The Great Nevada Silver Rush of 2024—Or,

How the Lawmakers Struck It Rich

Now, I reckon no soul alive would be startled to hear that Nevada politicians have a powerful affinity for money, but in the 2024 election cycle, they went at it like prospectors with a brand-new claim. In a record-breaking spree of financial affection, donors heaped a staggering $17.3 million upon the state’s legislators, with the gaming industry sitting comfortably at the top of the contributor heap.

One might think the politicians had struck silver on the Comstock again, but it was just good, old-fashioned influence peddling.

The Democrats, who control the Legislature as a man might control a stubborn mule—with some difficulty and a great deal of persistence—hauled in more than two-thirds of the plunder. Yet, curiously, when the dust settled, the median Republican legislator waddled away with a slightly fatter sack of coin than his Democratic counterpart.

Perhaps it was that peculiar law of nature where a fellow with less always seems to end up with more–if only to keep things entertaining.

This avalanche of lucre buried the prior record of $13.1 million set in the 2022 midterms, which was a humbler time, back before everyone got it into their heads that a two-thirds supermajority would be a fine thing to have for shoving laws past the governor without so much as a “by your leave.” As it turned out, that effort didn’t quite pan out, and so we remain blessed with at least a little bit of political disagreement, which is more than can be said for some other places.

The gaming industry, always a stalwart friend to those needing campaign assistance, accounted for nearly 14 percent of the total haul, with real estate barons and labor unions nipping at its heels like a couple of hungry coyotes. And while Nevada law politely insists that no one donor may bestow more than $10,000 upon a single candidate, corporations, being clever creatures, have devised a charming workaround known as “bundling.”

It is a process whereby money—like water in a sieve—somehow finds its way through several separate but eerily similar contributors, all belonging to the same fine folks.

Indeed, half of the entire $17.3 million came from a mere 76 donors. It, of course, is the sort of democracy where every man has a voice, provided that man also has a well-stocked vault and a willingness to spend.

Among the most successful fundraisers were the leaders of the political herd: Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who coaxed $1.3 million into her coffers, and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, who wrangled a tidy $970,000. Over on the Republican side, Assemblyman P.K. O’Neill brought in over $700,000, proving that even those in safe seats see no harm in fortifying their castles.

As for the industries spreading the wealth, unions were particularly generous to Democrats, while gaming and real estate showered favor on both parties, with a distinct inclination toward those with enough influence to matter. The marijuana industry, once an outcast from polite society, doubled its generosity to Democrats and nearly decupled its gifts to Republicans, proving that political friendships, like good whiskey, tend to mellow with time.

And so, the grand game of influence in Nevada rolls on, much like the roulette wheel—random to the uninformed but with outcomes as predictable as sunrise to those who understand the odds. In the meantime, keep your wallets close, your wits closer, and your expectations—well, best keep them modest.