2016 primary election results: A look at several key races

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Published Tuesday, June 14, 2016 | 9 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, June 14, 2016 | 10:57 p.m.

Tonight, the Sun will keep tabs on several of the more contentious or high-profile races being decided in the statewide primary election.

The featured races also include those that will actually determine the final winner of the seats because tonight's victors will face no general election opponents.

For full election results for congressional and legislative positions, click here. For results from Clark County Commission and Clark County School District races, click here.

U.S. Senate

Rep. Joe Heck is almost assured a victory in his Republican primary against prior U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle. Heck has outraised Angle several times over and focused his primary efforts in both the north and the south, while Angle has focused hers primarily on the north. The expected Democratic victor is former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who does not face significant competition from any of her primary opponents.

x - Denotes candidate has won

Democrats:

x - Catherine Cortez Masto: 80,401 votes; 80.76 percent

Bobby Mahendra: 3,669 votes; 3.69 percent

Liddo Susan O’Briant: 4,683 votes; 4.70 percent

Allen Rheinhart: 5,484 votes; 5.51 percent

Republicans:

Sharron Angle: 25,202 votes; 22.73 percent

D’Nese Davis: 1,819 votes; 1.64 percent

Eddie Hamilton: 1,968 votes; 1.77 percent

x - Joe Heck: 72,123 votes; 65.05 percent

Thomas Heck: 3,462 votes; 3.12 percent

Robert Leeds: 634 votes; 0.57 percent

Carlo Poliak: 266 votes; 0.24 percent

Juston Preble: 555 votes; 0.50 percent

Bill Tarbell: 1,115 votes; 1.01 percent

Congressional District 3

The big contest to watch here is between state Sen. Michael Roberson and businessman Danny Tarkanian. Tarkanian, who has run for office four times before and is the son of the late UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, has the significant name recognition advantage in the race. Roberson has a long list of legislative accomplishments, which have both helped and hurt him at times in the race. It’s been a bitter fight between the two, who have levied a number of attacks at one another both at debates and on the television airwaves. Assemblywoman Michele Fiore and former conservative think tank head Andy Matthews are also expected to garner some votes in the race. The Republican victor will likely go on to challenge local Henderson synagogue leader Jacky Rosen, who has the support of Sen. Harry Reid and local unions, though Henderson attorney Jesse Sbaih has made a significant impact with his campaign.

Republicans:

Kerry Bowers: 1,568 votes; 5.58 percent

Michele Fiore: 5,117 votes; 18.21 percent

Sami Khal: 379 votes; 1.35 percent

Andy Mathews: 3,967 votes; 14.12 percent

Michael Roberson: 6,748 votes; 24.02 percent

x- Danny Tarkanian: 8,982 votes; 31.97 percent

Annette Teijeiro: 1,332 votes; 4.74 percent

Democrats:

Barry Michaels: 2,215 votes; 9.71 percent

Jacky Rosen: 14,186 votes; 62.18 percent

Jesse Sbaih: 2,924 votes; 12.82 percent

Steve Schiffman: 1,236 votes; 5.42 percent

Alex Singer: 1,203 votes; 5.27 percent

Neil Waite: 1,052 votes; 4.61 percent

Congressional District 4

It’s a battle of three in this congressional district: former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, state Sen. Ruben Kihuen, and philanthropist Susie Lee. Flores has aligned herself with the progressive, Bernie Sanders crowd, while Kihuen has the backing of Reid and the unions. Lee, meanwhile, out fundraised both, running a successful first-time campaign. The three candidates are aligned on a lot of the big issues — though Flores leans a bit more progressive. It’s expected to be a close race between the three candidates, and the winner will go on to challenge Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy in the fall in an attempt to take back the seat for the Democrats. Hardy does not face a significant primary threat.

Democrats:

Morse Arberry Jr.: 1,847 votes; 6.46 percent

Brandon Casutt: 215 votes; 0.75 percent

Lucy Flores: 7,255 votes; 25.38 percent

x- Ruben Kihuen: 11,640 votes; 40.72 percent

Susie Lee: 5,838 votes; 20.42 percent

Mike Schaefer: 681 votes; 2.38 percent

Rodney Smith: 818 votes; 2.86 percent

Republicans:

x- Cresent Hardy: 15,872 votes; 77.44 percent

Mike Monroe: 3,590 votes; 11.52 percent

Wayne Villines: 1,033 votes; 5.04 percent

Senate District 6

Erv Nelson and Victoria Seaman both served in the state assembly in 2014 and are now running to replace incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Lipparelli, who opted not to run. The candidates have largely divided themselves over their 2015 tax vote (a $1.4 billion tax package, some of which went toward expanding education funding), with Nelson voting for the tax and Seaman voting against it. The Republican victor will go on to challenge Democrat Nicole Cannizzaro, a Clark County deputy district attorney.

