer dollars down the drain, we must also give poor and middle class families the financial assistance they need to exercise the same education choices wealthy families enjoy.

Our public schools aren’t broke. They’re broken. If money was the answer, we’d already have the greatest school systems on the planet. We don’t.

That’s why I support school vouchers, education savings accounts and scholarship programs that parents can use for private school tuition or to assist parents who opt to homeschool their children if they want such assistance.

The community interest is a well-educated child. But that doesn’t necessarily mean public schools. One size doesn’t fit all. And it’s time to give parents both the right and the means to escape public schools that aren’t getting the job done.

Term Limits

Members of Congress are treated like royalty, have staffers who worship at their feet, are regularly entertained at dinners and cocktail parties, are lavished with ego-boosting praise and gifts by lobbyists sucking up for their votes, and made to feel their opinions are on par with the mountaintop wisdom of the Dalai Lama by the DC press corps.

Outside the beltway, Americans have another name for this alternative universe: The Swamp. And the only way to drain it and keep it drained is with term limits – just like we have for presidents; just like we have for Nevada legislators.

However, these elected Swamp creatures will do everything in their power to block a constitutional term limits amendment. But that doesn’t stop true citizen legislators who wish to serve and return home, as our Founders intended, from imposing term limits on themselves. And that’s exactly my commitment to Nevadans…

If elected, I promise to actively support a Constitutional amendment providing for term limits on Member of the United States House and Senate.

Because it’s the right thing to do. For America. And for Nevada.

Repealing Obamacare

Nevadans all across our state have lost the health insurance policies they were told they could keep when ObamaCare was forced on us by President Obama and Sen. Harry Reid.

And many have lost their family doctors, as well. Not only because you were forced into new policies that didn’t include your doctors (for example, being forced from a PPO into an HMO), but because many doctors have simply closed up their practices because they could no longer afford to operate under the new program.

In addition, many Nevadans have not only seen their monthly premiums skyrocket higher than their rent and mortgage payments, but their deductibles have blown through the roof, as well. My family of six has seen our premiums increase almost 400%, our deductibles increased 500%, and our copay to see a specialist has increased 600%. Under Obamacare, hardworking middle class Americans who pay for their own health insurance are the ones getting screwed.

ObamaCare MUST be repealed. And here’s my commitment to you, in writing…

If you give me your trust by sending me to Congress, I will push for and vote to repeal ObamaCare in its entirety. Guaranteed. That’s right, guaranteed.

My Dad, like yours, taught me that a man’s word is his bond. And we teach our kids that if you make a promise, keep the promise. I will keep my promise.

Defending the Second Amendment

Gun-grabbers whose ultimate goal is to abolish the Second Amendment routinely ignore two important realities…

1. The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, and… 2. When seconds count, first responders are only minutes away

This is not a criticism of police officers. They put their lives on the line every single day to protect us. But they simply can’t be everywhere all the time…unless you’re a high elected official or a Hollywood star who can afford personal bodyguards.

For the rest of us, when confronted by a bad guy with a gun – in church, at an event, on the street or in our own homes – first responders can get there too late. We need, deserve and have a right to an IMMEDIATE response.

Indeed, the right to defend yourself and your family isn’t just your constitutional right; it’s a God-given right. A right that has nothing to do with hunting or target-shooting. It’s about self-defense, period.

And every time I hear a gun-grabber ask, “Why do you need a weapon like that?” – the simple answer is: To defend myself and my family against a bad guy who has a similar weapon.

The simple fact is, no gun control law or background check system in the world is going to stop criminals and crazy people from getting their hands on guns if they are truly intent on doing so. That’s why the Second Amendment individual right to keep and bear arms needs to be defended without compromise.

And that’s why my top gun rights priority in the House of Representatives will be the passage of a national concealed carry reciprocity law that will allow you to protect yourself and your loved ones while traveling from one state to another.

We can do better. We should do better. We MUST do better.

Philosophy of Government

My views on the proper role of government can pretty much be summed up in two guiding principles best expressed by Ronald Reagan… Government isn’t the solution to the problem; government IS the problem

The American people aren’t taxed too little; the government spends too much

Keeping those two principles in mind, if elected to the House of Representatives I will try to follow the example set by former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, who wrote almost 60 years ago in Conscience of a Conservative…

"I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden.

I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is ‘needed’ before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents’ ‘interests,’ I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can."

