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The Las Vegas Sun’s endorsements for the 2020 general election: Statewide, Local and Judicial races

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The following are the Las Vegas Sun’s endorsements for contested races on the November ballot. We invite voters to refer to this list when filling out their mail-in ballots or to take it with them to the polls for early voting or for balloting on November 3.

KEY

D — Democrat

R — Republican

IA — Independent American Party

L — Libertarian

N/A — No party

(I) — Incumbent

The Sun’s endorsements are in bold.

 

STATE LEGISLATURE

Senate District 4

• Esper M. Hickman — R

• Dina Neal (I) — D

Neal, an assemblywoman since 2010, is perfectly positioned to move to the Senate as she seeks the seat previously held by Senate Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson.

Senate District 5

• Carrie Ann Buck — R

• Tim Hagan — L

• Kristee Watson — D

Watson’s experience in private business, education advocacy and activism on gun violence make her a promising newcomer. Buck is a GOP machine politician who disgraced herself by becoming involved in a baseless recall attempt of former Sen. Joyce Woodhouse after losing to Woodhouse in 2016.

 

Senate District 6

• April Becker — R

• Nicole Cannizzaro (I) — D

Cannizzaro won her first term in 2016, when she grinded out a tough race against Victoria Seaman, who at that time was an assemblywoman seeking to make the jump to the Senate and now is a Las Vegas city councilwoman. She then unexpectedly took on the challenge of serving as Senate leader — the first woman to hold that position in state history — in 2019 after former Sen. Kelvin Atkinson resigned amid a corruption scandal. Cannizzaro handled herself with aplomb throughout and has earned another term.

 

Senate District 11

• Joshua Dowden — R

• Dallas Harris (I) — D

Harris served her district well after being appointed in 2018 to fill former Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford’s seat after Ford was elected attorney general. She deserves a full term.

 

Senate District 18

• Liz Becker — D

• Scott T. Hammond (I) — R

Becker, an environmental scientist and former teacher, gets the nod over Hammond, who has been a rubber-stamp vote for the extremist right.

 

Senate District 19

• Pete Goicoechea (I) — R

• Tiffany “Gholson” Seeback — IA

Goicoechea is a fixture at the Statehouse, first elected in 2002 as an assemblyman. He has received our endorsement before, and he gets it again here: In a chaotic time when Nevada needs experienced, steady leadership, Goicoechea fits the bill.

 

Assembly District 2

• Heidi Kasama — R

• Radhika “RPK” Kunnel — D

• Garrett LeDuff — N/A

Kunnel is an exceptional candidate: a UNLV law school graduate who holds a Ph.D in cancer biology and former associate professor of biochemistry at Tulane University. No wonder she won her primary and has collected an impressive array of endorsements from the likes of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and former Sen. Richard Bryan.

 

Assembly District 4

• Richard McArthur — R

• Connie Munk (I) — D

Munk defeated McArthur in 2018, and now is an even better pick with two years of legislative experience under her belt.

 

Assembly District 5

• Brittney Miller (I) — D

• Mack Miller — R

Brittney Miller was appointed to her seat in 2016, and voters obviously though she did a good job—she won a full term comfortably in 2018. In the past two years, she has continued to provide reasons for voters to support her.

 

Assembly District 6

• Katie Duncan — R

• Shondra Summers-Armstrong — D

Voters simply can’t lose with either of these candidates. Summers-Armstrong, an employee of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, has a long history of community service that includes being a commissioner on the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, a member of the Southern Nevada Enterprise Community Board and executive board member of Service Employees International Union. Duncan brings a venerable and admirable record of leadership and advocacy for her community as the founding president of the Historic Westside Chamber of Commerce.

 

Assembly District 7

• Cameron “C.H.” Miller — D

• Anthony “Tony” Palmer — R

Miller gets our endorsement for his connection to the late Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson, one of the most respected figures in the Legislature in recent years. Miller, a campaign aide for Thompson, is well-suited to serve District 7.

