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Party control of Nevada state government: Difference between revisions

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m (Text replacement - "==Legislative party competitiveness score== The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. According to Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser's study on party competition and policy outcomes, "This measure of competitiveness can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."<ref>[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/life-literacy-a...)
 
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{{NV Parties}}'''''Note:''' This content was accurate as of October 2016. It is currently being updated to reflect the political landscape in 2018.''<br>
<APIWidget template="StatePartyControl" where="state.name = 'Nevada' "/>
<p style="width: 78%;">'''As a result of the 2016 election, Nevada became divided between Republicans and Democrats as Democrats retook the legislature'''. Political control of Nevada state offices in 2016 was under Republican [[#Trifectas|trifecta]] control. Republicans held the trifecta from 2015 to 2016.</p>
<APIWidget template="TrifectaTriplexSentence" where="state.name = 'Nevada'" extra_params='{"scope":"state"}' />  
<APIWidget template="TrifectaTriplexSentence" where="'a' = 'a' " extra_params='{"scope":"nation", "type":"trifecta"}' />
{{TLDRbox|Nevada was under split-party control from 1993 to 2014.|Democrats have mostly held the state Assembly and Republicans the state Senate since 1992.|Since 1992, Republicans have had more years of trifecta control than Democrats.}}
<APIWidget template="TrifectaTriplexSentence" where="'a' = 'a' " extra_params='{"scope":"nation", "type":"triplex"}' />
 
{{Patry control intro explainer}}
==Overview==
{{Headline|1=Nevada has been split between the two parties since 1992.}}
 
Nevada elected Democrats to governorship in the early 1990s and Republicans in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
 
Republicans and Democrats have split their control of the legislature since 1993. Since 2015, Republicans have held a trifecta. '''[[Nevada state profile|Read more about Nevada's political history »]]'''
==Trifectas==
{{Headline|Trifectas influence how hard a party must work to advance its agenda.}}
When one party controls the three vital centers of state political power—the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate —Ballotpedia considers that party to control a '''"[[trifecta]]."''' Trifectas make it easier for the dominant party to pursue its agenda, and more difficult for opposition parties to challenge it.
 
There are currently '''{{trifectas}} trifectas''': '''{{GOPtrifectas}} Republican trifectas''' and '''{{DEMtrifectas}} Democratic trifectas'''. [[Nevada]] is one of the '''{{splittrifectas}} state governments under split-party control.'''
===Trifectas in Nevada===
'''In Nevada, both Democrats and Republicans maintained a governing trifecta since 1992.''' Democrats held a trifecta in 1992. Republicans held a trifecta from 2015 to 2016.


==Current leadership of key offices==
==Current leadership of key offices==
{{State leadership gallery|State=Nevada}}
<APIWidget where="( (officeholders.status in ('Current','Acting') and offices.name in ('Governor of Nevada') ) or (leadership.status = 'Current' and leadership_positions.title in ('President of the State Senate', 'State Speaker of the House') )) and districts.state = 'NV'" template="StateLeadership" extra_params='{"hide_header": true, "include_photos": true}' />


==Historical party control==
==Historical party control==
{{Nevada Trifectas}}
{{Nevada Trifectas}}
===2015-2016: Republican trifecta===
In 2015, Republicans gained a trifecta.
===1993-2014===
In 1993, Republicans retook the state senate. Nevada remained under split-party control until 2014. Both the state senate and the governorship flipped between the parties during this period.
===1992: Democratic trifecta===
Democrats held a trifecta in 1992.
==Nevada compared with neighboring states==
{{Headline|1=Unlike its neighbors, Nevada is more split between the parties.}}
Nevada borders five states. Nevada has been more split between the parties compared to its neighbors. California and Oregon are more Democratic than Nevada, and Idaho, Utah, and Arizona are more Republican.
*'''[[Who controls Arizona?|Arizona]]:''' Arizona was solidly Republican from 1994 to 2000 when Republicans held a trifecta. Democrats dominated the governorship from 2003 to 2008, but Republicans regained their trifecta in 2009 and have held it since.
*'''[[Who controls California?|California]]:''' California is strongly Democratic. Democrats held a trifecta from 1999 to 2003 and from 2011 to the present.
*'''[[Who controls Idaho?|Idaho]]:''' Idaho is solidly Republican. Though Democrats briefly held the governorship in the early 1990s, Republicans have held a trifecta since 1995.
*'''[[Who controls Oregon?|Oregon]]:''' Oregon has become more Democratic since 2004. In 2007, Democrats gained a trifecta. Though the state house was evenly split in 2011 and 2012, Democrats regained their trifecta in 2013.
*'''[[Who controls Utah?|Utah]]:''' Utah is a solidly Republican state. Republicans have held a trifecta in Utah since 1992. Democrats, in this time period, have not controlled the governorship or either chamber of the legislature.
==Competitiveness of state legislative races==
{{Headline|1=Nevada's state legislative elections are more competitive than in most states.}} [[File:Seal of Nevada.svg|right|150px]]
{{Competitiveness nav}}'''In 2014, Nevada ranked 13th nationwide on Ballotpedia's [[A "Competitiveness Index" for capturing competitiveness in state legislative elections|Competitiveness Index]].'''
The term "competitive" is used to indicate competitive environment on a ballot access level. The goal of the Competitiveness Index is to assess the relative competitiveness of state legislative elections by noting where incumbents are being challenged and if opportunities for election bids are being considered by candidates. States were ranked based on three factors:
*the percentage of seats where the incumbent did not run for re-election (known as "open seats")
*the percentage of incumbents who faced primary opposition
*the percentage of seats where a major party candidate faced major party opposition in the general election.


