Two prominent Democrats campaigning to become the next Nevada attorney general are trying to leverage their distinct professional experiences to beat the other in their party’s primary election, which wraps up Tuesday.
State Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro touts her extensive legislative stint and background as a Clark County prosecutor and private attorney with trial experience. Meanwhile, Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine counters that his work leading the state as its chief financial officer has left him better suited for the job.
He, too, is an attorney.
The position is up for grabs after Attorney General Aaron Ford forfeited a re-election bid to instead campaign to unseat Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.
Early voting for the primaries ends Friday. Election Day is Tuesday.
In interviews with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cannizzaro and Conine laid out their qualifications and highlighted their positions on a variety of issues, including consumer protections. They spoke about their working relationship with Lombardo and how they would handle the Trump administration.
Election Day Tuesday
The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to November’s general election and face off against the victor of the Republican contest: Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian or Adriana Guzman Fralick, an attorney recently endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Cannizzaro had raised more than $275,000 just in 2026 through March and had nearly $1 million on hand at the end of that month, disclosure forms show. Conine raised about $267,000 and had more than $840,000 left over during the same time period.
The Democratic candidates have each scrutinized the other’s history of campaign contributions, implying that their work as attorney general could be susceptible to outside influence.
Cannizzaro pointed to donations to Conine from Jeffrey Berns, founder of Blockchains, LLC, while the treasurer has scrutinized contributions to Cannizzaro from the payday loan industry.
They vehemently denied that they would allow money to influence their stances.
Cannizzaro and Conine have split prominent endorsements from unions, elected officials and progressive organizations.
Practicing attorney vs Nevada executive
Cannizzaro said that the attorney general’s office — which deals with public safety issues, defends the state in litigation, fights against federal government overreach, and is tasked with holding corporations accountable — would benefit from someone with her experience.
“Do you want a practicing attorney who is seasoned, who knows what it means to put a case together; who knows what it means to walk into a courtroom?” Cannizzaro said. “You can’t replicate that experience.”
Cannizzaro has also served in the Nevada Senate for a decade, where she’s pushed for legislation to protect reproductive rights and to give public educators raises, she noted.
For his part, Conine said he’s the only candidate in the race with executive branch experience, having led the treasurer’s office for more than seven years, where he manages more than 400 state employees.
“We have taken the Nevada State Treasury to do what others haven’t been able to do,” he said.
He highlighted two Nevada credit rating increases during his tenure, as well as the fact that the state’s “rainy-day fund” has a record amount of money. More recently, he’s been advocating for tariff-related refunds from the Trump administration.
Conine noted that he helped steer the state out of the pandemic.
“A big piece of the executive branch is being able to find solutions in times of crisis,” he said. “There’s a difference between having somebody at the job who always does the right thing and someone who only does the right thing when people are looking,” he added.
‘The people’s lawyer’
Ford’s office has sued the administration of former President Joe Biden, and has filed or joined a bevy of lawsuits against Trump’s.
Cannizzaro and Conine said they would continue the practice, regardless of who is president. They listed Trump policies they say have led to attacks on the rights of Nevadans.
Cannizzaro said she was also committed to public safety and would battle criminal rings and scammers.
“We need somebody in that office who is going to push back, and who’s going to fight for Nevada, who is unafraid, who’s taken on those tough battles before,” Cannizzaro said.
Conine said his office would defend Nevada against internal or external threats.
“The Trump administration … is attacking our rights for democracy, our community, and our economy,” he said. “But we also have to defend Nevadans, and this is where (as) attorney general, we see that role as the people’s lawyer.”
Should Conine win, he said, his office would also combat wage theft by creating a division of workers’ rights, and would go after scammers and those who engage in elder abuse.
He and Cannizzaro have worked with Democratic and Republican governors.
“Having a good relationship with the governor is always the best way to help serve Nevadans,” Cannizzaro said.
Conine said that while he’s had disagreements with the Lombardo administration, he would continue working with him when it benefits Nevadans.
“I think we’ve shown, in the treasury, that sometimes you work together because that makes sense,” he said, “and sometimes you don’t.”
Cannizzaro and Conine said that data centers and prediction markets like Kalshi need to be regulated. Both said they would combat price fixing schemes.
The Review-Journal asked the candidates about the contentious nature of their race.
“Primaries, just like any race, can be hard from a political standpoint,” Cannizzaro said. “But at the end of the day, I’m making the case to voters here in Nevada that I am the most experienced person in this race, whether you talk about it from a policy perspective, from a managerial perspective, or from a straight practicing law perspective.”
Conine responded similarly.
“We are both focused on winning, and I think we believe in our team.” he said. “And myself and my supporters feel very strongly that my experience set and that my moral compass is the type of experience and moral compass you want in the executive branch.”
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
