State Legislative Election Watch- 2026 Nevada Primary Preview
Covering all of the state legislative primaries happening in Nevada tonight!
STATE LEGISLATIVE ELECTION WATCH- 2026 Nevada Primary Preview
INTRO:
Hello everyone and welcome to Uncrewed’s State Legislative Election Watch! I’m Uncrewed/Chris and this is your one-stop-shop to everything you need to know about state legislative elections from around the country. We’ve got four states holding primaries tonight: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, & South Carolina. We already covered North Dakota & Maine yesterday, so now we’re onto Nevada. So, without further ado, let’s get to it!
SD-02 (Eastern Las Vegas area, Harris+30.5) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent Edgar Flores is facing a spirited primary challenge from Las Vegas City Councilman Isaac Barron in this deeply Democratic district.
Flores is a standard Democrat, touting his efforts in the legislature & the courts to stand up to the Trump Administration and protect workers’ rights. He’s backed by US Senator Jacky Rosen, the Culinary Workers Union, the AFL-CIO, the Nevada State Education Association (Nevada’s largest teachers union), and the Teamsters among other unions. Barron is running on a similar platform, wanting to expand funding for public education, expand economic development, and expand workforce development programs. He’s backed by North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown and a few unions. So why the primary from Barron? Well, Flores voted against Nevada’s expansion of the film tax credit, which was heavily backed by unions. That caused Barron to jump into the race. Barron has a decent financial advantage over Flores, especially in the spending department. I think Flores’s incumbency gets him the win, but Barron has been running a spirited campaign, so I’m definitely not counting him out.
SD-08 (Western Las Vegas, Trump+2) (D-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
Two Republicans are running for the party nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent Marilyn Dondero Loop in this ultra-competitive district: police officer Laz Chavez and conservative activist George Harris.
Chavez is a conservative, wanting to expand economic development, crack down on crime, and fight for school choice. He also wants to pass the SAVE Nevada Act. What’s the SAVE Nevada Act? It’s a bill that would mandate election results be counted by the end of election night, eliminate automatic voter registration, and eliminate universal mail-in ballots. Harris is a right-winger, promising to expand school choice, hire more cops, and stop “boys in girls’ sports.” He’s backed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and several Republican-aligned special interest groups. Both candidates are neck-and-neck in fundraising, but Chavez has a wide advantage in spending said money. I’ll give the edge to Chavez here, but it’s looking like it’ll come down to the wire.
SD-16 (Carson City/Storey/southern Washoe Counties, Trump+10) (R-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
Republican incumbent Lisa Krasner is facing a primary challenge from businesswoman Monica Jaye Stabbert in this solidly Republican district.
Krasner is a standard Republican, promising to expand economic development, expand school choice, and improve public safety. She’s backed by Governor Joe Lombardo. Stabbert is a conservative, focusing on defending Constitutional rights, cracking down on crime, and expanding school choice. She’s backed by several conservative grassroots groups. Krasner has a slight financial advantage over Stabbert, who has really only been able to keep up thanks to self-funding. I think Krasner wins thanks to incumbency, but Stabbert’s grassroots support should keep her in this one.
SD-21 (Sunrise Manor area, Harris+9) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent James Ohrenschall is facing a primary challenge from community organizer Junior Romero in this solidly Democratic district. Ohrenschall is a liberal, touting his efforts to stand up to the Trump Administration, cut costs, and raise salaries for teachers. He’s backed by NV-01 Congresswoman Dina Titus, State Attorney General/likely gubernatorial nominee Aaron Ford, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, and a bunch of unions (the Culinary Workers chief among them). Romero is mostly just running on his efforts in the community, with no major campaign talking points from him. Ohrenschall has a wide advantage in fundraising and should be able to use that alongside his incumbency and institutional support to get the win tonight.
AD-01 (Northern North Las Vegas, Harris+8) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Five Democrats are running to succeed retiring Democratic incumbent Danielle Monroe-Romero in this solidly Democratic district: union president Louis DeSalvio, union official Alexis Esparza, businesswoman Jo Cato, community organizer James Fennell, and progressive activist Millan Gledhill.
