Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero and Council Candidate Jennifer Atlas Hold Leads in Early Election Results

What happened

Incumbent Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero was leading challenger Hollie Chadwick in early returns Wednesday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. In the city's Ward 3 City Council race, Jennifer Atlas was ahead of incumbent Carrie Cox. Both races were on Tuesday's ballot, and the results reported so far are early.

The two contests were linked during the campaign. Chadwick and Cox campaigned together, and both trailed by similar margins in the first results, according to the Review-Journal.

Where the Henderson races stand

Mayor's race

Romero had 60.7 percent of the vote to 39.4 percent for Chadwick, the Review-Journal reported. Chadwick is the city's former police chief. The mayor's race was a runoff between the two candidates.

Ward 3 City Council race

Atlas was leading Cox 60.4 percent to 39.6 percent, according to the Review-Journal. Cox had also finished behind Atlas in the June primary.

What the candidates said

Romero declined to comment until a larger batch of votes was released, the Review-Journal reported. Chadwick could not be reached. The newspaper also could not reach either candidate in the City Council race.

How the mayor's race reached a runoff

The mayoral contest went to a runoff because Romero did not win more than 50 percent of the total vote in June's primary. She received 49.8 percent of the primary vote, while Chadwick received 23 percent, according to the Review-Journal.

Chadwick was fired as chief of the Henderson Police Department in March 2025 and announced her run for mayor two months later. Our earlier explainer on the Romero and Chadwick race covers the background of the contest.

Cox's role in the campaign

Campaigning alongside Chadwick

Chadwick presented herself as an outsider and campaigned with Cox, the Review-Journal reported. Cox has often voted against Romero on the City Council.

A pending court case

The council censured Cox last November after she was indicted on allegations that she secretly recorded a colleague at Henderson City Hall, according to the Review-Journal. Cox has denied wrongdoing. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.

Counting across Clark County

The Henderson numbers come as ballots are still being tallied across the county. The Review-Journal reported that some Clark County voters waited two to three hours to vote on Election Day. Officials said high turnout contributed to delays in reported results.

County officials had warned before polls closed that heavy turnout and changes to the voting process could mean longer waits at polling sites. More coverage of this year's contests is in our elections section.

What to watch next

• Additional batches of votes in the Henderson mayoral and Ward 3 races, which the Review-Journal described as early results.
• Comment from Romero, who said she would wait for a larger vote release, and from Chadwick, Cox and Atlas, who could not be reached.
• Cox's trial on the recording allegations, scheduled to begin in February.