The Spectrum presents our …

2022 Progressive Voter Guide

Nevada, Clark County & Municipal Races

Edited by ROB SCHLEGEL
Las Vegas Spectrum, QVegas & NevadaImpact.com

Download your copy of our 2022 voter guide here


In 1995, the Las Vegas Bugle established a committee of community leaders, known as Nevada Impact, to offer guidance during each election. The selection has been published and promoted over the years by the Bugle, its successor publication, Q-Vegas, the Las Vegas Night Beat and the Las Vegas Spectrum.

This year’s endorsement list is mostly being distributed online. It will be available in print at Get Booked, The Center and select locations. Links to Nevada Impact’s guide will be sent via thousands of emails (please share!) and the website address will be advertised.

Technically, Nevada Impact is non-partisan but due to the issues we care about (racial, sexual and gender equality; women’s right of choice, access to voting, comprehensive immigration reform), we find it is rare we’ll ever endorse a Republican candidate. Please remember that most races won’t be on your ballot, as your ballot will only show the candidates for the political party you’re registered for and only the candidates for your specific voting address. Many races are non-partisan, so those will show up on all ballots, whether Republican, Democrat or those who are not registered with a party affiliation.

Generally, if an incumbent is doing a great job and is challenged by someone within their party, we’ll support the incumbent. If asked, we would likely urge the challenger to pick a different race where their talent could be better utilized.

If you don’t see a race listed on your ballot, either there isn’t a primary or it’s not in your area.

The races may not be in the same order as your ballot (although we’ve tried). It includes most city, township, county, and state offices. If you’re from a rural area, many of your advisory boards and constables are listed at the end.

The only way democracy can work is if we all vote. While one party may claim “election fraud,” and make it harder to vote, it’s primarily to discourage you from voting. That allows the radical right, which is a minority, to gain control of our elected offices. Please help save democracy by making sure you vote.

A reminder about rights. It appears that women may lose the right of choice over their own bodies, if the US Supreme Court rules as the leaked draft indicates it will. Using the same “logic” that the Supreme Court is threatening to use against women, could also be used to take away same-gender marriage and many of the LGBTQ protections we’ve gained over the past years.

We say it every year, but it continues to be true. This is one of the most important votes of our lifetime. Please consider using our guide. Together we can bring about change and protect what we have fought so hard to gain.

Visit Clark County Registered Voter Services
Review your current registration, print forms to up date your registration, view your sample ballot or polling places, request or track a mail ballot or apply to be a poll worker!

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Spectrum LGBTQ+ | Progressive endorsements


CANDIDATES WHO DESERVE YOUR VOTE

US SENATE
Cortez Masto, Catherine (Dem)
Nice to have people in the Senate who understand the rule of law. She is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ equality.
Brown, Sam (Rep)
If you’re registered Republican, this is the best of the bad.
Laxalt, Adam Paul (Rep)
The likely Republican nominee but his record on LGBTQ issues, women’s rights and anything possibly progressive, is pathetic. Even the Republicans are wary of this guy.

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1
Titus, Dina, (Dem)
A lifetime record on our rights and best of all, she’s our friend in Washington.
Vilela, Amy (Dem)
We like her but wish she had picked another race. The incumbent (Dina Titus) is our staunch ally.

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 2
Krause, Elizabeth Mercedes (Dem)
An educator, a Native American, a member of the Nevada Minority Affairs Commission, believes in depoliticizing immigration, fights for a living wage, a proud union member and believes in reproductive freedom. Mercedes would make an excellent Member of Congress.

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 3
Lee, Susie, (Dem)
Exemplary Member of Congress and a champion of everything we know to be right, fair and equal. We’re proud to endorse.

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 4
Horsford, Steven A. (Dem)
There is no primary on the Democratic side but we absolutely must hold onto a D majority in the House. We need everyone to fight to get Steven Horsford re-elected. A champion on our issues.

GOVERNOR
Sisolak, Steve (Dem)
He says he is now a progressive, so we look forward to working with him on our issues. Overall, he’s done a good job and we absolutely must help the Dems retain the governorship. It’s important for the survival of democracy.
Lombardo, Joe (Rep)
He’s been fair to LGBTQ employees in the CC Sheriff’s office, but we don’t trust him on immigration and other progressive issues. He’s clawing his way to the bottom just to get the tRump endorsement.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Cole, Kimi (Dem)
If elected, she would be the first trans woman elected to statewide office. Credited with creating the LGBTQ rural NV Democratic Caucus, where she serves as chair. This is a double endorsement, you decide.
March, Debra (Dem)
She has served the Henderson community as councilwoman and mayor. She’s a hard fighter. This is a double endorsement, you decide.

