Ballot Battleground: Nevada

In Nevada, elections are often decided by razor-thin margins — and a small batch of ballots can make all the difference.

In 2022, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto won by fewer than 8,000 votes, overtaking Republican Adam Laxalt days after Election Night as mail ballots continued to be counted, including some that arrived after Election Day.

Now, that narrow window is at the center of a major U.S. Supreme Court case that could reshape how ballots are counted in Nevada and beyond.

This week, we hear both sides of the debate: Democratic election attorney Bradley Schrager explains why he thinks Nevada’s system works, and RNC Election Integrity Communications Director Ally Triolo outlines why Republicans are challenging it.

Note: This episode was recorded before President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that aims to create a national list of verified eligible voters. 
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The field is set. 27 candidates — the most ever by far — filed to run for Nevada’s 2nd congressional district after the sudden retirement announcement from Republican Rep. Mark Amodei.

With no incumbent running and a potentially bluer national landscape, some political insiders believe a Democrat could flip the seat for the first time ever. Is that a reality? Who are the top contenders on both sides?

This week on the Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast, host Ben Margiott speaks with UNR political science professor Jeremy Gelman about the partisan makeup of CD2, its deep red history, the possibility of a flip and the type of candidate who might have a realistic shot.

Full list of candidates for Nevada's Congressional District 2, other key races
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Candidate filing has begun, mock elections are happening and officials are testing new ballot marking devices — the 2026 midterm election cycle is officially here.

This week on the Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast, host Ben Margiott interviews Nevada's elections chief, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar.

Ben and Sec. Aguilar discuss Nevada's new ballot marking devices, voter ID proposals at the state and federal level, whether Election Day should be a holiday, how Nevadans could vote in the future and much more.
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Harry Reid was the most powerful politician Nevada has ever produced — and the machine he built still shapes state politics today.

This week on Ballot Battleground: Nevada, The Nevada Independent CEO and veteran journalist Jon Ralston joins host Ben Margiott to discuss his new book, The Game Changer, and what it reveals about Reid’s rise from Searchlight to Senate Majority Leader — and how he rewrote the political playbook for Democrats.

Then we turn to the present: the wide-open race for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District following Rep. Mark Amodei’s surprise retirement. Who’s in, who’s out, who could jump in — and do Democrats actually have a shot at flipping CD2?
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Nevada has already climbed the Presidential primary calendar, establishing itself in the slate of early states that vote prior to Super Tuesday.

But now Democratic party leaders want to move up to first in the nation, with the Nevada Dems officially submitting their bid to the DNC last month.

Why is Nevada deserving of the coveted top spot?

In the first episode of season 3 of Ballot Battleground: Nevada, host Ben Margiott speaks to DNC Vice Chair Artie Blanco about Nevada’s bid to become the first Democratic presidential contest in 2028.

We unpack how the DNC sets the calendar, why Nevada’s diversity and battleground status matter, and what lessons were learned from the 2024 primary shake-up.

Plus, what a “Nevada first” calendar could mean for voters, campaigns, and national policy priorities.

WATCH Ballot Battleground: Nevada on YouTube
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