Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Patricia Farley recall, Nevada State Senate (2017)
| Nevada State Senate recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Nevada Nevada recall laws State legislative recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Patricia Farley, a nonpartisan member of the Nevada State Senate representing District 8, was launched on August 11, 2017.[1]
This recall failed on November 9, 2017, after supporters of the recall did not submit enough signatures to move the recall forward. Recall supporters turned in about 2,000 signatures. At least 7,104 signatures needed to be submitted for the recall to go to the ballot.[2]
Recall supporter John Gibson told The Nevada Independent that Farley was targeted for recall over her support of a $1.1 billion tax increase and a prevailing wage exemption bill.[3]
In August 2017, two other Nevada state senators, Joyce Woodhouse (D) and Nicole Cannizzaro (D), had recall petitions filed against them. As of August 2017, Democrats had a 10-9 majority with one nonpartisan member—Farley—caucusing with Democrats and one vacancy. The vacant seat was previously held by a Democrat.
Timeline
- November 9, 2017: Recall supporters failed to submit the necessary amount of signatures for a recall election.
- August 11, 2017: Sen. Farley announced that she would not seek re-election in 2018.[4]
- August 11, 2017: Annalise Castor and two others filed paperwork with the Nevada Secretary of State to begin the recall process.[1][5]
- May 25, 2017: Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) vetoed Assembly Bill 154.
- May 19, 2017: Nevada State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 154
- November 2016: Sen. Farley switched her party affiliation from Republican to nonpartisan and caucused with Democrats in the 2017 legislative session.
- June 9, 2015: Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) signed Senate Bill 483.
- June 1, 2015: Nevada State Legislature passed Senate Bill 483
Background
State Sen. Patricia Farley was elected to the chamber in 2014 as a Republican with a margin of victory of 18 percent. Farley announced shortly after the November 2016 general election that she would change her party affiliation from Republican to nonpartisan with the intention of caucusing with Democrats. The change in affiliation came after Democrats gained majorities in both the state Senate and state Assembly.[6]
On June 1, 2015, the Nevada State Legislature passed Senate Bill 483. SB 483 increased taxes by $1.1 billion to fund the state's education system. The state Senate passed the bill by an 18-3 margin, while the state Assembly passed the legislation by a 30-10 vote. Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) signed the bill on June 9, 2015. During the 2015 legislative session, Republicans held the state Senate by an 11-10 margin and the state Assembly by a 24-17 margin with one Libertarian.[3]
On May 19, 2017, the Nevada State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 154. AB 154 would have removed the prevailing wage exemption for school construction and the Nevada System of Higher Education in 2017. The state Senate passed the bill by a 12-9 margin and the Assembly passed the bill by a 25-15 vote. Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) vetoed Assembly Bill 154 on May 25, 2017. During the 2017 legislative session, Democrats held the Senate by an 11-9 margin with one nonpartisan member. Democrats also held the state Assembly by a 27-15 margin.[3]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was initiated by Annalise Castor, Kevin Kean, and John Gibson on August 11, 2017, in response to Farley's support of Senate Bill 483 and Assembly Bill 154. In an interview with The Nevada Independent, Gibson called Farley a "very successful businesswoman," but was upset with her support of Senate Bill 483 and Assembly Bill 154.[7] Annalise Castor was a supporter of Lieutenant Governor Mark Hutchison's 2014 campaign.[8] Kevin Kean is a board member for the Keystone Corporation and John Gibson is the chairman and president of the Keystone board. On the Keystone website, the organization describes itself as a "political action organization for the Nevada Conservative."[9][10] The recall seeks to replace Farley with Jared Glover.[11]
Lieutenant Governor Mark Hutchison's (R) law firm, Hutchison & Steffen, is representing the recall committees against Sen. Farley, Sen. Joyce Woodhouse, and Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro. Hutchison's chief of staff, Ryan Cherry, confirmed that the lieutenant governor was aware that his law firm is representing the recall supporters but stated that Hutchison would not comment on the recalls until the process plays out. Cherry said, "He [Hutchison] supports the voters [sic] right to chose whether to recall or retain an elected official. If 25 percent of voters sign a petition to recall that’s an indication that there is an appetite to hold a recall election. Let the process play out. He trusts Nevada voters." Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) said that he has no plans to support the recall efforts.[12]
List of supporters
- Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson (R)[13]
Recall opponents
According to The Nevada Independent, Farley called the recall a "stunt" and said that there is no clear reason for the recall.[3] In the interview, Farley said, "In general I think it’s gutter politics at it’s best. I think when you have a party that lacks a substantive policy agenda, and the inability to communicate, with the middle party and their voters, the only opportunity they have is to do politics. The nation is tired of it, and Nevada is tired of it."[3] Farley also announced that she would not seek re-election in 2018 because of family commitments. Of the 11 seats up for election in 2018, Democrats held four seats, Republicans held six seats, and one seat belonged to a nonpartisan member. Sen. Farley represented a district that voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016.[14]
List of opponents
- Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford (D)[13]
Campaign finance
Recall opponents
In November 2017, the Washington Post reported that the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee had raised almost $1 million to oppose the recalls. The National Democratic Redistricting Committee has also pledged $50,000 to oppose the recall efforts.[15]
Recall supporters
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) donated $160,000 in support of the recall effort against Sen. Patricia Farley. Matthew Walter, president of the RSLC, said that his organization also donated to the recall committees that are trying to recall Woodhouse and Cannizzaro, but did not say how much was given.[16]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Nevada
According to a 2010 court ruling by the Nevada Supreme Court, those who seek to recall public officers must collect signatures of at least 25 percent of the voters who cast their ballot in the election when the officers last won their seats.[17]
For the recall against Sen. Farley to be placed on the ballot, supporters of the recall needed to gather 7,104 signatures within 90 days. Recall supporters had until November 9, 2017, to turn in signatures for the recall to go forward.[1] The recall failed after supporters failed to turn in the necessary amount of signatures.
