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Steve Sisolak (D) defeated Adam Laxalt (R) and three other candidates in the 2018 general election for governor of Nevada.
Democrats won a trifecta in Nevada by capturing the governor's office and maintaining control of the state legislature. Heading into the election, Nevada had been under divided government since 2016 when Democrats won control of the Nevada State Assembly and the Nevada State Senate.
The winner of this election stood to influence the state's redistricting process following the 2020 census. Under Nevada state law, the state Legislature is responsible for drawing new maps for U.S. House and state legislative seats following the completion of the census. The governor has the power to veto these district map proposals.
Incumbent Gov. Brian Sandoval (R), who was term-limited, was first elected in 2010 by 11.8 percentage points and re-elected in 2014 by 46.7 percentage points. The last Democrat to win Nevada's governorship was Bob Miller (D) in 1990 and 1994. Hillary Clinton (D) won Nevada in the 2016 presidential election by 3 percentage points, making it one of eight states holding gubernatorial elections in 2018 that Clinton won despite having a Republican governor. As of October 24, two of three major election forecasters
Nevada was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election.
The third party and independent candidates who ran were Jared Lord (L), Russell Best (Independent American), and Ryan Bundy (I).
Nevada Governor 2018, general election
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Steve Sisolak | Adam Laxalt | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Trafalgar Group October 29-November 1, 2018 | N/A | 39% | 45% | 16% | +/-1.9 | 2,587 |
| SRSS October 24-29, 2018 | CNN | 46% | 45% | 9% | +/-4.8 | 622 |
| Reuters/Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics October 12-19, 2018 | N/A | 41% | 46% | 13% | +/-3.0 | 1,137 |
| Vox Populi (Democrat vs. Republican only, no undecided option) October 13-15, 2018 | N/A | 42% | 40% | 0% | +/-3.7 | 614 |
| Marist University Sept. 30-Oct. 3 | NBC News | 40% | 44% | 16% | +/-5.5 | 574 |
| SSRS Sept. 25-29 | CNN | 45% | 41% | 14% | +/-4.6 | 693 |
| Reuters/Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics Sept. 7-17 | Thomson Reuters and the University of Virginia Center for Politics | 40% | 43% | 17% | +/-3.5 | 1,039 |
| Suffolk University Sept. 5-10 | Reno Gazette-Journal | 37% | 35% | 28% | +/-4.4 | 500 |
| Suffolk University July 24-29 | Reno Gazette-Journal | 41% | 42% | 16% | +/-4.4 | 500 |
| AVERAGES | 41.22% | 42.33% | 14.33% | +/-3.98 | 918.44 |
The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage. Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.
Race ratings: Nevada gubernatorial election, 2018
| Race tracker | Race ratings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2018 | October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | |
| The Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic |
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
Governor of Nevada, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Brian Sandoval Incumbent |
70.6% | 386,340 | |
| Democratic | Robert Goodman | 23.9% | 130,722 | |
| Independent | None of these candidates | 2.9% | 15,751 | |
| Independent American | David Lory VanderBeek | 2.7% | 14,536 | |
| Total Votes | 547,349 | |||
| Election results via Nevada Secretary of State | ||||
On November 2, 2010, Brian Sandoval won election to the office of Governor of Nevada. He defeated Rory Reid, David Scott Curtis, Arthur Forrest Lampitt, Eugene DiSimone, Aaron Y. Honig, and Floyd Fitzgibbons in the general election.
Governor of Nevada, 2010
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Sandoval |
54.3% | 382,350 | |
| Democratic | Rory Reid | 42.3% | 298,171 | |
| Green | David Scott Curtis | 0.6% | 4,437 | |
| Libertarian | Arthur Forrest lampitt | 0.7% | 4,672 | |
| Independent | Eugene DiSimone | 0.9% | 6,403 | |
| Independent | Aaron Y. Honig | 0.5% | 3,216 | |
| Independent | Floyd Fitzgibbons | 0.7% | 5,049 | |
| Total Votes | 704,298 | |||
| Election results via Silver State Election Results. | ||||
On November 7, 2006, Jim Gibbons won election to the office of Governor of Nevada. He defeated Dina Titus, Christopher Hansen, and Craig Bergland in the general election.
Governor of Nevada, 2006
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Gibbons |
49.7% | 279,003 | |
| Democratic | Dina Titus | 45.5% | 255,684 | |
| Ind. American | Christopher Hansen | 3.6% | 20,019 | |
| Green | Craig Bergland | 1.2% | 6,753 | |
| Total Votes | 561,459 | |||
| Election results via US Election Atlas Results. | ||||
On November 5, 2002, Kenny Guinn won re-election to the office of Governor of Nevada. He defeated Joseph Neal, Richard Geyer, David Holmgren, Jerry Norton, and A. Charles Laws in the general election.
Governor of Nevada, 2002
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kenny Guinn Incumbent |
71.6% | 344,001 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Neal | 23.1% | 110,935 | |
| Libertarian | Richard Geyer | 1.7% | 8,104 | |
| Ind. American | David Holmgren | 1.5% | 7,047 | |
| Independent | Jerry Norton | 1.2% | 5,543 | |
| Green | A. Charles Laws | 1% | 4,775 | |
| Total Votes | 480,405 | |||
| Election results via US Election Atlas Results. | ||||
Demographic data for Nevada
| Nevada | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 2,883,758 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 109,781 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 49.7% | 50.8% |
| 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) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Nevada. | ||
As of July 2016, Nevada' three largest cities were Las Vegas (pop. est. 640,000), Henderson (pop. est. 300,000), and Reno (pop. est. 250,000).
