Here are the Nevada State Assembly districts to watch this Election Day

The Nevada State Assembly is currently composed of 27 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Will that split change this year?

Maybe.

But if it does, it isn’t expected to shift by much. With the exception of a 2014 “red wave” where only 15 of 42 Assembly districts went blue, Democrats have held between 23 and 29 seats since 1996, according to Ballotpedia.

While Democrats are expected to retain control of the chamber, Republicans hope to make a dent in their power. And given a noticeable division between more progressive members of the Assembly Democratic Caucus and more moderate ones, the outcome of swing districts could prove crucial in passing, or defeating, controversial pieces of legislation.

This year’s 42 Assembly races include eight open seats, the lowest number since 2016. Here’s a look at the dozen or so the Nevada Current finds noteworthy, either because they can be considered competitive or because they will bring a new face to Carson City next year.

Open Seats

Assembly District 2, which includes Summerlin South and southwest neighborhoods in the Las Vegas Valley, is currently represented by Republican Heidi Kasama, who opted to run for Clark County Commission instead of re-election. Hoping to succeed her are Democrat Kamilah Bywaters and Republican Drew Teitelbaum.

Republicans outnumber Democrats in AD2 but the lack of an incumbent, combined with what many hope will be a blue wave more broadly, make the district one to watch.

Bywaters, a Las Vegas native, spent 20 years as a Clark County School District special education teacher before moving into education policy work. In 2024, she ran for the nonpartisan Clark County School Board but lost to Lorena Biassotti.

Teitelbaum, who moved to Las Vegas in 2021, worked on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and previously held jobs at the White House and U.S. Departments of Treasury and Homeland Security, according to his campaign website. He currently works in government affairs for Allegiant, the Las Vegas-based airline company.

Teitelbaum had significantly outfundraised Bywaters as of July 1, according to their second quarter campaign finance reports.

Teitelbaum raised $44,350 in the first half of the year and entered July with $94,371 on hand. More than 40% of his fundraising came from Republican Assembly Caucus members, underscoring the significance of the race to the minority party hoping to keep the majority party from obtaining a supermajority.

Bywaters raised $13,515 in the first half of the year, spending nearly all of it and entered July with $370.

Assembly District 9, in the southwestern part of the Las Vegas Valley, is currently represented by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, a Democrat. Yeager is not running for re-election.

Democrats make up 30% of registered voters compared to Republican’s 26%. Nonpartisans make up the biggest percentage of the district at 37%.

Republican Erica Neely, who two years ago came within 2 percentage points of defeating Yeager despite being significantly outfundraised, is hoping to flip the district red. Hoping to keep the district blue is Democrat Ryan Hampton.

Neely is a mom of six who says on her campaign website that she was a Democrat until the Great Recession made her a Republican. A homeschool advocate, she unsuccessfully ran for the nonpartisan Clark County School Board in 2022 and placed fourth in the primary.

Hampton is a former union organizer who founded a recovery advocacy network. He draws from his own experience with addiction with painkillers. Two years ago he ran for Assembly in a different district.

Hampton had $34,000 going into the general election while Neely had $29,000.

Assembly District 41, which includes Silverado Ranch and nearby areas in the Las Vegas Valley, features Democrat Vinny Spotleson and Republican Kelly Chapman. The district is currently represented by Democratic Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, who opted to run for lieutenant governor instead of reelection.

Jauregui’s 2024 reelection race was one of the last to be called by the Associated Press. She retained her seat that year by less than 1 percentage point, or fewer than 300 votes. That makes AD41 one of the biggest opportunities for a red-to-blue flip.

Spotleson is a social studies teacher at Valley High School, which he began post-pandemic after a career in environmental policy and politics, having worked for Democratic U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter.

Chapman is a third-generation casino employee who now works as a table games pit boss at the Fontainebleau, according to her campaign bio and disclosure forms.

Chapman and her supporters have painted Spotleson as a far left socialist.

Spotleson has openly acknowledged he joined the Las Vegas chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and agrees with some of their positions, but he does not self identify as a socialist. His campaign has focused more on his experience in energy and environment, including his role in passing legislation to shutter coal-fired power plants and boost rooftop solar.