 

Assembly District 8

• Edward “Eddie” Facey — R

• Jason Frierson (I) — D

Frierson, the speaker of the Assembly since 2016, is an even-handed leader who has worked effectively with governors from both parties: Democrat Steve Sisolak and Republican Brian Sandoval. His steady approach will be especially valuable in these tumultuous times.

 

Assembly District 9

• Barbara Altman — R

• Steve Yeager (I) — D

Yeager distinguished himself partly through his leadership role on criminal justice reform as chair of the Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice. The commission’s work led to passage of significant reforms during the 2019 legislative session.

 

Assembly District 10

• Jonathan Friedrich — IA

• Chris Hisgen — R

• Rochelle Nguyen (I) — D

Nguyen, a criminal defense lawyer and former public defender, served the district well after being appointed to the seat when former Assemblyman Chris Brooks was appointed to the Senate. Voters would do well to send her back to Carson City.

 

Assembly District 11

• Beatrice A. Duran (I) — D

• Eric Krattiger — R

In a state where working-class Nevadans in the travel and tourism industry provide the foundation for our economy, Duran’s career in the service industry and as a Culinary Union staff member gives her invaluable leadership perspective in Carson City. After being appointed to fill the seat vacated when Olivia Diaz won election to the Las Vegas City Council in 2019, Duran has earned a full term.

 

Assembly District 12

• John Cardiff Gerhardt — N/A

• Jeremy A. Graves — R

• Susan Martinez (I) — D

As with Duran, Martinez’s background made her a strong addition to the Legislature: She’s a 30-year employee in the hospitality industry with a record of advocacy for education and employee rights.

 

Assembly District 14

• Maggie Carlton (I) — D

• Robert Wayerski — R

Carlton’s work in the Legislature dates to 1998, when she came to Carson City as a senator. With the state facing so much uncertainty, her steady presence and institutional knowledge make her a clear choice.

 

Assembly District 15

• Stan Vaughan — R

• Howard Watts (I) — D

Voters sent Watts to Carson City by a comfortable margin in 2018, and Watts served them well in his first term.

 

Assembly District 16

• Cecelia González — D

• Reyna “Alex” Sajdak — R

The voters in this heavily Democratic district have spoken: They overwhelmingly supported Gonzalez in a crowded primary. And no wonder, because she’s terrific candidate with a background in community activism and political organizing on such issues as women’s health and criminal justice reform.

 

Assembly District 17

• Jack Polcyn — R

• Clara “Claire” Thomas — D

In a race between two first-time legislative candidates, Thomas holds the edge due to her life experience as a U.S. Air Force veteran, her career as a case manager with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and her longtime involvement in state Democratic Party activities.

 

Assembly District 18

• Venicia Considine — D

• Heather Ann Florian — R

This is another race in which the voters in a predominantly Democrat district have spoken, as they selected Considine from a highly competitive field in the primary. She got our endorsement in the primary and gets it again.

 

Assembly District 21

• Cherlyn Arrington — R

• Elaine Marzola — D

Ozzie Fumo won this district over Arrington in 2018, when Nevada voters firmly rejected Republican ideology by sending Democratic majorities to both chambers of the Legislature. Marzola is well-suited to succeed Fumo, who gave up the seat to seek a position on the Supreme Court. Marzola, a law firm owner, brings particularly valuable experience on immigration issues as the daughter of Brazilian immigrants and a first-generation college graduate.

 

Assembly District 23

• Brent Foutz — D

• Bill Hoge — IA

• Glen Leavitt (I) — R

Leavitt got our endorsement in 2018 and gets it again this year, based on his service during his first term and his previous experience as a Boulder City planning commissioner and public affairs analyst for the Regional Transportation Commission.

 

Assembly District 28

• Natasha Bousley — L

• Edgar Flores (I) — D

District 28 residents obviously like the job Flores is doing for them: Since winning his first term in 2014 while running unopposed, he got 78% of the vote the only time he faced an opponent (in 2016). No need to make a change here.