Republicans:

Erv Nelson: 2,308 votes; 37.22 percent

x- Victoria Seaman: 3,893 votes; 62.78 percent

Assembly District 13

Assembly Majority Leader Paul Anderson faces a challenge from two anti-tax candidates, Leonard Foster and Steve Sanson. Sanson is backed by Assemblyman Brent Jones’s Contract with Nevada group, but Anderson has significantly outraised him. Still, it’s been a bitter fight in the district, particularly in recent days where Anderson has been attacked over an anti-bullying bill linked to the transgender bathroom issue. Whoever wins this primary wins the whole race, since there are no non-Republican candidates running.

Republicans:

x- Paul Anderson: 1,734 votes; 62.20 percent

Leonard Foster: 349 votes; 12.52 percent

Steve Sanson: 705 votes; 25.29 percent

Assemblyman Brent Jones has been spending his time boosting the other candidates who are a part of his Contract with Nevada group. However, he faces a primary challenge from Tiffany Jones, who is backed by Anderson and his camp. Brent Jones has outraised Tiffany Jones by about $9,000. Another Republican candidate, Tom Blanchard, has raised about half of the Jones’s, while the fourth contender, Benjamin Donlon, hasn’t raised any money. Whoever wins the primary will go on to face Democratic assembly caucus-backed Justin Watkins in this district where Democrats have a slight voter registration advantage.

Assembly District 35

Republicans:

Brent Jones: 712 votes; 40.66 percent

Tiffany Jones: 651 votes; 37.18 percent

Tom Blanchard: 324 votes; 18.50 percent

Benjamin Donlon: 18 votes; 1.03 percent

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Clark County Commission

The race for the District B seat features two prominent Southern Nevada politicians — former Nevada assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick and longtime Las Vegas city councilman Steve Ross.

Kirkpatrick, who was appointed to fill the seat left vacant when commissioner Tom Collins abruptly resigned, lists economic and workforce development, transportation, public safety and social services as some of her top priorities as a commissioner, noting that her experience in state government had helped her get things done at the local level. Ross' touts his experience in continuing to rebuild the community after the recession, in terms of both jobs and infrastructure, as well as maintaining public safety. He also expressed support for building a light-rail system down Maryland Parkway that eventually would connect to downtown and North Las Vegas.

Kirkpatrick raised $1,082,618 since the beginning of 2015 through June 9, compared to $759,927 for Ross.

x- Marilyn Kirkpatrick: 7,960 votes, 64.98 percent

Steve Ross: 4,290 votes, 35.02 percent

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Clark County School Board

Four of the school board's seven seats are up for reelection this year, but only two are seriously contested. District A trustee Deanna Wright (Henderson, Boulder City, Laughlin) and District C trustee Linda Young (North Las Vegas, downtown) are each fending off five challengers, including two with significant backing from the teacher's union and business groups: Adam Johnson, a director with Teach for America who has raised $48,000 in a bid to unseat Young, and Mallory Levins, a higher ed administrator who raised half of that in her race against Wright. Both incumbents have raised a fraction of that amount. The top two candidates in each school board race will go to the general election, but one candidate can win outright if they get more than 50 percent of the vote.

District A

Deanna Wright: 7,574 votes; 30.93 percent

Mallory Levins: 4,398 votes; 17.96 percent

Patricia Krajcech: 3,456 votes; 14.12 percent

Shawn Mueller: 2,039 votes, 8.33 percent

Richard Vaughan: 5,292 votes, 21.61 percent

James Gartside: 1,725 votes, 7.05 percent

District C

Linda Young: 8,023 votes; 51.69 percent

Adam Johnson: 3,081 votes; 19.85 percent

Antonio Bowen: 1,457 votes; 9.39 percent

Russell Davis: 1,177 votes, 7.58 percent

Walter Jones III: 747 votes, 4.81 percent

Mark Melton: 1,035 votes, 6.67 percent