One attack ad sent to some voters in AD41 compares Spotleson to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdami and Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan. (Notably, the attack ads were paid for by GSD PAC, whose largest financial contributor is a PAC affiliated with Clark County Education Association, of which Spotleson is a member.)

Chapman had $45,800 on hand going into the general election while Spotleson had $18,400.

Assembly District 29 is an open seat featuring Democrat Alex Pereszlenyi and Republican Joe Ludwig. The Democratic-leaning district, which includes parts of Whitney Ranch and Green Valley in Henderson, is currently represented by Democratic Assemblymember Joe Dalia, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic state treasurer nomination instead of seeking reelection to the Assembly.

Pereszlenyi is a data analyst who, in the competitive three-way Democratic primary earlier this year, garnered support from more progressive groups.

Ludwig describes himself as “a Henderson husband, a political science graduate, and a Reagan conservative who believes government should work like good customer service.”

Pereszlenyi received just over $39,000 in cash and in-kind contributions during the first half of the year and entered July with $1,800 after a competitive primary. Ludwig, who had no primary opponents, raised $6,000 and had just under $2,600 as of July.

Assembly District 23 will see a new representative after incumbent Danielle Gallant, a Republican, opted to run for Nevada State Senate. The district, in Henderson, has been reliably red, making Republican Denise Daniels Fanning the favorite over Democrat Jan Allen Aspelund.

Assembly District 7, considered a safe Democratic district, is poised to elect a not-entirely-new face as its representative. Cameron “C.H.” Miller, who represented AD7 from 2020 to 2024 before unsuccessfully running for Las Vegas City Council, is running for his old seat. 

Democratic Incumbent Tanya Flanagan, who was elected in 2024, opted not to run for reelection and is instead running for Clark County recorder. Now, Miller faces only Libertarian candidate Anthony Scott Willet.

Incumbents with notable challengers

In Assembly District 35, which includes parts of Mountain’s Edge and Southern Highlands in the Las Vegas Valley, Republican Assemblymember Rebecca Edgeworth is being challenged by Democrat Joe Spica.

Edgeworth is a doctor who has taken moderate positions, including participating in Nevada Forum, a bipartisan effort designed to identify and address issues that matter to voters across the political spectrum. Edgeworth flipped AD35 red in 2024 when it was an open seat.

Spica works at the Cosmopolitan and is a Culinary union member.

Edgeworth has significantly out-fundraised Spica. She reported having $146,000 on hand as of July 1, compared to Spica’s $29,000.

In Assembly District 37, which includes parts of Summerlin and Lone Mountain, Democratic Assemblymember Shea Backus is facing Republican Jill Douglass.

Backus has represented the district since 2018, with each of her races being one of the most competitive in the Assembly. In 2024, Backus won by less than 3 percentage points over Republican David Brog.

Her opponent this year, Douglass, is chair of the Clark County Republican Party. Douglass in 2024 challenged Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro.

Backus reported having $139,800. on hand as of July 1, compared to Douglass’s $41,600.

Three other Assembly incumbents facing notable challenges:

• Assembly District 4, Republican Lisa Cole is being challenged by Democrat Eileen Eady.
• Assembly District 21, Democrat Elaine Marzola is being challenged by Republican Patsy Carvalho and Libertarian Tighe Galvin. Marzola, currently the Speaker pro tem, is expected to be Assembly Speaker if reelected.
• Assembly District 12, Democrat Max Carter is being challenged by Republican Nancy Roecker in a rematch of 2024. Roecker came within 1 percentage point of unseating Carter in the district, which includes parts of east Las Vegas and Lake Las Vegas.

Assembly-elects

Six Democrats have already secured their seats.

Alexis Esparza in Assembly District 1 and Miguel Davila in Assembly District 15 both emerged winners of competitive primaries and face no Democratic, third-party or independent candidates.

Four Democratic incumbents — Assemblymembers Venise Karris (Assembly District 10), Cinthia Moore (Assembly District 11), Erica Mosca (Assembly District 14), and Linda Hunt (Assembly District 17) — also do not have general election opponents and have automatically won their seats.

All six districts are considered safely blue districts where Democrats outnumber Republicans by safe margins.