 

Assembly District 29

• Lesley Elizabeth Cohen (I) — D

• Steven E. DeLisle — R

Twice in a row, District 29 voters rejected Trump-era Republican politics when they selected Cohen in highly competitive races with former Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus. With four years of legislative experience under her belt, the battle-tested Cohen is an even stronger choice.

 

Assembly District 34

• Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod (I) — D

• Jay Thomas Carlson — R

Bilbray-Axelrod is seeking a third term in a district where she won handily in 2016 and then by an even larger margin in 2018. In the past two years, she’s done nothing to diminish her support.

 

Assembly District 35

• Jay Calhoun — R

• Michelle Gorelow (I) — D

Gorelow’s career has been devoted to serving others, first with March of Dimes and then with an organization providing health care to Southern Nevada children who are developmentally delayed or at-risk medically. That commitment to being a genuine public servant is valuable in the Legislature, and helps make Gorelow the choice for re-election after first being appointed to her seat and then winning election in 2018.

 

• Assembly District 37

• Shea Backus (I) — D

• Andy Matthews — R

Voters sent Backus to Carson City over a Republican incumbent in 2018, one of several districts where the public said no to GOP extremism. Backus remains the clear choice this year, with Nevada’s economic recovery at stake and with Republicans on full attack mode on civil liberties and democratic values.

 

Assembly District 41

• Victoria K. DaCosta — IA

• Sandra Jauregui (I) — D

• Erika Smith — R

Jauregui, a survivor of the October 1 shooting, has established herself as a strong and visible leader on gun violence and other issues. She’s a very strong choice for a third term.

 

Assembly District 42

• Alexander Assefa (I) — D

• Liz DelSignore — L

• Sayed “SM” Zaidi — N/A

Nevada, an ethnically diverse state that boasts a number of vibrant immigrant communities, is well-served having leaders like Assefa in Carson City. He’s an Ethiopian immigrant who earned a college degree and started his own business after arriving in the U.S. virtually penniless and with only rudimentary grasp of English. Assefa ran unopposed in 2018, and he’s an exceptionally strong choice for a second term.

 

STATEWIDE & LOCAL

Nevada Board of Regents

Before we offer endorsements on the candidates for this board, we first want to state that the most important vote on the regents is on Ballot Question 1. Passage of that question would be a first step in reforming this highly problematic board. (Please see our endorsement in favor of the question on Page 26 of this issue.) That said, here are our recommendations on the board positions.

District 2

• Lois Tarkanian

• Bret Whipple

We’re taking no position on this race. Each candidate is familiar to voters—Tarkanian is a former Las Vegas City Council member and the widow of legendary basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, and Whipple is a former member of the board of regents and a member of a well-known Nevada ranching family. But each candidate comes with some worrisome baggage. Tarkanian’s family is strongly tied to Republican Party extremism, while Whipple is the longtime attorney for the family of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, a leading figure in the sovereign citizen movement that refuses to recognize the authority of the U.S. government.

 

District 3

• Byron Brooks

• Swadeep Nigam

Nigam is exceptionally qualified, having served on the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, the Las Vegas chapter of the NAACP and other community boards.

 

District 5

• Patrick Boylan

• Nick “Doc” Spirtos

This race screams out the need to pass Question 1: Both candidates are unfit. Spirtos has raised objections about the current plan for a new instructional building for the UNLV School of Medicine—a critical need in Southern Nevada. Boylan’s Twitter feed is filled with anti-Muslim tweets, such as referring to Muslims as “muzslime” and saying Islam should be banned “the way Nazism was banned.” We urge voters not to support either of them, and yet one will win because Nevada doesn’t allow for write-in candidates. Enough. Nevada should pass Question 1, which would allow lawmakers to restructure the regents, rein in their authority and take leadership of Nevada’s universities and colleges out of the hands of candidates like these.