Or as Benjamin Franklin once put it, “Where liberty is, there is my country.”

Government Spending

On January 20, 1981 Ronald Reagan delivered his first Inaugural Address. In it he warned…

"For decades we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children’s future for the temporary convenience of the present. . . . We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow."

That was the same speech in which the President famously declared that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

In a later speech, President Reagan observed:

"The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much."

And in yet another speech the Gipper noted:

"We don’t have a trillion dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough. We have a trillion dollar debt because we spend too much."

Sadly, little has changed since Reagan left the White House. We’re still mortgaging our nation’s future on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Government is still the problem, not the solution. And the government still spends too much.

Sadder still, that trillion dollar debt President Reagan inherited in 1981 grew to $20 trillion under President Obama. To paraphrase another famous saying, “It’s the spending, stupid.” And that includes spending on so-called “entitlements.”

Fixing this problem will require elected representatives who are willing to make tough but responsible decisions regardless of political consequences.

Illegal Immigration

The most dishonest argument in the immigration reform debate is the habit of “open borders” advocates to mix legal immigration with ILLEGAL immigration. There’s a huge difference.

We do need some reforms to our legal immigration system, but we need to BLOCK illegal immigration.

We also need to deport illegal immigrants who commit additional illegal acts while in our country illegally IMMEDIATELY.

There’s already a legal pathway to citizenship. People who are in our country illegally who wish to become American citizens should return to their native country and get in line like everyone else. It is wrong, unfair and counter-productive to “devise” any other pathway.

In addition…

  • I support building “the wall”
  • I oppose birthright citizenship
  • I oppose “chain immigration”
  • I support e-Verify
  • I oppose sanctuary cities
  • I oppose driver’s licenses for illegal aliens
  • I oppose welfare benefits for illegal aliens
  • I support making English our official language[6]

Social media

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Susie Lee Facebook

Republican Party Danny Tarkanian Facebook

Democratic district won by Donald Trump

See also: U.S. House districts represented by a Democrat and won by Donald Trump in 2016 and Split-ticket districts in the 2016 presidential and U.S. House elections

This district was one of 13 Democratic-held U.S. House districts that Donald Trump (R) won in the 2016 presidential election.[15] Some were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2018.


2018 election results in Democratic-held U.S. House districts won by Donald Trump in 2016
District Incumbent 2018 winner 2018 margin 2016 presidential margin 2012 presidential margin
Arizona's 1st Democratic Party Tom O'Halleran Democratic Party Tom O'Halleran D+7.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+2.5
Iowa's 2nd Democratic Party Dave Loebsack Democratic Party Dave Loebsack D+12.2 Trump+4.1 Obama+13.1
Illinois' 17th Democratic Party Cheri Bustos Democratic Party Cheri Bustos D+23.6 Trump+0.7 Obama+17.0
Minnesota's 1st Democratic Party Tim Walz Republican Party Jim Hagedorn R+0.4 Trump+14.9 Obama+1.4
Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson Democratic Party Collin Peterson D+4.3 Trump+30.8 Romney+9.8
Minnesota's 8th Democratic Party Rick Nolan Republican Party Pete Stauber R+5.5 Trump+15.6 Obama+5.5
New Hampshire's 1st Democratic Party Carol Shea-Porter Democratic Party Chris Pappas D+11.7 Trump+1.6 Obama+1.6
New Jersey's 5th Democratic Party Josh Gottheimer Democratic Party Josh Gottheimer D+11.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+3.1
Nevada's 3rd Democratic Party Jacky Rosen Democratic Party Susie Lee D+9.1 Trump+1.0 Obama+0.8
New York's 18th Democratic Party Sean Patrick Maloney Democratic Party Sean Patrick Maloney D+10.2 Trump+1.9 Obama+4.3
Pennsylvania's 8th Democratic Party Matt Cartwright[16] Democratic Party Matt Cartwright D+9.2 Trump+9.6 Obama+11.9
Pennsylvania's 14th Democratic Party Conor Lamb[17] Republican Party Guy Reschenthaler R+15.9 Trump+29.0 Romney+17.7
Wisconsin's 3rd Democratic Party Ron Kind Democratic Party Ron Kind D+19.4 Trump+4.5 Obama+11.0


Click here to see the 25 Republican-held U.S. House districts that Hillary Clinton (D) won.

