Republican candidate for Congress Danny Tarkanian, and his wife Amy Hanson Tarkanian, speak to supporters during a rally on the eve of election night, Monday Nov. 5, 2018.
Monday, June 22, 2020 | 5:22 p.m.
GARDNERVILLE — Douglas County Commissioner Dave Nelson conceded defeat in the Republican primary battle to represent District 1 in rural Nevada, The Record-Courier reported Monday.
After trailing in early voting counting, Danny Tarkanian eked out a 17-vote victory against Nelson when Douglas County certified its final count on June 17. Nelson's decision to concede reverses a pledge he made last week, when he told The Associated Press he intended to file for a recount if the margin was less than 20 votes.
“Many people do not like mail-in ballots because of the increased opportunity for fraud," but a recount wouldn't change that, Nelson told The Record-Courier.
Because no Democrats or third-party candidates contested the race, Tarkanian — the son of the late legendary UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian — is the presumptive winner of the rural Nevada race for county office.
His win over Nelson is his first election victory in seven attempts. About 50,000 people live in Douglas County and, as commissioner, Tarkanian will vote on issues ranging from water to development in the region south of Carson City and east of Lake Tahoe.