 

State Board of Education

District 1

• Angelo Casino

• Tim Hughes

Hughes, a former Teach for America employee who also served as an executive for TNTP, a teacher training program, is an exceptional choice.

 

District 4

• Rene Cantu

• Mark Newburn (I)

Newburn has been a steady hand on the board, and keeping him there will help provide the experience and stability in leadership that our kids need amid the turmoil of the pandemic. Cantu is also a qualified candidate who could make a good addition to the board, but Newburn gets our endorsement for his strong incumbency.

 

LOCAL

County Commission

District A

• Michael Naft (I) — D

• Michael Thomas — R

Many first-time officeholders face a steep learning curve, but Naft was an exception when he was appointed by Gov. Steve Sisolak to fill the seat Sisolak vacated to run for governor. Naft learned Southern Nevada’s political players and environment as a longtime district director for Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., which helped him make a strong start. He served well and earned a full term.

 

District B

• Marilyn Kirkpatrick (I) — D

• Warren R. Markowitz — IA

• Kevin M. Williams — R

Kirkpatrick’s experience and skills as a longtime state legislator showed when she joined the county commission. Now chair of the commission, she has provided strong and steady leadership, particularly during the pandemic. Highlights include working with state, local and federal officials to get coronavirus stimulus funding for businesses, mobilizing testing resources, etc. Her stable presence on the board will be valuable as the region recovers.

 

District C

• Stavros Anthony — R

• Ross Miller — D

Miller’s experience and moderate political sensibilities give him the edge in a race between two high-profile candidates. Miller, the son of former Gov. Bob Miller, served as a deputy Clark County district attorney and Nevada secretary of state. Anthony, a Las Vegas council member, can’t match that level of experience. Anthony’s politics are a concern, too, as evidenced when he teamed with extremist council members Michele Fiore and Victoria Seaman to endorse a “Blue Lives Matter” march with an overtly racist theme.

 

District D

• William McCurdy II — D

• David L. Washington — No party

McCurdy’s strength as a candidate showed in the primary, when voters selected him in a dazzlingly strong field that also included state Sen. Moises “Mo” Denis and North Las Vegas City Councilman Isaac Barron. McCurdy, who served four years in the Nevada Assembly and three years as chair of the state Democratic Party, would be an excellent addition to the board with his experience, capability and leadership skills.

 

Clark County School District

District A

• Lisa Guzman

• Liberty Leavitt

District A voters got this one exactly right in the primary, where Guzman and Leavitt finished one-two. The two are excellent candidates, and we recommend them both.

 

District B

• Jeff Proffitt

• Katie Williams

Proffitt’s strong background in career-technical education would make him an excellent addition to the board. His work includes serving as training director for the Sheet Metal Workers Local 88 union, which provides a four-year educational apprenticeship program aimed at developing specialized skills in such fields as math and computer technology. In addition, he’s the spouse of a Clark County School District special education teacher, which also would give him valuable perspective as a board member.

 

District C

• Evelyn Garcia Morales

• Tameka Henry

District C voters have a choice of two very good candidates in Morales and Henry. Morales gets our endorsement because of her strong background as executive director of the Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas, a nonprofit that facilitates college access and academic achievement to students of all backgrounds, and as a leader of outreach programs for after-school tutoring and drug prevention for the YMCA of Southern Nevada. But Henry also brings an impressive résumé: She’s a longtime local advocate for the Head Start program and has been on an array of local community organizations. We commend Henry for her candidacy.

 

District E

• Lola Brooks (I)

• Alexis Salt

We endorsed both Brooks and Salt in the primary election, but we’re giving our full endorsement to Brooks in the general election. The reason: Brooks brings continuity in leadership at a time when CCSD students and families need all the stability they can get. A key example of Brooks’ strong, stable leadership includes when she helped thwart an attempt by a minority of the board to fire Superintendent Jesus Jara in July over an overblown political flap. That was an enormous relief, because the last thing CCSD needed at that time was a shakeup in the superintendent’s office and the chaos that would have come with it. Although Salt remains a strong candidate, the community needs Brooks’ steady hand.

