Election may be months away, but campaign season is already ramping up

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

The 2022 General Election is still more than 13 months away, but already many state and local races are beginning to heat up.

Former U.S. Senator Dean Heller held a launch rally Sept. 20 to announce that he is joining an already crowded field of Republican challengers looking to unseat Governor Steve Sisolak.

“Something happened, something changed. It was called 2020. 2020 happened, bad politicians started making bad decisions,” he said. “And I said to my family, ‘Enough is enough. We have to do something about this.’ So we’re here today because I believe it’s time to fire Steve Sisolak.”

Sisolak responded immediately with a series of emails to supporters critical of Heller’s record.

“There’s no other way to say it, Dean Heller is a threat to Nevada,” Sisolak said in one email released by the Committee to Elect Steve Sisolak.

Heller becomes the fifth Republican challenger to line up for the possibility of facing Sisolak, along with North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, Reno attorney Joey Gilbert and businessman Guy Nohra of Reno.

In Lyon County, one candidate has already publicly announced his intention to run for Lyon County Sheriff. Brad Pope, a sergeant for the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 13 declared his intent to run for sheriff. Current Sheriff Frank Hunewill, who was elected in 2018, has not publicly announced whether he plans to run for reelection.

In the City of Fernley, the office of the mayor and two city council seats, Ward 1, currently held by Ray Lacy, and Ward 3, currently held by Stan Lau, will be up for election. Mayor Roy Edgington is eligible to run for one more term, but hasn’t publicly announced his intentions.

The 2022 primary election will be held Tuesday, June 14, with early voting running from Saturday, May 28 to Friday, June 10. The general election will be Tuesday, November 8, with early voting Saturday, October 22 through Friday, November 4.

The candidate filing period for judicial seats is January 3-14, while the filing period for non-judicial offices is March 7-18.