Nevada Democrats Win 3 Key Swing Seats in Close House Races

(L–R) U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) in Las Vegas on Oct. 24, 2020. ; Democratic candidate for Nevada's 4th House District Steven Horsford in Las Vegas on Nov. 6, 2018. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images); U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) in Las Vegas on Oct. 22, 2018. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Incumbent Democrats are retaining three key swing seats in Nevada that their Republican challengers had targeted in a series of competitive races in the state.

Rep. Susie Lee was leading her Republican opponent April Becker by over 7,400 votes, Rep. Steven Horsford was ahead of his challenger Sam Peters by just under 8,000 votes, and Rep. Dina Titus was leading Mark Robertson by over 10,000 votes with about 95 percent of ballots counted, according to figures by The Associated Press.

The lone Republican in the state to retain a House seat is six-term Rep. Mark Amodei, who won reelection against his Democrat opponent Elizabeth Mercedes Krause.

Amodei was ahead of Krause by over 66,000 votes in rural northern Nevada’s 2nd District, where no Democrat has ever won. His sprawling district includes Reno, Sparks, and Carson City, as well as rural areas from south of Lake Tahoe to the Utah line.

House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee member Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) questions U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 30, 2022. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The vote count took several days partly because of the mail voting system created by Nevada’s Legislature in 2020 requiring counties to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive up to four days later.

No New Faces in Nevada

Republicans still appear set to retake control of the House, although by a smaller margin than expected prior to Election Day. The GOP hoped to flip several seats in Nevada red, but it looks like there won’t be any new faces in the state’s House delegation next year as all incumbents retain control of their seats.

Titus won reelection to a seventh term in the state’s Congressional District 1. She largely focused her campaign on abortion and said in a statement that the message of voters was “loud and clear.”

“They want someone in their corner who never backs down from a fight,” Titus said.

Robertson, a retired Army colonel, conceded the race on Friday, saying in a written statement that the midterm elections “did not go the way we had hoped” as he thanked “the hundreds of volunteers and supporters who fought side-by-side with [him] during the past 23 months.”

“This is how Representative Democracy works,” the Republican said. “Though we came close, in the end, we were not able to overcome the ten-point registration advantage the Democrats have in this district.”

Horsford, who won reelection to a fourth term in Congressional District 4, said in a statement that voters proved once again that “the winning path for Democrats is to build a working-class, multi-racial, [and] multi-generational coalition.”

Lee, a two-term incumbent, defeated Becker in Congressional District 3, which stretches to the Arizona state line. Much of her campaign emphasized abortion issues.

“Those independents seriously are swing voters,” Lee said in an interview on Thursday. “A lot of people predicted they would swing right. But a lot of them are young ... and reproductive choice was a big driver.”

Becker, a Las Vegas attorney, narrowly lost her bid two years ago to unseat the state Senate leader. She was backed by groups that oppose abortion but emphasized abortion is legal in Nevada through 24 weeks under a voter-approved measure.

(Left) Republican congressional candidate April Becker in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 22, 2022. (David Becker/Getty Images); (Right) U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) speaks to volunteers in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 2, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In Nevada’s governor race, meanwhile, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo has won the midterm election, ousting incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat.

The state’s closely watched race for a U.S. Senate seat is neck and neck as votes continue to be counted, with Republican Adam Laxalt’s lead narrowing to just 862 votes with the latest update.

Laxalt’s lead over Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), once in the thousands, has dwindled as more votes are counted across the state, primarily in Clark County, where officials still had more than 50,000 ballots left to count earlier Friday.

Only two Senate races are yet to be called. Republicans and Democrats both have 49 seats, after the Arizona race was called for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) overnight.

Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News