SECRETARY OF STATE
Aguilar Francisco “Cisco” (Dem)
No primary, only one Democrat and this is an important office to keep integrity in our elections.
Hansen, Janine (IAP)
Not in the primary but this woman has been a plague on the LGBTQ community all her life.
Haw, Jesse (Rep)
The leading contender to fix all the imagined conspiracies. Wait until the general and vote for Cisco Aquilar

STATE TREASURER
Conine, Zach (Dem)
Great guy, no primary. Boyd law graduate.
Fiore, Michele (Rep)
This would be the fox guarding the henhouse.

STATE CONTROLLER
Spiegel, Ellen (Dem)
We know Ellen Spiegel to be solid on our issues.

ATTORNEY GENERAL
Ford, Aaron D. (Dem)
Supportive and fair. A person of his word. This is another office where you never want a Republican to be in charge.

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, SEAT A
Bell, Linda (Nonpartisan)

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, SEAT E
Parraguirre, Ron D (Nonpartisan)

COURT OF APPEALS, DEPT. 1
Westbrook, Deborah (Nonpartisan)
Experienced in both criminal and civil matters. Served for years as a public defender. She helped revise the rules of Appellate Procedure for Nevada. This is our choice.
Forsberg, Rhonda K (Nonpartisan)
Both candidates would be a stellar replacement for Jerry Tao. Rhonda has a family law background and currently serves as a judge in the 8th Judicial District Court.

COURT OF APPEALS, DEPT. 2
Gibbons, Michael (Nonpartisan)

COURT OF APPEALS, DEPT. 3
Bulla, Bonnie (Nonpartisan)

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 2
Flores, Edgar (Dem)
No primary although there are several Republicans running.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 8
Loop, Marilyn Dondero (Dem)
No primary. Consistently good on our issues. There is a huge Republican primary but none of those candidates measure up.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 9
Scheible, Melanie (Dem)
No primary. We are concerned with her GOP interactions.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 10
Donate, Fabian (Dem)
Made a name for himself in the last session. Focused on healthcare. Let’s keep him.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 12
Pazina, Julie Ann (Dem)
Lost her last election by 24 votes. This shows how important your vote can be.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 20
Foutz, Brent (Dem)
Not a lot of info on Foutz but he’s needed to caucus with the Dems, just to help keep the majority.
Stone, Jeff (Rep)
No primary but Stone wants to save NV from the “radical left,” so that probably means he’s bat-sh*t crazy.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 21
Ohrenschall, James (Dem)
Supporters don’t get any stronger than him.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 1
Monroe-Moreno, Daniele (Dem)
No primary but great candidate.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 2
Christenson, Nick (Dem)
No primary but great candidate.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 3
Torres, Selena Elizabeth (Dem)
Great candidate but most likely no primary contest as the other Dem just apologized for robbing a bank.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 4
Burns, Darby Lee, (Lib)
He’s all about “decentralizing” so we assume he would disband the legislature, given the chance.
McArthur, Richard (Rep)
This isn’t an endorsement, but he seems like the best choice even though he’s not good on our issues.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 5
Miller, Brittney (Dem)
No primary but a great candidate.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 6
Summers-Armstrong, Shondra (Dem)
The incumbent and doing a great job.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 7
Miller, Cameron Homer “C.H.” (Dem)
The incumbent and doing a great job.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 8
Nguyen, Duy (Dem)
No primary and a great candidate.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 9
Yeager, Steve (Dem)
No primary. Great incumbent.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 10
Nguyen, Rochelle (Dem)
No primary. Great incumbent.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 11
Duran, Beatrice “Bea (Dem)
No primary. Great incumbent.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 12
Carter, II, Max E (Dem)
Endorsed by CCEA and at least six major unions and has the nod from the NV Assembly Democratic Caucus. This is the guy we want.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 13
Andrews, Daniel (Dem)
Another great choice. CCSD teacher for young felons in the NV prison system, argues for fair-share taxes from mining and casinos, supports better transition of incarcerated returning to society which should reduce recidivism, pushes alternative energy and is pro-choice. Dual endorsement, you choose.
Rucker, Will (Dem)
We like this guy. Dual endorsement, you choose.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 14
Fennell, II, James M (Dem)
Hits all the right buttons.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 15
Watts, Howard (Dem)
The incumbent and fantastic on our issues. Plus, he’s a great guy!