Election history
2014
- See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Nevada State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Marilyn Dondero Loop defeated Garrett Leduff in the Democratic primary, while Patricia Farley defeated Lisa Myers and Clayton Hurst in the Republican primary. Jon Kamerath ran as an Independent American candidate. Farley defeated Dondero Loop and Kamerath in the general election.[18][19][20][21]
The Nevada State Senate was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The Nevada Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of one seat, which amounted to 9 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. District 8 in the Senate was identified by Ballotpedia and the Las Vegas Review-Journal as a battleground district that could have determined control of the Nevada State Senate.[22] Incumbent Barbara Cegavske (R), who did not seek re-election due to term limits, ran for Secretary of State. Democrats had the opportunity to pick up the seat, but Assembly member Marilyn Dondero Loop (D) was defeated by Patricia Farley (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Patricia Farley |
57% | 16,205 | |
| Democratic | Marilyn Dondero Loop | 39% | 11,092 | |
| Independent American | Jon Kamerath | 3.9% | 1,119 | |
| Total Votes | 28,416 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Marilyn Dondero Loop |
83% | 2,844 |
| Garrett Leduff | 17% | 582 |
| Total Votes | 3,426 | |
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Patricia Farley |
52% | 2,814 |
| Clayton Hurst | 38% | 2,054 |
| Lisa Myers | 10% | 543 |
| Total Votes | 5,411 | |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Patricia Farley Nevada recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Recall campaigns in Nevada
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- State legislative recalls
- Joyce Woodhouse recall, Nevada State Senate (2017)
- Nicole Cannizzaro recall, Nevada State Senate (2017)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Las Vegas Review Journal, "Nevada Republicans seek to recall state Sen. Patricia Farley," August 11, 2017
- ↑ The Nevada Independent, "Backers of Republican-led recall effort fail to submit enough signatures to recall Farley," November 9, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The Nevada Independent, "Second GOP-backed recall attempt targets independent state Sen. Farley," August 11, 2017
- ↑ Twitter, "Riley Snyder on August 11, 2017," accessed August 15, 2017
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Recall committee registration form," accessed August 15, 2017
- ↑ Las Vegas Sun, "State Sen. Patricia Farley to caucus with Democrats," November 14, 2016
- ↑ The Nevada Independent, "Second GOP-backed recall attempt targets independent state Sen. Farley," August 11, 2017
- ↑ Hutch for Nevada 2014 campaign website, "RELEASE: 100 Women Launch Women for Hutch Coalition," accessed August 15, 2017
- ↑ Keystone Nevada, "Board of Directors," accessed August 15, 2017
- ↑ Keystone Nevada, "About us," accessed August 15, 2017
- ↑ US News, "Republicans File Petitions to Recall Nevada Senators," August 12, 2017
- ↑ The Nevada Independent, "With law firm involved in state Senate recalls, Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison still noncommittal: 'Let the process play out'," August 15, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Reno Gazette-Journal, "3rd Nevada senator target of Republicans’ recall petitions," August 17, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Washington Post, "After losing control a year ago, Nevada GOP is trying to flip state senate through unexplained recall process," November 29, 2017
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "National Republican group funded attempt to recall Farley," December 8, 2017
- ↑ Las Vegas Review Journal, "Court reverses ruling allowing recall election," July 3, 2010
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2014 filed candidates," accessed April 8, 2014
- ↑ Clark County, "Candidate filing," accessed April 8, 2014
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Nevada Primary Election 2014," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2014 Official Statewide General Election Results," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Nevada Senate leader says GOP has chance to regain control of upper house," April 9, 2014
