A Look At Local Results Of 2022 Primary Election

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

The final results of the 2022 Nevada Primary Election were released and canvassed by the Clark County Commission on Friday, June 24. The official statement of the vote allowed for a careful review of the results, organized by local communities and precincts.

Voter turnout for the election was low. Both the state and the county saw turnout at 21 percent. That was somewhat lower than the 2020 primary when turnout came in at 29 percent. In Clark County, the voter turnout was also around 21 percent.

Local numbers were a bit stronger than that. The precincts in the city of Mesquite got a 42 percent turnout from voters. The Bunkerville precinct brought out 27 percent of voters. The four precincts making up Moapa and Moapa Valley saw 40 percent of registered voters come to the polls.

Local races
In the election for Mesquite City Council Seat 4, incumbent Karen Dutkowski came out with a clear lead receiving 2,336 votes at 42 percent.
But in the decision of who will be opposing Dutkoski in November, the results were razor close between candidates Paul Wanlass and Kim Walters. It all came down to 31 votes in that race. Wanlass won with 1,335 votes and 24 percent. Walters had 1304 votes taking 23 percent. Cathy Schiring got 650 votes with 12 percent.

In Bunkerville, there were three candidates running for the Constable position. Erik Laub ended up the front runner with 82 votes at 43 percent. Jace Haviland will face Laub in the General Election getting 58 votes with 31 percent. Chad Jensen ended up with 49 votes at 26 percent.

The Moapa Valley township also had a multi-candidate race for the Constable position. But this race won’t need to go to a general election runoff. That is because candidate Mark Harding garnered more than 50 percent of the lower-Valley vote.

Harding ended up with 1,027 votes at 56 percent. Vernon Dimick had a distant second with 404 votes and 22 percent. Bret Empey received 217 votes at 12 percent and Jacob Jensen got 191 votes at about 10 percent.

Assembly District 19
An examination of the Moapa Valley precincts alone, would lead one to believe that Charlie De La Paz had won the election for State Assembly District 19. De La Paz garnered 40 percent of the Moapa Valley vote, winning in every precinct of her hometown. She also won in Bunkerville where she got 56 percent of the vote.

But the district also includes Mesquite and a portion of Henderson. Factoring those in, De La Paz fell behind.

In Mesquite, De La Paz got only 20 percent of the total vote. Henderson candidate Toby Yurek won in Mesquite precincts with 39 percent. Yurek got only 21 percent in Moapa Valley precincts.

But Yurek pulled heavy from his hometown precincts in Henderson and ended up winning the primary with 42 percent of the vote district-wide. As there is no Democratic competitor in the race, Yurek wins the seat without a general election.

Las Vegas valley candidate Amy Groves pulled 27 percent in Mesquite, 11 percent in Moapa Valley and 10 percent in Bunkerville. Logandale candidate Jerry Swanson got 28 percent in Moapa Valley, 21 percent in Mesquite and 14 percent in Bunkerville.

Congressional delegation
Local voters went along with the statewide results in both primaries for the U.S. Senate seat.
Mesquite Democrats preferred Catherine Cortez Masto with 97 percent of the vote. In Moapa Valley, Cortez Masto won with 77 percent. Statewide, Cortez Masto won the party’s nomination with 90 percent of the vote.

On the Republican side, 68 percent of voters in Moapa Valley cast a ballot for Adam Laxalt. Laxalt got 53 percent of the vote in Mesquite and 70 percent in Bunkerville. Laxalt ended up winning in the state with 56 percent of the vote.

But in the race for Congressional District, the northeast Clark County communities departed starkly from the rest of the district. Mesquite resident Annie Black fared well in both communities taking 71 percent in Mesquite, 66 percent in Bunkerville and 60 percent in Moapa Valley.

Even so, Sam Peters ended up being the winner of the election with 47 percent of the vote district-wide. Peters got 25 percent in Mesquite, 28 percent in Bunkerville and 35 percent in Moapa Valley.

Governor’s race
In the Democratic primary for Governor, incumbent Steve Sisolak won clearly with 89 percent of the statewide vote, against former County Commissioner Tom Collins who got only 6 percent.
Sisolak also won among Moapa Valley Democrats with 66 percent. Collins, himself a former Moapa Valley resident, got 22 percent.

In Mesquite, Sisolak took 92 percent of the vote vs. Collins’ 5 percent.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo won the Republican gubernatorial primary with 38 percent of the state-wide vote in a sharply contested field of 8 candidates. Lombardo also won in Mesquite with 41 percent and in Moapa Valley with 32 percent of the vote.

In Bunkerville, Dean Heller was preferred with 42 percent of the vote. Lombardo only got 17 percent in the township.

Lieutenant Governor
Democrats in both valleys favored Elizabeth Cano Burkhead for Lieutenant Governor. She gathered 61 percent of the vote in the two communities. Burkhead was favored statewide with 58 percent of the vote.
On the Republican side, Stavros Anthony was the walk-away winner taking 31 percent of the vote in the two valleys. He won the election with 30 percent statewide.

Interestingly, Tony Grady had a strong showing in Moapa Valley with 27 percent of the local vote.

Secretary of State
Jim Marchant came out as the clear choice for Republicans in both the northeast Clark County communities and throughout the state. Marchant won the primary with 38 percent of the vote.
He was also preferred by Republican voters in both the local valleys with 45 percent of the combined local vote.

State Treasurer
Local voters were in close alignment with statewide results in the State Treasurer’s race. Michele Fiore, who won with 61 percent of the state GOP vote, received 64 percent of the Moapa and Virgin Valley combined vote.

State Controller
Ellen Spiegel clearly won the Democratic primary for State Controller with 67 percent of the vote statewide. In the two valleys she got 62 percent of the vote.

Attorney General
Sigal Chattah was the clear winner in the Republican primary with 51 percent of the vote. She was favored in the two valleys also with 49 percent of the local vote.
Interestingly, in Moapa Valley precincts, Chattah fell slightly behind opponent Tisha Black. Black received 48 percent of the M.V. vote while Chattah only got 41 percent.