DeSalvio, who also goes by “Big Lou” and is the president of the local LiUNA branch, doesn’t have much of a campaign presence online. He also used to be a Republican until he decided to run for this district. He has social media posts calling for a “red wave” in 2022 and this gem:
(Nevada Current)
He’s backed by the Clark County Education Association among a few other unions. Esparza is a standard Democrat, promising to fight for workers’ rights, expand access to affordable healthcare, and build more affordable housing. She’s backed by the Culinary Workers Union, the United Auto Workers, and a few other unions. Cato is running on a similar platform, wanting to expand economic development, expand access to affordable housing, and support veterans. Her only endorsement weirdly comes from the Nevada branch of Andrew Yang’s Forward Party. Fennell is a progressive, wanting to raise the minimum wage to $20/hour, fight for universal healthcare, and expand funding for public education. Gledhill, who also goes by Mack, is a progressive, wanting to hold corporations accountable, improve climate change resiliency, and fight for criminal justice reform. DeSalvio leads the five in fundraising, followed shortly behind by Gledhill and Cato, with Esparza lagging behind them and Fennell not raising any money. I think Esparza wins this thanks to her union support, but I could definitely see DeSalvio emerging from a split field with a win.
AD-02 (Summerlin South area, Trump+6) (R-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Two Democrats are running in this Republican-leaning district: retired FBI agent Mike Kung and school board member Kamilah Bywaters. Kung is a moderate, wanting to improve public safety, improve local education, and enact “fiscal responsibility.” He’s backed by the Culinary Workers Union and several police unions. Bywaters is a standard Democrat, wanting to expand funding for public education, improve public safety, and cut costs. She’s backed by several unions (chief among them the AFL-CIO) and EMILY’s List. Kung has a solid financial advantage over Bywaters, but Bywaters has actually outpaced him in spending. I’ll give the edge to Bywaters here thanks to her stronger union support, but Kung winning is definitely not out of the question.
AD-03 (North-central Las Vegas, Harris+9) (D-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
Two Republicans are running in this solidly Democratic district: teacher Joseph Silvestri and conservative activist Harold Erbacher. Silvestri is a conservative, promising to cut taxes, enact school choice, and stop “men in women’s sports.” He also ran for Congress in 2012 in NV-04 as a Libertarian, where he got 4% of the vote. Erbacher is running as a right-winger, promising to protect kids from “gender ideology,” improve “election integrity,” and combat sex trafficking. Silvestri is the only candidate to raise money here, so I’ll give the win to him, but it’s a pure toss-up really.
AD-05 (Southwestern Las Vegas, Harris+2) (D-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
We could be looking at the third consecutive November match up between Democratic incumbent Brittney Miller and Republican realtor Kelly Quinn if Quinn wins his primary against businessman Joshua Dowden tonight. Quinn is a conservative, promising to improve public safety, expand “parental rights” in education/medicine, and oppose abortion. He’s backed by the Fraternal Order of Police, pillow salesman/election conspiracy theorist/Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell, and several conservative grassroots groups. Dowden is also running as a conservative, promising to cut taxes, restore Constitutional rights (by attacking the “Lockdown Left” over COVID), and attract more medical professionals to Nevada. He’s backed by the Nevada Young Republicans. Quinn has a huge financial advantage over Miller, so he should be favored here. That’s good news for Democrats, as Miller has beaten Quinn by seven points & four points in 2022 & 2024 respectively.
AD-06 (Southern North Las Vegas area, Harris+50) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent Jovan Jackson is facing a primary challenge from union carpenter Douglas Candido in this deeply Democratic district.
Jackson, who is Nevada’s first formerly incarcerated legislator, is a progressive. He wants to build more affordable housing (calling it a human right), fight for criminal justice reform, and expand access to mental healthcare. He’s backed by several unions (most notably the Culinary Workers Union) and the Working Families Party. Candido is a standard Democrat, wanting to expand workforce housing, expand economic development, and improve public safety. He’s backed by LiUNA and a bunch of police unions. Now, do I think it’s a coincidence that the police unions are going all out to defeat the first formerly-incarcerated state legislator in Nevada history? Absolutely not, it’s definitely on purpose. Anyway, both candidates are neck-and-neck in fundraising, but I think Jackson holds on here thanks to his incumbency/union support.