Click here to see an overview of all split-ticket districts in the 2016 presidential and U.S. House elections.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in Nevada. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Nevada with 47.9 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 45.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1868 and 2016, Nevada voted Republican 51 percent of the time and Democratic 46 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Nevada voted Democratic three times and Republican the other two.[18]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in Nevada. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[19][20]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 26 out of 42 state Assembly districts in Nevada with an average margin of victory of 28.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 25 out of 42 state Assembly districts in Nevada with an average margin of victory of 25.4 points.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 16 out of 42 state Assembly districts in Nevada with an average margin of victory of 15.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 17 out of 42 state Assembly districts in Nevada with an average margin of victory of 18.6 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


District history

2016

See also: Nevada's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016

Nevada's 3rd Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Republican incumbent Joe Heck, who began serving in Congress in 2010, chose to seek election to the Senate in 2016, leaving the seat open. Jacky Rosen (D) defeated Danny Tarkanian (R), David Goossen (Independent), and Warren Markowitz (Independent American) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Rosen defeated five other Democrats to win the primary, while Tarkanian defeated six primary opponents. The primary elections took place on June 14, 2016.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]

U.S. House, Nevada District 3 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJacky Rosen 47.2% 146,869
     Republican Danny Tarkanian 46% 142,926
     Independent American Warren Markowitz 3.7% 11,602
     Independent David Goossen 3.1% 9,566
Total Votes 310,963
Source: Nevada Secretary of State


U.S. House, Nevada District 3 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDanny Tarkanian 32% 9,002
Michael Roberson 24% 6,759
Michele Fiore 18.2% 5,124
Andy Matthews 14.1% 3,975
Kerry Bowers 5.6% 1,569
Annette Teijeiro 4.7% 1,336
Sami Khal 1.4% 381
Total Votes 28,146
Source: Nevada Secretary of State
U.S. House, Nevada District 3 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJacky Rosen 62.2% 14,221
Jesse Sbaih 12.8% 2,928
Barry Michaels 9.7% 2,219
Steven Schiffman 5.4% 1,237
Alex Singer 5.3% 1,208
Neil Waite 4.6% 1,055
Total Votes 22,868
Source: Nevada Secretary of State

2014

See also: Nevada's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 3rd Congressional District of Nevada held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Joe Heck (R) defeated Erin Bilbray (D), Randy Kimmick (L), David Goossen (I) and Steven St John (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Nevada District 3 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Heck Incumbent 60.8% 88,528
     Democratic Erin Bilbray 36.1% 52,644
     Libertarian Randy Kimmick 1.1% 1,566
     Independent David Goossen 1.1% 1,637
     Independent Steven St John 0.9% 1,344
Total Votes 145,719
Source: Nevada Secretary of State

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Nevada heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Democrats controlled both chambers of the Nevada State Legislature. They had a 27-14 majority in the state Assembly and a 10-8 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • Nevada was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Brian Sandoval (R) served as governor, while Democrats controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Nevada elections, 2018

Nevada held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Nevada
 NevadaU.S.
Total population:2,883,758316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):109,7813,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:69%73.6%
Black/African American:8.4%12.6%
Asian:7.7%5.1%
Native American:1.1%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.6%0.2%
Two or more:4.4%3%
Hispanic/Latino:27.5%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:85.1%86.7%
College graduation rate:23%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$51,847$53,889
Persons below poverty level:17.8%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Nevada.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Nevada's three largest cities were Las Vegas (pop. est. 640,000), Henderson (pop. est. 300,000), and Reno (pop. est. 250,000).[33]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Nevada from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Nevada Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Nevada every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Nevada 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 47.9% Republican Party Donald Trump 45.5% 2.4%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 52.4% Republican Party Mitt Romney 45.7% 6.7%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 55.1% Republican Party John McCain 42.7% 12.4%
2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 50.5% Democratic Party John Kerry 47.9% 2.6%
2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 49.5% Democratic Party Al Gore 45.9% 3.6%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Nevada from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Nevada 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Catherine Cortez Masto 47.1% Republican Party Joe Heck 44.7% 2.4%
2012 Republican Party Dean Heller 45.9% Democratic Party Shelley Berkley 44.7% 1.2%
2010 Democratic Party Harry Reid 50.3% Republican Party Sharron Angle 44.6% 5.7%
2006 Republican Party John Ensign 55.4% Democratic Party Jack Carter 41.0% 14.4%
2004 Democratic Party Harry Reid 61.1% Republican Party Richard Ziser 35.1% 26.0%
2000 Republican Party John Ensign 55.0% Democratic Party Ed Bernstein 39.7% 15.3%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Nevada.

