Nevada State Senate elections, 2010

2010 elections in Nevada:  Ballot measures Governor Lt. Gov Attorney General Secretary of State State Senate State House

Nevada State Senate elections, 2010

* * *

Majority control • Campaign contributions

* * *

Qualifications • Competitiveness analysis

* * *

State Legislative Election Results

* * *

List of candidates Capital • Clark 2 • Clark 5(B) • Clark 7(B) • Clark 8 • Clark 9 • Clark 10 • Clark 12 • Washoe 1 • Washoe 2 • Washoe 4

* * *

Nevada State Senate
Nevada State Senate elections were held in 11 of Nevada's 21 senate districts on November 2, 2010. The 11 districts where electoral contests took place in 2010 were: Capital, Clark 2, Clark 5(B), Clark 7(B), Clark 8, Clark 9, Clark 10, Clark 12, Washoe 1, Washoe 2, Washoe 4.

The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 12, 2010 and the primary Election Day was June 8, 2010.

Nevada's state senators are elected to a 4-year term that begins on the first day after the November election.[1]

The incumbent senator ran for re-election in 3 of the 11 state senate seats that were up for re-election in 2010. Of the remaining 8 districts, 5 incumbents were not eligible because of term limits. There were also 2 vacant districts -- Capital and Washoe 4 -- which were previously occupied by term-limited senators.

See also: Nevada State Senate and State legislative elections, 2010

## November 2 General Election Results[edit]

The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:

1. Barbara Cegavske
2. Ben Kieckhefer
3. Don Gustavson
4. Elizabeth Halseth
5. James Settelmeyer
6. Joseph Hardy
7. Mark Manendo
8. Michael Roberson
9. Moises Denis
10. Ruben Kihuen
11. Sheila Leslie

## Majority control[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state senates

Heading into the November 2 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Nevada State Senate:

Nevada State Senate

Party  |  As of November 1, 2010  |  After the 2010 Election
|  Democratic Party |  12 |  11
|  Republican Party |  7  |  10
|  Vacancy  |  2  |  \-
Total |  21 |  21

## Term limits[edit]

See also: State legislatures with term limits

2010 was the first year that some Nevada State Senators were ineligible to run for office because of the term limits law first passed in 1994.

Nevada voters approved Question 9A in 1996. Question 9A was a second vote on a term limits amendment first approved in 1994. Alone among the states with ballot initiatives, Nevada voters must approve a proposed constitutional amendment twice before it goes into the Nevada Constitution. The 1994 and 1996 votes cumulatively led to Paragraph 2 of Section 4 of Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution, which says, "No person may be elected or appointed as a Senator who has served in that Office, or at the expiration of his current term if he is so serving will have served, 12 years or more, from any district of this State."

Altogether, there were 21 Nevada State Senators as of 2010. In 2010, five of them who were current members were ineligible to run for the senate again in November. In addition, two former Republican state senators (Mark Amodei and Randolph Townsend) who resigned earlier in 2010 would have been ineligible had they stayed in office.

Nevada state senators whose seats were up for election in 2010 but who were unable to run because of the state's term limits are:

Democrats (4):

* Bernice Mathews
* Bob Coffin
* Maggie Carlton
* Terry Care

Republicans (1):

* Maurice Washington

## Campaign contributions[edit]

See also: State-by-state comparison of donations to state senate campaigns

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Nevada in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[2]

Year  |  Number of candidates  |  Total contributions

|
|

2010  |  44  |  $4,320,019
2008  |  32  |  $4,595,155
2006  |  23  |  $4,617,882
2004  |  39  |  $4,452,213
2002  |  25  |  $2,878,156

In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $4,320,019 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[3]

Donor  |  Amount

|

Senate Republican Leadership Conference  |  $75,000
Senate Republican Leaders Fund  |  $65,000
Nevada Association of Realtors  |  $63,500
Boyd Gaming  |  $53,000
Las Vegas Sands Corp  |  $52,500
R & S Investment Properties  |  $50,500
Nevada State Education Association  |  $47,500
South Point Hotel & Casino  |  $47,500
Move Nevada Forward PAC  |  $46,500
Sunrise Healthcare System  |  $46,250

## "Pay to play" controversy[edit]

In August 2010, Senate Majority leader Steven Horsford sent an email to potential contributors to Democratic candidates in 2010, offering access to himself and Senate leadership in exchange for cash donations. State Republican Party Chairman Mark Amodei criticized the email that appeared to imply regular legislators would not be allowed meetings with legislators unless they "paid to play." According to the email:

“Organizations or individuals that contribute $25,000 or more will receive a private dinner with the Senate majority leader and chairs of all the standing committees,” the email solicitation says. “The dinner will permit up to 10 invited guests to accompany the Victory Leadership Circle Member.