AD-08 (Central Enterprise, Harris+2.5) (D-Held) (DEM/GOP PRIMARIES):
Both parties have primaries in this ultra-competitive district, but neither appear to be that competitive. Starting with the Democratic primary, where Democratic incumbent Duy Nguyen is facing a challenge from ghost candidate Paul John Cook. Nguyen doesn’t have a campaign presence online, but he’s been a reliably liberal vote in the legislature (outside of voting against banning price gouging). Cook has no campaign presence online and hasn’t raised any money, so Nguyen should win this.
On the Republican side, two candidates are running: businessman David Farrakhan and nonprofit director Joey Charafi. Farrakhan is a standard Republican, wanting to cut costs, expand economic development, and support small businesses. Charafi is a conservative, promising to stop child trafficking, cut taxes, and expand school choice. Farrakhan has a huge financial advantage over Charafi, so he should be the favorite here.
AD-09 (Southern Spring Valley, Harris+0.5) (D-Held) (DEM/GOP PRIMARIES):
With Democratic incumbent/State Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager retiring, both parties have primaries to replace him in this ultra-competitive district. Starting with the Democrats, who have two candidates running: businessman Ryan Hampton and flight attendant Maria Teresa Hank. Hampton is a standard Democrat, focusing on expanding economic development, cutting costs, and defending democracy. He’s backed by a bunch of unions. Hank is a liberal, wanting to expand access to healthcare, expand funding for public education, and protect workers’ rights. She’s also backed by a bunch of unions. Yeah, several unions here are endorsing both Hampton & Hank, most notably the AFL-CIO and the Culinary Workers Union. Hampton has a wide financial advantage over Hank, so I think he wins this one.
On the Republican side, two candidates are running: conservative activist/2024 nominee Erica Neely and businessman Cristhian Orozco. Neely, who only lost to Yeager by 800 votes in 2024, is a standard Republican. She wants to expand school choice, improve public safety, and “defend female sports.” She’s backed by Governor Lombardo. Orozco is running on a similar platform, wanting to use AI to grow the education system, promote the benefits of joining the army/police, and expand economic development. Neely has a wide financial advantage here and should be able to use that and her name recognition from 2024 to get the win.
AD-10 (South-central Las Vegas, Harris+13) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent Venise Karris is facing a primary challenge from progressive activist Val Thomason in this solidly Democratic district.
Karris is a liberal, promising to cut costs, lower prescription drug costs by going after the pharmaceutical industry, and defend reproductive rights. She’s backed by a bunch of unions (the Culinary Workers Union chief among them alongside several police unions) and the Nevada Chamber of Commerce. Thomason is a progressive, wanting to cap rent increases, raise the minimum wage to $23/hour, and enact universal childcare. She’s backed by the Nevada State Education Association and the Democratic Socialists of America. Karris has a wide financial advantage over Thomason, so she should be fine here, but Thomason did perform well against Karris in 2024 when this was an open seat (only losing by 500 votes) and has the progressive grassroots behind her, so watch out for a potential upset here.
AD-15 (Southern Las Vegas/northern Paradise, Harris+19) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent Howard Watts is facing a primary challenge from city planner Miguel Davila in this deeply Democratic district. Watts is a liberal, focusing on his efforts to lower costs, raise the minimum wage, and protect workers’ rights. He’s backed by several unions and two major Las Vegas newspapers in the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Weekly. Davila is a progressive, promising to remove ICE from Nevada, improve local green infrastructure, and set up rent caps. Watts has a wide financial advantage over Davila, so he should be fine here.
AD-16 (Southern Paradise/northern Enterprise, Harris+4) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent Cecelia Gonzalez is running for re-election, but she first has to fend off a primary challenge from progressive activist Eva Olivia Chase in this Democratic-leaning district. Gonzalez is a liberal, touting her efforts to fight for social, environmental, and economic justice. She’s backed by a bunch of unions (chief among them being the Culinary Workers Union and the AFL-CIO). Chase is a progressive, touting her support for military families, the “LGBTQ+ and gay community,” and raising the minimum wage to a “living wage.” Gonzalez has a wide financial advantage over Chase and already beat her 73-27 in 2024, so Gonzalez should win this one easily.
