Nevada Democrats Facing “Combative” Gubernatorial Primary, Weakening General Election Chances

With less than one year to go until Election Day, Nevada Democrats appear to be headed for a “combative” and “expensive” primary fight between Steve Sisolak and Chris Giunchigliani, threatening the party’s chances of uniting for victory in the 2018 gubernatorial election. With the two Clark County Commissioners facing off for the nomination, Nevada political scientist Eric Herzik warns that their looming primary battle may drain the candidates’ campaign funds while exposing their weaknesses. With Sisolak and Giunchigliani forced to spend precious time and money fighting each other, the primary will only leave their party more weakened in November’s general election.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:

“…But with both major Democratic candidates now in the seven-figure range, it sets up what could be a combative — and likely expensive — primary battle between the two commissioners.

And historically, hard-fought primaries can drain campaign coffers and expose candidates’ weaknesses.

‘Divisive primaries rarely help the winner going forward,’ [University of Nevada, Reno political science professor Eric] Herzik said, ‘You have to spend money, you have to spend time building bridges to people in your own party when you’d rather be building bridges to particularly nonpartisans.’”