## Incumbency[edit]

### Primary challenges[edit]

One incumbent faced competition in the June 8 primary.

* District 9: Republican Dennis Nolan lost to Elizabeth Halseth.

### Retiring incumbents[edit]

Six incumbent senators did not run for re-election, while three incumbents (33.33%) ran for re-election. Of the six incumbents who did not run for re-election, four were Democrats and two were Republican.

Incumbents who retired were:

* District 2: Incumbent Democrat Maggie Carlton. - Ineligible due to term limits.
* District 7: Incumbent Democrat Terry Care. - Ineligible due to term limits.
* District 10: Incumbent Democrat Bob Coffin. - Ineligible due to term limits.
* District 12: Incumbent Republican Stan Olsen.
* District Washoe 1: Incumbent Democrat Bernice Mathews. - Ineligible due to term limits.
* District Washoe 2: Incumbent Republican Maurice Washington. - Ineligible due to term limits.

## Qualifications[edit]

To be eligible to serve in the Nevada State Senate, a candidate must be:[4]

* A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
* 21 years old at the filing deadline time
* A one-year resident of Nevada preceding the election
* A resident for 30 days of the senate district from which elected at the filing deadline time
* A qualified election. A qualified voter is someone who is:

* A U.S. citizen
* A resident of Nevada for at least 6 months prior to the next election, and 30 days in the district or county
* At least 18 years old by the next election

## Filing fee[edit]

Any person intending to run for a seat in the Nevada Senate must file a declaration of candidacy with the county clerk's office of the county in which he or she resides or with the Office of Nevada Secretary of State.

Candidates must pay a filing fee. The fee is $100.

## List of candidates

Partisan dominance in state senates
heading into the 2010 state legislative elections

* * *

2010 State senate elections

* * *

AL • AK • AR • AR • CA • CO • CT • DE • FL • GA • HI • ID • IL • IN • IA • KY • ME • MD • MA • MI • MN • MO • MT • NE • NV • NH • NY • NC • ND • OH • OK • OR • PA • RI • SD • TN • TX • UT • VT • WA • WV • WI • WY

* * *

Parties with candidates
Impact of term limits
Successful challengers
Defeated incumbents
State house elections
State senate elections
State legislative elections

### Capital[edit]

Note: This seat was vacant prior to the November 2, 2010 general election.

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Kevin Ranft a

June 8 GOP primary result:

* James Arnold Settlemeyer: 12,067 a
* Steve Yeater: 2,344

June 8 Independent American Party primary result:

* Cody Quirk (Independent American Party of Nevada) a

November 2 General election candidates:

Kevin Ranft: 11,705
James Arnold Settlemeyer: 26,466
Cody Quirk: 1,999

### Clark 2[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Moises Denis a

June 8 GOP primary result:

* No Republicans filed to run for this seat.

Note: Incumbent Democrat Maggie Carlton did not run for re-election due to Nevada term limits.

November 2 General election candidates:

Moises Denis: 7,264

### Clark 5(B)[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Joyce Woodhouse a Incumbent Woodhouse was first elected in 2007.

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Michael Roberson: 11,308 a
* Nathan Schlumpf: 2,856

American Independent:

* Lestel McKay (Independent American Party of Nevada) - Withdrew

November 2 General election candidates:

Joyce Woodhouse: 35,638
Michael Roberson: 38,401

### Clark 7(B)[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Mark Manendo: 4,403 a
* Kathy McClain: 3,269

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Anthony Wright: 2,974 a
* Trish Marsh: 2,270

Note: Incumbent Terry Care did not run for re-election due to Nevada term limits.