AD-17 (Eastern North Las Vegas, Harris+25) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent Linda Hunt is facing a primary challenge from US Marine Corps veteran Robert “RC” Smith in this deeply Democratic district. Hunt is a liberal, promising to cut prescription drug costs, defend the right to vote, and expand access to affordable housing while protecting tenants. She’s backed by the Culinary Workers Union. Smith wants to establish permanent traffic cop units, protect renters and seniors, and raise wages. His whole campaign platform was written by AI though, so subject to change at the whims of the computers. He hasn’t raised any money for his campaign, so Hunt should win this one.
AD-18 (Whitney area, Harris+15) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
This is a weird one. Back in 2024, Democratic incumbent Venicia Considine fended off Republican Antario Brown in this solidly Democratic district by a 19-point margin. Now, Brown is running again, but this time as a Democrat! Yeah, Brown went from trying to unseat Considine in November as a Republican to trying to unseat Considine in June as a Democrat. Considine doesn’t have much of a campaign platform, but she’s been a reliably liberal vote in the legislature. She’s backed by a bunch of unions and progressive groups like Planned Parenthood and the Sierra Club. Brown hasn’t updated any of his campaign pages since 2024, which has allowed me to find some wild stuff like this:
He hasn’t raised any money for his campaign either. Given that Brown was a Republican as recently as two years ago and Democratic voters in the district already associate him with being the Republican standard bearer here, Considine should demolish him.
AD-19 (Eastern Clark County, Trump+29.5) (R-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
Republican incumbent Jason Patchett was appointed to this deeply Republican seat in November 2025. Now, he’s running for a full term but has to fend off a challenge from businesswoman Amy Groves in the Republican primary.
Patchett is a standard Republican, promising to improve public safety, expand economic development, and expand school choice. He’s backed by Governor Lombardo, several state legislators/local elected officials, several police unions, and the Las Vegas/Henderson Chambers of Commerce. Groves is a right-winger, promising to end mail-in voting, defend the 2nd Amendment, and “protect girls’ sports.” She’s backed by former Assemblywoman Annie Black (who represented this district from 2020 to 2022). Patchett has a solid financial advantage over Groves. I think Patchett wins here, but this district does have a solid grassroots conservative base (having elected Black, who was one of the most right-wing Assemblypeople during her time in office), so I’m not counting out Groves.
AD-20 (Eastern Paradise, Harris+15) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent David Orentlicher is facing a primary challenge from attorney Tony Smith in this solidly Democratic district. Orentlicher doesn’t have much of a campaign presence online, but he’s been a reliably liberal vote in the legislature. Fun fact, he was actually an Indiana State Representative before moving to Nevada. He represented a district in Indianapolis and actually ran for Congress in IN-08 in 2016. He moved to Nevada two years later and was elected to the Assembly in 2020. Smith is a liberal, wanting to get money out of politics, enact universal pre-K, and cut costs. Orentlicher has a wide financial advantage over Smith, so he should win this one.
AD-22 (Central Henderson, Trump+11) (R-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Three Democrats are running in this solidly Republican district: gymnast Shenea Booth, Clark County Parks & Recreation Director Dionisio Hernandez, and progressive activist Tamara Taylor. Booth is a standard Democrat, wanting to expand economic development, improve local education, and fight for workers’ rights. She’s backed by the Culinary Workers Union among several other unions. Hernandez has no campaign presence online and hasn’t raised any money. Taylor is a progressive, wanting to get money out of politics, fight for Medicare For All, and expand funding for public education. She’s backed by the SEIU & IBEW. Booth leads Taylor in fundraising. I think Booth wins this one, but I think Taylor has an outside chance of winning.
AD-25 (Western Reno, Harris+12.5) (D-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
Two Republicans are running in this solidly Democratic district: Nevada Energy official Michael Ginsburg and conservative activist Noah Bachman Dodge. Ginsburg is a standard Republican, promising to “make crime illegal again,” expand economic development, and raise teacher salaries. He’s backed by Governor Lombardo. Dodge says he believes in “statesmanship, not political talking points,” but literally the second campaign plank of his is promising to stop “woke trans and LGBTQ agendas” in schools. He also wants to fight “cancel culture” and support lithium mining. He has raised no money for his campaign, so Ginsburg should win this one.
AD-29 (Northern Henderson, Harris+3) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
With Democratic incumbent Joe Dalia running for State Treasurer, three Democrats are running to replace him in this ultra-competitive district: physical therapist Ashley Delobel, attorney Brad Combs, and data analyst Alex Pereszlenyi.