Around 19 percent of seats—one senate seats and nine house seats—had no incumbent running for re-election in 2014, placing Nevada 16th nationwide in competitiveness on that metric. Click [[Open seats in the 2014 state legislative elections|here]] to see how Nevada compared to other states.
==Legislative party competitiveness score==
Professors of Political Science Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser, University of Rochester and University of California San Diego, respectively, claim that states with competitive party systems spend more on education, health, and transportation. They base this on a study of each state's party competitiveness from 1880 (or year of statehood) to 2010. They assigned each state legislature a competitiveness score, which "can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."<ref>[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/life-literacy-and-the-pursuit-of-prosperity-party-competition-and-policy-outcomes-in-50-states/4DD3750D110D228E18ABDBD9F30E089C ''American Political Science Review'', "Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Prosperity: Party Competition and Policy Outcomes in 50 States," August 2, 2021]</ref>


About 30 percent of seats—two senate seats and 11 house seats—had an incumbent facing a primary challenge in 2014, making Nevada 9th nationwide in competitiveness on that metric. Click [[Incumbents with a primary challenger in the 2014 state legislative elections|here]] to see how Nevada compared to other states.
The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. The chart offers a look into competitiveness prior to Ballotpedia's 1992 analysis.


Around 64 percent of seats—34 seats—had a major party candidate facing major party opposition in the general election, placing Nevada 17th nationwide in competitiveness on that metric. Click [[Major party candidates with major party competition in the November 2014 state legislative elections|here]] to see how Nevada compared to other states.
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==See also==
==See also==
*[[Nevada]]
*[[Nevada]]
*[[Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government]]
*[[Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States|Who Runs the States]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States|Who runs the states]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Nevada|Who Runs the States, Nevada]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Nevada|Who runs the states, Nevada]]


==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}
{{who runs the states hnt}}
{{who runs the states hnt}}
{{Nevada}}
{{Nevada}}
{{Trifectas HNT}}
[[Category:Party control]]
[[Category:Party control]]

Latest revision as of 20:40, 30 August 2023

Party control
in Nevada
GovernorRepublican
SenateDemocratic
HouseDemocratic
Click here for party control in all 50 states

Nevada has a divided government. The Republican Party controls the office of governor, while the Democratic Party controls the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, and both chambers of the state legislature.

As of January 30, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

As of January 30, 2026, there are 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and 5 divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

A state government trifecta is a term to describe when one political party holds majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. To learn more about trifectas and triplexes, click here.

Current leadership of key offices

Governor

Joe Lombardo (R)

President of the State Senate

Stavros Anthony (R)

State Speaker of the House

Steve Yeager (D)


Historical party control

Nevada Party Control: 1992-2026
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 26
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 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 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 D

Legislative party competitiveness score

Professors of Political Science Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser, University of Rochester and University of California San Diego, respectively, claim that states with competitive party systems spend more on education, health, and transportation. They base this on a study of each state's party competitiveness from 1880 (or year of statehood) to 2010. They assigned each state legislature a competitiveness score, which "can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."[1]

The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. The chart offers a look into competitiveness prior to Ballotpedia's 1992 analysis.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ American Political Science Review, "Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Prosperity: Party Competition and Policy Outcomes in 50 States," August 2, 2021
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