Election results (Governor), Nevada 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Brian Sandoval 70.6% Democratic Party Bob Goodman 23.9% 46.7%
2010 Republican Party Brian Sandoval 53.4% Democratic Party Rory Reid 41.6% 11.8%
2006 Republican Party Jim Gibbons 47.9% Democratic Party Dina Titus 43.9% 4.0%
2002 Republican Party Kenny Guinn 68.1% Democratic Party Joe Neal 22.0% 46.1%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Nevada in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Nevada 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 1 25.0% Democratic Party 3 75.0% D+2
2014 Republican Party 3 75.0% Democratic Party 1 25.0% R+2
2012[34] Republican Party 2 50.0% Democratic Party 2 50.0% Even
2010 Republican Party 2 66.7% Democratic Party 1 33.3% R+1
2008 Republican Party 1 33.3% Democratic Party 2 66.7% D+1
2006 Republican Party 2 66.7% Democratic Party 1 33.3% R+1
2004 Republican Party 2 66.7% Democratic Party 1 33.3% R+1
2002[35] Republican Party 2 66.7% Democratic Party 1 33.3% R+1
2000 Republican Party 1 50.0% Democratic Party 1 50.0% Even

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Nevada Party Control: 1992-2025
Five years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R
Senate D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D
House D D D S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Republican Congressional Committee, "NRCC Adds NV-03 Candidate Danny Tarkanian to Young Guns “Contenders”," May 17, 2018
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Susie for Nevada, "Susie's Story," accessed November 16, 2015
  3. ↑ Susie Lee 2018 campaign website, "Values," accessed September 19, 2018
  4. ↑ Danny Tarkanian 2018 campaign website, "Meet Danny Tarkanian," accessed April 3, 2018
  5. ↑ Danny Tarkanian 2018 campaign website, "Home," accessed September 19, 2018
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Danny Tarkanian 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 19, 2018
  7. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  8. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  9. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Roll Call, "GOP Groups Jump Into Nevada’s 3rd District Ahead of Trump Rally," September 19, 2018
  11. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  12. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  13. ↑ My Plainview, "Obama endorses Nevada Democrats Rosen, Lee and Horsford," August 1, 2018
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named leeissues
  15. ↑ This figure includes Pennsylvania districts that were redrawn by the state Supreme Court in early 2018 and districts that flipped in special elections.
  16. ↑ The new 8th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 17th District held by Cartwright. Click here to read more.
  17. ↑ The new 14th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 18th District Lamb won in a March 2018 special election. Tim Murphy (R) won the old 18th District in the 2016 election. Click here to read more.
  18. ↑ 270towin.com, "Nevada," accessed August 3, 2017
  19. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  20. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  21. ↑ Clark County Election Department, "Candidate Filing in Clark County," accessed March 19, 2016
  22. ↑ AP, "Republican State Sen. Michael Roberson running for Congress," July 8, 2015
  23. ↑ Reno Gazette-Journal, "Nevada's Tarkanian announces bid for Congress," July 13, 2015
  24. ↑ Las Vegas Sun, "President of conservative think tank NPRI joins House race," July 20, 2015
  25. ↑ CBS Las Vegas, "4 GOP Candidates In 3rd District," July 20, 2015
  26. ↑ Twitter, "Michelle Rindels," August 10, 2015
  27. ↑ Ballotpedia Staff, "Email correspondence with Barry Michaels," January 19, 2016
  28. ↑ Ballotpedia Staff, "Email correspondence with Steven St John," January 3, 2016
  29. ↑ Associated Press, "Democrat Jacky Rosen launches bid for Rep. Heck's House seat," January 26, 2016
  30. ↑ Ballotpedia Staff, "Email correspondence with Ballotpedia staff," March 5, 2016
  31. ↑ The New York Times, "Nevada Primary Results," June 14, 2016
  32. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2016 Master Statewide Certified List of Candidates," accessed September 7, 2016
  33. ↑ Nevada Demographics, "Nevada Cities by Population," accessed September 5, 2017
  34. ↑ Nevada gained a fourth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2010 census.
  35. ↑ Nevada gained a third seat in the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2000 census.
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Nevada's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Catherine Masto (D)
Jacky Rosen (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
Susie Lee (D)
District 4
Democratic Party (5)
Republican Party (1)

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