Delobel is a standard Democrat, wanting to expand funding for public education, cut healthcare costs, and improve public safety. She’s backed by EMILY’s List, a few unions, and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Combs is running on a similar platform, wanting to build more affordable housing, expand funding for public education, and improve community safety. He’s backed by several local unions (the Culinary Workers Union and the AFL-CIO chief among them), and the Las Vegas Sun. Pereszlenyi is a progressive, promising to cap rent increases, crack down on energy price gouging, and stand up to the Trump Administration. Pereszlenyi leads the pack in fundraising, followed shortly behind by Delobel with Combs a bit behind them both. Pure toss-up here, as you can make a good argument for all three candidates to win. EMILY’s List gives Delobel a good amount of support, Combs has the major unions in his corner, and Pereszlenyi is the only progressive here. I’ll give the edge to Combs thanks to his union support, but any candidate can win.
AD-34 (West-central Las Vegas, Harris+8) (D-Held) (DEM PRIMARY):
Democratic incumbent Hanadi Nadeem is facing a primary challenge from progressive activist Shaun Navarro in this solidly-Democratic district. Nadeem is a liberal, promising to go after “greedy big corporations,” lower housing/rent costs, and expand access to healthcare. She’s backed by a bunch of unions and EMILY’s List. Navarro, who is the co-chair of the Las Vegas Democratic Socialists of America, is a progressive. He wants to cap rent costs, raise the minimum wage to $23/hour, and end money in politics. He’s backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Nadeem has a wide financial advantage over Navarro and should be fine here thanks to incumbency/union support, but I’m very interested to see how much of the vote Navarro gets in this (on paper) somewhat competitive district.
AD-39 (Douglas/western Lyon Counties, Trump+36) (R-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
Let’s start with this look at this deeply Republican district by going over a brief timeline of this district since the 2024 election:
November 2024-August 2025: Republican Assemblyman Ken Gray holds this seat after winning re-election in 2024. He resigned on August 24th, 2025 in order to take a job in the Trump VA Department.
August 2025-October 2025: District sits vacant
October 2025: Republican Blayne Osborn is chosen to fill the vacancy caused by Gray
January 2026: Gray leaves his job in Washington D.C. after only five months and decides to run for his old job.
Just in the span of five months, we saw an Assemblyman resign, get replaced, and then come back to try and win his job back! Osborn didn’t take that sitting down though, as he’s running for a full term tonight. Joining Gray and Osborn are US Navy veteran Brianna Cowan and school board member Bridget Peterson.
Osborn is a conservative, promising to fight for “election integrity,” block the “woke agenda,” and support the Trump Administration. He’s backed by Governor Lombardo, Assembly Minority Leader Greg Hafen, and the Lyons County Republican Party. Gray is also a conservative, promising to cut costs, defend the 2nd Amendment, and protect the “rural way of life.” He’s backed by several police unions. Cowan is a standard Republican, wanting to expand school choice, cut taxes/regulations, and crack down on crime. Peterson is a moderate Republican, focusing on improving education, cutting costs, and improving public safety. Osborn, Gray, & Cowan are all neck-and-neck in fundraising, with Peterson lagging far behind them. I think Osborn’s establishment support gets him the win, but I’m not counting out a Gray win based on name recognition.
AD-40 (Carson City area, Trump+15) (R-Held) (GOP PRIMARY):
With Republican incumbent P.K. O’Neil retiring, four Republicans are running to replace him in this solidly Republican district: former Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles Director Julie Butler, businesswoman Stacy Woodbury, businessman Drew Ribar, and firefighter Rich Harvey.
Butler is a standard Republican, wanting to improve public safety, improve local education, and cut taxes/regulations for businesses. She’s backed by Governor Lombardo, outgoing Assemblyman O’Neil, NV-02 Congressman Mark Amodei, several state legislators, a bunch of police unions, and several Republican-aligned special interest groups. Woodbury calls herself a “common-sense conservative,” but doesn’t really have a campaign platform. She’s backed by conservative attorney/2022 Republican primary for Governor runner-up Joey Gilbert and several state legislators. Ribar wants to make government employees understand the 1st, 4th, & 14th Amendments, ban the building of homes on mercury sites, and audit the state government. He’s backed by the Washoe County Republican Party. Harvey is a standard Republican, promising to cut taxes, shrink the size of the government, and expand funding for law enforcement. Woodbury leads the pack in fundraising, with Butler behind her and Harvey/Ribar lagging behind both of them. I think Butler wins this one, but Woodbury has good enough grassroots support that should keep her in contention.
