Party control of Nevada state government

Party control in Nevada
Governor	Democrat
Senate	Democrat
House	Democrat

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Note: This content was accurate as of October 2016. It is currently being updated to reflect the political landscape in 2018.

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 trifecta control. Republicans held the trifecta from 2015 to 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS

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.

Overview

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. Read more about Nevada's political history »

Trifectas

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 37 trifectas: 23 Republican trifectas and 14 Democratic trifectas. Nevada is one of the 13 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

Governor

Joe Lombardo

Secretary of State

Cisco Aguilar

Speaker of the House

Steve Yeager

Chief Justice

James Hardesty

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

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

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.

• 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.
• California: California is strongly Democratic. Democrats held a trifecta from 1999 to 2003 and from 2011 to the present.
• Idaho: Idaho is solidly Republican. Though Democrats briefly held the governorship in the early 1990s, Republicans have held a trifecta since 1995.
• 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.
• 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

Nevada's state legislative elections are more competitive than in most states.

More about legislative competitiveness »

In 2014, Nevada ranked 13th nationwide on Ballotpedia's 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 here to see how Nevada compared to other states.

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 here to see how Nevada compared to other states.

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 here to see how Nevada compared to other states.

See also

• Nevada
• Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government
• Who Runs the States
• Who Runs the States, Nevada