Outside Spending Floods Nevada Elections

Political action committees, super PACs, and dark money groups poured roughly $210 million into Nevada’s 2024 election cycle, nearly doubling 2020 levels as the state again proved a high-stakes political battleground.

Much of the spending centered on the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen and Republican challenger Sam Brown. The Democratic-aligned WinSenate PAC led all groups with $41.5 million in support of Rosen, while the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent $10.7 million on ads criticizing her record. The Senate Leadership Fund added another $6 million late in the race, backing Brown. Despite the influx, Rosen maintained a financial advantage, and the contest became further complicated by third-party candidates drawing votes.

Down-ballot, outside money played a key role in state legislative races. Americans for Prosperity Action spent $6.2 million targeting regulations and energy policy, with a focus on competitive suburban districts. Smaller PACs, including Better Nevada and Nevada Way, contributed about $190,000 to Republican candidates. Democrats, however, held a roughly 3-to-1 spending edge overall, fueled by $15 million in union support, $3.8 million from legislator-affiliated PACs, and additional backing from trial lawyer groups.

The spending surge also included an estimated $60 million in “dark money,” much of it tied to ballot initiatives. Around $18 million went toward ranked-choice voting efforts, while more than $6 million from progressive-aligned groups supported a successful abortion rights measure.

The scale of outside spending helped shape key outcomes, including preventing a Democratic supermajority in the Legislature that could override Gov. Joe Lombardo’s vetoes. With Nevada expected to remain competitive, similar or greater levels of outside funding are anticipated in upcoming election cycles.