Nevada Democrats win across the ballot as late results, an Assembly supermajority and two ballot questions shape the midterm

What happened on election night

Nevada Democrats had their strongest election night in decades on Tuesday, winning seats at every level of government, according to The Nevada Independent. The outlet described voters as expressing their rejection of President Donald Trump. Its reporters laid out several main takeaways from the results.

The 2nd Congressional District, created in 1981, will be held by a Democrat for the first time, The Nevada Independent reported. Democrats also secured six statewide constitutional offices, something the party had not done since 1962. Republicans had won all of those offices in 2014.

Southern Nevada districts

All three congressional districts in Southern Nevada also went to Democrats by wide margins. As of early Wednesday, each incumbent had close to 60 percent of the vote, according to the outlet. More on the 2nd District race is in our story on Benitez-Thompson's win in the 2nd District.

Governor's race

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo lost to Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford. The Nevada Independent noted that Lombardo had raised $25 million through his campaign and an affiliated political action committee during the first nine months of the year. Read more about Ford's victory and his priorities.

Legislature and ballot questions

Democrats secured a two-thirds supermajority in the Assembly after defeating Republican Assemblywoman Rebecca Edgeworth, the outlet reported. Some legislative races were still too close to call early Wednesday. A supermajority in both chambers would allow lawmakers to more easily raise taxes and override a governor's vetoes.

Questions 6 and 7

Both statewide ballot measures, Question 6 and Question 7, passed by a significant margin. Question 6 will place a right to abortion in the Nevada Constitution. Abortion has been legal in Nevada for decades, but supporters say the measure strengthens protections after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Question 7 will require voters to show a photo ID before casting a ballot. Supporters of voter ID argue it will improve election security, according to The Nevada Independent. Critics say it could make it harder for some people to vote.

Why Nevada's results came in so late

Nevada was the last state to report its first results, even after Hawaii and Alaska, The Nevada Independent reported. State law bars releasing results until the last person in line when polls close at 7 p.m. has voted. This year, some of the last Clark County voters were not able to cast ballots until nearly five hours after polls closed, and the first results arrived just before midnight.

It is still unclear why the delays happened, the outlet said. Asked about the wait, Clark County Registrar of Voters Lorena Portillo pointed to voter excitement as the main cause and said there was no way to predict when people would show up.

Turnout and voter priorities

Republicans needed strong Election Day turnout to offset the Democratic lead in early and mail voting, but that did not happen, according to the outlet. Democrats actually widened their advantage in Clark County, outpacing Republicans by more than 3,000 votes on Election Day itself.

Exit polling by The Associated Press across all 50 states found the economy and the state of democracy were the top two issues for voters. In Nevada, 36 percent of those surveyed named the economy as the most important problem facing the country, while 31 percent named the state of democracy. Those figures closely matched national results, The Nevada Independent reported.

What to watch next

• Final results in legislative races that were still too close to call early Wednesday.
• Whether the Legislature changes the state law that holds back results until the last voter in line has cast a ballot, a question The Nevada Independent raised.
• Answers on why some Clark County voters waited nearly five hours after polls closed, which the outlet said remain unclear.