 

JUDICIAL

State Level

Note: on state-level judicial races, voters have an option to select "none of the candidates."

 

Supreme Court Justice D

• Ozzie Fumo

• Douglas Herndon

• None of these candidates

Fumo and Herndon come into the race from different backgrounds, but each would make an exceptional addition to the court. Fumo boasts 20 years of experience as a practicing trial attorney in Las Vegas, and served four years in the Legislature. Herndon boasts 15 years as a Clark County district judge and 14 more as a Clark County prosecutor. Voters simply can’t lose here.

 

Court of Appeals Judge 3

• Bonnie Bulla (I)

• Susan Bush

• None of these candidates

Bulla has earned a full term after being appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2018 when Abbi Silver was elected to the Supreme Court.

 

District court

Department 1

• Jacob Villani

• Bita “Marie” Yeager

Like Fumo and Henderson in the Supreme Court, Villani and Yeager are two excellent candidates with entirely different backgrounds: Villani a prosecutor and Yeager a public defender. Either one would be an excellent addition to the local bench.

 

Department 2

• Carli Lynn Kierny

• Richard Scotti (I)

Scotti has made the news for the wrong reasons, including an outburst in which he tossed a pocket U.S. Constitution at the wall in 2017 in frustration over a prospective juror. He apologized, and we think he has learned from his mistakes, but we also believe Kierny would be an acceptable pick for voters who believe otherwise.

 

Department 3

• Adam Ganz

• Monica Trujillo

Trujillo gets our endorsement because of her record of public service, which includes clerking for the Public Defender Office in the District of Columbia during law school and then joining the Clark County Public Defender’s Office after obtaining her degree in 2008.

 

Department 4

• Phil Aurbach

• Nadia Krall

Aurbach’s legal experience and deep ties to the community make him stand out: He has practiced in Las Vegas as a civil attorney for 42 years.

 

Department 5

• Veronica Barisich

• Terry Coffing

Coffing served as a judge pro tem for 15 years and has been a member of the state association’s board of governors. It’s a strong résumé, and makes him the choice here.

 

Department 6

• Jacqueline Bluth (I)

• Todd M. Leventhal

Bluth is among several talented appointees by Gov. Steve Sisolak who have earned a full term.

 

• Department 8

• Trevor Atkin (I)

• Jessica K. Peterson

Atkin is also a Sisolak appointee, coming to the bench last year after a standout career as a practicing attorney.

 

Department 17

• Anna Albertson

• Michael Villani (I)

With 13 years of strong experience on the district court bench, Villani is the clear choice.

 

Department 18

• Mary Kay Holthus (I)

• John A. Hunt

Another very strong Sisolak appointee, Holthus came to the bench in January 2019 after 19 years with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, including 16 with the Special Victims Unit.

 

Department 19

• Crystal Eller

• William “Bill” Kephart (I)

Kephart is a fixture in the local legal community, with three decades of experience as a prosecutor, a justice of the peace and, since 2010, as a district judge.

 

Department 20

• Dawn Allysa Hooker

• Eric Johnson (I)

Johnson is our choice due to his five years’ experience as a district judge and prior experience as a federal prosecutor battling organized crime and racketeering.

 

Department 21

• Tara Clark Newberry

• Jacob Reynolds

Reynolds gets our endorsement because of an advantage in legal experience, but we think the community would be well served by either candidate.

 

Department 22

• Susan Holland Johnson (I)

• Ben Nadig

Thirteen strong years of experience make Johnson our choice.

 

Department 23

• Karl W. Armstrong

• Jasmin Lilly-Spells

Lilly-Spells won the primary, and with good reason: Her service as a public defender and with Court Appointed Special Advocates make her a strong addition to the bench.