AD-41 (Eastern Enterprise area, Trump+0.5) (D-Held) (DEM/GOP PRIMARIES):
With Democratic incumbent/Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui running for Lieutenant Governor, both parties have primaries in this ultra-competitive district. Starting with the Democratic primary, where three candidates are hoping to succeed Jauregui: teacher Vinny Spotleson, union bartender Spencer Ridenour, and businesswoman Gabriella Wyett.
Spottleson is a liberal, promising to regulate data centers, cut costs by holding billionaires and corporations accountable, and defend workers’ rights. He’s backed by NV-01 Congresswoman Titus, former Governor/US Senator Richard Bryan, several local elected officials, and several unions (most notably the AFL-CIO and the Culinary Workers Union). Ridenour is a liberal, promising to stand up to the Trump Administration, raise wages, and expand access to affordable healthcare. Wyett is a standard Democrat, wanting to cut costs, expand economic development, and expand access to healthcare. She’s backed by EMILY’s List and several unions. Spottleson leads the three in finances, with Wyett behind him and Ridenour lagging behind both. I think Spottleson wins here, but there’s an outside chance of a Wyett win.
On the Republican side, two candidates are running: real estate professional Tofu Alofipo and casino pitboss Kelly Chapman. Alofipo is a moderate Republican, wanting to cut costs, expand access to housing, and support small businesses. She’s backed by Minority Leader Hafen and several state legislators/local elected officials. Chapman is a standard Republican, wanting to cut taxes, expand school choice, and expand economic development. She’s backed by Governor Lombardo and Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill. Both candidates are neck-and-neck in fundraising. Pure toss-up here, but I’ll give the edge to Chapman.
AD-42 (Eastern Spring Valley, Harris+5) (D-Held) (DEM/GOP PRIMARIES):
Both parties have primaries in this Democratic-leaning district. Starting with the Democrats, who have a primary between Democratic incumbent Tracy Brown-May and progressive activist Dayton Vasquez.
Brown-May is a standard Democrat, promising to cut costs, build affordable housing, and expand economic development. She’s backed by a bunch of unions (though notably not the Culinary Workers Union, who may be mad at Brown-May for voting against paid family/sick leave). Vasquez is a progressive, promising to defend workers’ rights, expand access to healthcare (calling it a human right), and cap rent costs. He’s backed by the SEIU. Brown-May has a slight advantage over Vasquez in fundraising. I think Brown-May wins, but I could definitely see voters getting turned off by her voting against paid family/sick leave, leading to a Vasquez win.
On the Republican side, two candidates with the weirdest nicknames I’ve seen from state legislative candidates are running: attorney Christopher “The Carnivore Lawyer” Brandlin and community activist Katrin “Ms. Fix It” Ivanoff. Brandlin is a standard Republican, promising to support law enforcement, improve local education, and embrace “medical freedom.” He’s a MAHA candidate through and through. Why is he called “The Carnivore Lawyer?” Well, he’s a big proponent of the “Carnivore Diet,” where you essentially just eat meat, no fruits or veggies. So, he’s a MAHA guy who is peddling a fad diet that probably doesn’t work, he’s just like RFK Jr! Anyway, Ivanoff is a standard Republican, promising to cut the gas tax, improve government transparency, and stop the Democratic supermajority. Ivanoff has an advantage in fundraising, but Brandlin has somehow managed to spend $16k despite only raising $200. Are you telling me a guy who’s peddling a fad diet may also be committing some campaign finance violations too? Color me shocked! I’ll give the edge to Ivanoff here, but I could just as easily see Brandlin win.
And that’s it for this edition of Uncrewed’s State Legislative Election Watch. I’ll be back in a few hours to cover all the state legislative primaries going down in South Carolina. Until then, I’ve been Uncrewed/Chris (you can follow me on Twitter @Uncrewed, same on Bluesky!) and don’t forget to stay awesome!