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 16
Short, Chuck (Dem)
Retired county employee with strong support.
González, Cecelia (Dem)
We usually support the incumbent but she’s not a real standout. We’re going with Chuck Short.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 17
Thomas, Clara “Claire (Dem)
100% on our issues.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 18
Considine, Venicia” (Dem)
No primary. Awesome woman.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 19
Yurek, Thaddeus “Toby (Rep)
Joined Henderson Police after graduating college with a degree in church growth. Obtained his Masters in criminal justice, followed by a law degree from UNLV Boyd School of Law. Co-counsel for IPOF (police union), has served as Judge Pro Tempore for Henderson Municipal Court. Talks about “national trend to defund police,” wants to undo reforms by majority party and reclaim the governor’s emergency powers and “return rightful power to Nevada’s people.” Most police groups have endorsed. Some of these items are negatives but he’s better than the other Republicans. No Dems running in this race.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 20
Orentlicher, David (Dem)
Smart, has multiple doctorate degrees.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 21
Marzola, Elaine (Dem)
Incumbent and no primary.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 22
Ramos, Rick (Dem)

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 23
Brickfield, Elizabeth, (Dem)
No primary but an amazing and remarkable attorney and socially conscious!

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 24
Sarah Peters (Dem)
100% on our issues.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 28
Rivera, Cindi L, (Dem)
Educator, mother, first generation Latina. UCSB BA in Law & Society, with BA in Spanish. Master’s in counseling from U of Arkansas, master’s in Education from UNLV, is Vice-Principal at an elementary school. Issues are education, fair wages (including family leave and sick day policies) and affordable housing.
D’Silva, Reuben, (Dem)
Some good points, mentions LGBTQ positively, but moved to run in this race, has changed parties in past.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 29
Cohen, Lesley Elizabeth, (Dem)
Incumbent and perfect for the job.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 30
Natha Anderson (Dem)

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 34
Bilbray-Axelrod, Shannon (Dem)
Incumbent and great on our issues.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 35
Gorelow, Michelle, (Dem)
Incumbent and let’s keep her.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 37
Backus, Shea, (Dem)
No primary but great our issues.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 41
Jauregui, Sandra, (Dem)
No primary and a strong supporter of our issues.

STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 42
Brown-May, Tracy, (Dem)
Appointed but hit the ground running. She helped kill minimum wage for disabled workers, so maybe Sayed Zaidi?

COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT E
Segerblom, “Tick”, (Dem)
Incumbent. Good on our issues and that’ll never go up in smoke.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT F
Jones, Justin, (Dem)
Incumbent. No primary. Right on all our issues, all the time.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT G
Gibson, Jim, (Dem)
Incumbent. No primary.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Fumo, Osvaldo “Ozzie, (Dem)
Marches to a tune you can’t hear. Definitely progressive.
Wolfson, Steve, (Dem)
He’ll get elected and there’s little you can do about it.

COUNTY ASSESSOR
Johnson, Briana, (Dem)
Incumbent, no primary.

COUNTY CLERK
Goya, Lynn Marie, (Dem)
No primary but we like her.

COUNTY RECORDER
Conway, Debbie, (Dem)
Incumbent and doing a great job.

COUNTY TREASURER
Diaz, J. Ken, (Dem)
Experienced and trustworthy. Currently is #2 in command at this office. We’ve known and liked him for years.
Child, Kevin L (Rep)
Can’t be trusted with candy around children or with the County finances.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR
Reid, Rita Pate (Dem)
This is an office where the wrong person literally has a license to steal. Reid is the best choice. (And yes, we admit we chose poorly in the primary and this is an update. The incumbent went “Bob Beers” on us and apparently murdered Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun.)

REGENT STATE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT 6
Catarata, Karl, (Nonpartisan)
Active in many community organizations, including HRC. Emphasis on education affordability.

REGENT STATE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT 7
Hieu Le
Best choice for the position.
Nagy, Aury
Could be a good pick.

REGENT STATE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT 13
Moran, John, (Nonpartisan)
Incumbent. The Regents sacked their chancellor at a cost of $610,000. Moran was on the right side of this controversy. Let’s keep him.