 

Department 24

• Erika D. Ballou

• Dan Gilliam

In a close race, we think Ballou is the right candidate in this race at this moment. A public defender who has been licensed since 2003, she will bring a set of personal and professional experiences to the court that we believe is needed at this time.

 

Department 29

• David M. Jones (I)

• David López-Negrete

Jones is a Las Vegas native with four solid years’ experience as a district judge. He has earned another term.

 

Department 31

• Gary W. Call

• Joanna S. Kishner (I)

Kishner, another Southern Nevada native, has been on the court for 10 years and is a good community ambassador for the court, volunteering at schools and on local boards.

 

Department 32

• Rob Bare (I)

• Christy Craig

Bare has been a local judge for 13 years, starting in Las Vegas Municipal Court before his election to district court in 2010.

 

Family court

Department E

• Charles J. “Chuck” Hoskin (I)

• Thomas G. Kurtz

Hoskin has been an outstanding leader on the court, including six years as presiding judge.

 

Department G

• Benjamin Boone Childs Sr.

• Rhonda K. Forsberg (I)

Gov. Steve Sisolak made a great choice in appointing Forsberg to the court last year. She deserves a full term.

 

Department I

• Soonhee “Sunny” Bailey

• Michelle O. Tobler

Bailey and Tobler are both exceptional candidates. Bailey’s background includes serving as a hearing master for juvenile cases in family court and a pro tem judge in Las Vegas Municipal Court. Tobler boasts 24 years of legal practice and is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas.

 

Department J

• Dedree “Dee” Butler

• Scott MacDonald

We believe Butler is the strongest candidate due to her 10 years of experience in the Clark County Public Defender’s Office, where she spent much of her time in family court as team chief of the Domestic Violence Unit and defending children in the juvenile delinquency division.

 

Department M

• Lynn Hughes

• Amy M. Mastin

With experience as a family law attorney and hearing master in domestic violence court, Mastin offers a particularly strong résumé.

 

Department P

• Sara Dayani

• Mary Perry

This is another race between two strong candidates, but we believe Perry holds the edge thanks to a combination of her career and life experience. She has practiced 19 years, including serving as a truancy diversion judge, and is an Air Force veteran who worked as a cashier and in security before going to law school.

 

Department T

• Nadin Cutter

• Jason Stoffel

Voters can’t go wrong here. Stoffel has practiced law for 16 years in Clark County, including serving as a pro tem judge in family court. Cutter brings 11 years of legal experience and a résumé that includes clerking for Clark County District Judge Susan Holland Johnson.

 

Department U

• Bill Gonzalez

• Dawn Throne

Gonzalez is a former family court judge seeking to rejoin the bench, while Throne has 23 years of practice in family law. Both are excellent choices.

 

Department W

• Adriana Rincon White

• Stacy Michelle Rocheleau

It’s a tough choice, but we think Rocheleau is the strong candidate due to her edge in family law experience—20 years, as opposed to 12 for White. Rocheleau also runs her own practice and has served as a judge in the truancy diversion program. Again, though, White is strong: She’s a hearing master and former pro tem hearing master.

 

Department X

• Heidi Almase

• Jim Davis

Davis would be a strong addition to the court: He boasts 15 years of practice in family law and 20 years of service in the Air Force, and has been a pro tem hearing master in family court for the past five years.

 

Department Z

• Michele “Shell” Mercer

• Romeo Perez

Although Mercer won the primary, we think Perez is the stronger candidate. He brings 22 years of family law practice in a firm he started himself out of college, and has earned respect in the legal community for his pleasant demeanor and his extensive experience in abuse and neglect cases. He’s a narrow pick over Mercer, a longtime hearing master in family court.

 

Justice of the peace

 

Las Vegas 12

• Shanon Clowers-Sanborn

• Diana L. Sullivan (I)

 

North Las Vegas 3

• Belinda T. “BTH” Harris

• Chris Lee (I)

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