November 2 General election candidates:

Mark Manendo: 24,846
Anthony Wright: 13,131

### Clark 8[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Tammy Peterson: 2,634 a
* Mark Brandon: 1,668

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Barbara Cegavske Incumbent Cegavske was first elected in 2002. a

American Independent:

* Jason Reeves (Independent American Party of Nevada) - Withdrew

November 2 General election candidates:

Tammy Peterson: 13,573
Barbara Cegavske: 17,127

### Clark 9[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Benny Yerushalmi: 4,005 a
* Sharona Dagani: 2,040
* Steven Saxe: 3,205

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Elizabeth Halseth: 9,197 a
* Dennis Nolan: 6,973 Incumbent Nolan was first elected in 2003.
* Michele Fiore - Withdrew

American Independent:

* Tom Jones (Independent American Party of Nevada) a

November 2 General election candidates:

Benny Yerushalmi: 37,152
Elizabeth Halseth: 41,658
Tom Jones: 4,575

### Clark 10[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Ruben Kihuen a

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Henry Tyler: 583 a
* Dallas Augustine: 517
* Billy Soloe: 266

American Independent:

* Glenn Brown (Independent American Party of Nevada) a

Note: Incumbent Democrat Bob Coffin did not run for re-election due to Nevada term limits.

November 2 General election candidates:

Ruben Kihuen: 8,397
Henry Tyler: 3,438
Glenn Brown: 808

### Clark 12[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Aaron Ford a

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Joseph Hardy: 8,043 a
* Patrick McNaught: 5,839
* Steve Sanson: 865

American Independent:

* Richard Wayne O'Dell (Independent American Party of Nevada) a

Note: Incumbent Republican Stan Olsen did not run for re-election.

November 2 General election candidates:

Aaron Ford: 23,520
Joseph Hardy: 35,210
Richard Wayne O'Dell: 2,022

### Washoe 1[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Sheila Leslie a

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Philip Salerno: 1,588 a
* Tom Koziol: 1,021

June 8 Libertarian primary result:

* Thomas Cornell (L) a

Note: Incumbent Democrat Bernice Mathews did not run for re-election due to Nevada term limits.

November 2 General election candidates:

Sheila Leslie: 11,070
Philip Salerno: 5,769
Thomas Cornell: 1,001

### Washoe 2[edit]

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* Allison Edwards: 4,139 a
* Gary Schmidt: 2,773

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Don Gustavson: 7,482 a
* Bob Larkin: 5,115

Note: Incumbent Republican Maurice Washington did not run for re-election due to Nevada term limits.

November 2 General election candidates:

Allison Edwards: 18,432
Don Gustavson: 25,559

### Washoe 4[edit]

Note: This seat was vacant prior to the November 2, 2010 general election.

June 8 Democratic primary result:

* No Democrats filed to run for this seat.

June 8 GOP primary result:

* Ben Kieckhefer: 5,458 a
* Ty Cobb: 4,880
* Todd Bailey: 1,599
* Frank L. Wright: 1,087

American Independent:

* M. K. Yochum (Independent American Party of Nevada) a

November 2 General election candidates:

Ben Kieckhefer: 27,314
M. K. Yochum: 9,654

## See also[edit]

* Nevada State Senate
* Nevada State Legislature
* State legislative elections, 2010
* Primary election dates in 2010

## External links[edit]

* November 2, 2010 general election results
* List of candidates who filed nominating signatures to be listed on Nevada's June 2010 primary election ballot
* 2010 candidates who filed with Clark County
* 2010 candidates who filed with Washoe County
* June 8, 2010 primary results
* Nevada Democratic Party's list of 2010 state senate candidates
* Nevada Republican Party's list of 2010 candidates
* Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Nevada State Senate in the November 2, 2010 election
* Turn Nevada Red - Biographies of Republican candidates

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Features of Nevada's 2010 elections. See p. 31
2. ↑ Follow the Money, Nevada
3. ↑ Follow the Money: "Nevada Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
4. ↑ Qualifications for running for Nevada Senate

[show]

Current members of the Nevada State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Nicole Cannizzaro

Senators

District 1

Patricia Spearman (D)

District 2

Moises Denis (D)

District 3

Chris Brooks (D)

District 4

Dina Neal (D)

District 5

Carrie Buck (R)

District 6

Nicole Cannizzaro (D)

District 7

Roberta Lange (D)

District 8

Marilyn Loop (D)

District 9

Melanie Scheible (D)

District 10

Fabian Donate (D)

District 11

Dallas Harris (D)

District 12

Joseph Hardy (R)

District 13

Julia Ratti (D)

District 14

Ira Hansen (R)

District 15

Heidi Gansert (R)

District 16

Vacant

District 17

James Settelmeyer (R)

District 18

Scott Hammond (R)

District 19

Peter Goicoechea (R)

District 20

Keith Pickard (R)

District 21

James Ohrenschall (D)

Democratic Party (12)

Republican Party (8)

Vacancies (1)