Nevada is a swing state, going with the party winning each presidential election since 1980. Nevada is also a rapidly growing state, having gained a second House of Representatives seat after the 1980 census, and a third after the 2000 census. Nevada is expected to gain a fourth seat after this year’s census. This year’s seat is held by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D).
Both Senate seats were held by Democrats throughout the 1960s, until one of the two seats was won by Republican Paul Laxalt in 1974, who defeated Lieutenant Governor Harry Reid.
The other Senate seat was won by Republican candidate Chic Hecht in 1982, defeating Senator Howard Cannon in an upset result.
Laxalt retired from his seat at the 1986 election, and the seat was won by Democrat Harry Reid, who had held a seat in the House of Representatives since 1982. Two years later, Senator Hecht lost his seat to Governor Richard Bryan (D).
Reid won re-election in 1992, 1998 and 2004, and Bryan won re-election in 1994, before retiring in 2000. At the 2000 election, Bryan’s seat was lost to John Ensign (R), who had challenged Reid in 1998, losing by 428 votes. Ensign was re-elected in 2006.
Reid easily won the Democratic primary, winning 75% of the vote. His closest rival was the “none of the above” option, which polled 10%. Nevada is unique in giving voters the opportunity to formally cast a vote for no candidate.
The Republican primary was hotly contested, and was won by Nevada Assembly member Sharron Angle, who polled 40%, with two other candidates polling over 20%. Angle only took the lead in primary polling in the week before the June vote.
Angle is a far-right candidate, having advocated the abolition of the US Department of Education and Social Security and US withdrawal from the United Nations. She is also a climate sceptic.
Angle led Reid in most polls up until mid-July, but Reid has won most polls since that point, although they have never been by much, suggesting a very tight contest.
Nevada has a history of tight Senate contests. Reid himself has had two, losing to Paul Laxalt in 1974 by less than 600 votes, and defeating John Ensign in 1998 by 428 votes. In 1964, sitting Democrat Howard Cannon defeated Laxalt by 48 votes in a year which saw a landslide victory for Democratic President Lyndon Johnson.
