Retired business executive George Harris was leading Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Laz Chavez in the Republican primary for State Senate District 8 in Clark County, according to preliminary vote returns for the primary election Tuesday.
As of 9:30 p.m., Harris was ahead by 15.4 percentage points.
The winner will face off in November against incumbent Democratic Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, who advanced to the midterms because she didn’t have a challenger.
Paired with the governor’s race, elections in the Legislature will determine the partisan balance of power in Carson City through 2028. Republicans are trying to prevent a Democratic supermajority.
Out of 53 seats up for grabs in the Assembly and Senate, 25 races have at least one primary.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is keeping a close eye on Senate District 8 and three other races.
For Senate District 2, incumbent Democratic Sen. Edgar Flores was challenged by North Las Vegas Councilman Isaac Barron. There were no Republican candidates in the race.
Flores was ahead by 9.7 percentage points on Tuesday evening.
The Assembly District 1 seat is wide open after Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno decided against running for re-election, and instead is vying to be North Las Vegas’ next mayor.
The Democratic primary attracted five candidates, while Republicans did not field a candidate.
Alexis Elizabeth Esparza had garnered 42.7 percent of the votes. In second place, Jo Cato had 32.3 percent.
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager also isn’t seeking re-election, leaving his District 9 seat up for grabs.
In the Democratic primary, Ryan Hampton was leading Maria Teresa Hank by 20 percentage points.
On the Republican side, Erica Alejandra Neely was ahead of Cristhian Orozco by 59.6 percentage points.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