DISTRICT COURT JUDGE DEPARTMENT 11
Roohani, Ellie, (Nonpartisan)
Very progressive and just appointed. We should retain her.

CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The committee was unable to come to a consensus on these three races and therefore there are no endorsements.

CLARK COUNTY SHERIFF
Roberts, Tom,
This is a non-partisan position. When Tom Roberts was in the legislature, he did support some LGBTQ legislation and he’s an anti-tRump Republican. We think he’s the best fit for the job.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 3
Letizia, Harmony (Nonpartisan)

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 4
Saragosa, Melissa A, (Nonpartisan)

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 6
Massey, Augusta, (Nonpartisan)
All day, every day! Augusta Massey has our vote and will bring further diversity to the bench!
Gonzalez, Bill (Nonpartisan)
No, NO, NO!

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 7
Berkley, Max, (Nonpartisan)
All day, every day! Worked in the Clark County Public Defender’s Office. He will be great on the bench and sympathetic to those with financial issues and poverty matters. His mom was our favorite Congresswoman!
Wilson, Amy, (Nonpartisan)
Former LDS with emphasis on “former.” Represented kids in foster care, pro-bono. We like her but we’re going with Max Berkley.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 9
Bonaventure, Joe, (Nonpartisan)
Incumbent, fair and even on his rulings. (Don’t confuse him with the disgraced John Bonaventura.)
Chio, Danielle “Pieper, (Nonpartisan)
She’s a great person, we like her but the incumbent has done a good job, so we’ll stick with Joe Banaventure.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 10
Dotson, Cybil, (Nonpartisan)
This is the best choice.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 13
Saxe, Rebecca, (Nonpartisan)
She is a Clark County Public Defender and will work hard!

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 14
Chelini, Amy “JoAnne, (Nonpartisan)

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TWNSH DEPARTMENT 16
Wood, Nadia, (Nonpartisan)
Nadia Wood, for sure! Public Defender and smart. Will be good on the bench.

HENDERSON MAYOR
Michelle Romero
Has experience on the city council.

HENDERSON COUNCILPERSON, WARD III
Jodi Tyson
Great candidate, good voice for Henderson. Daughter is family.

HENDERSON MUNICIPAL COURT, DEPT. 2
Jeremy Cooley
Appointed unanimously in 2021 to fill a vacancy. Ran Henderson’s drug court. We see no reason not to keep him.

CONSTABLE HENDERSON TOWNSHIP
Taylor, Kenny, (Nonpartisan)

LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL, WARD 4
Francis Allen-Palenske
A decent person and the best choice. This is an even more important race, now that the incumbent, Bob Beers, is attacking her for being endorsed by the “homosexual lobby.”

LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL, WARD 6
Nancy Brune
Great person, Latina, has her PhD., ran the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities.

LAS VEGAS MUNICIPAL JUDGE, DEPT. 1
Bert Brown

LAS VEGAS MUNICIPAL JUDGE, DEPT. 4
Cynthia Leung

LAS VEGAS MUNICIPAL JUDGE, DEPT. 6
Angela Dows
Both candidates seem good, but Angela Dows has been a defense attorney and judge pro tempore so she has experience and knows how to look out for defendants.
Kelly Giordani
Sounds good but works in the City Prosecutor’s office. We generally prefer defense or public defender credentials for elected judges.

NORTH LAS VEGAS MAYOR
Pat Spearman
State Senator, knows how to fight, understands our issues (she’s one of us), thoughtful but doesn’t delay. This City Council needs a leader and she’s the one for the job. Passed the bill to add transgender as a protected class. She also fought for legislation to upgrade discharges for LGBTQ service members. She helped change the game for LGBTQ foster parents and helped ban conversion therapy.

NORTH LAS VEGAS MUNCIPAL COURT DEPT. 1
Jonathan MacArthur
Has defended some people we don’t like. Everyone is entitled to a defense and someone has to do it. Jonathan is the best choice for this position.

NORTH LAS VEGAS MUNCIPAL COURT DEPT. 1
Courtney Ketter
Defense attorney and former City of Las Vegas prosecutor. Fully qualified. His opponent in this race sent out what can only be described as a racially motivated, “dog-whistle” mailer and lost any support we might have given him.

NORTH LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL WARD 1
Lance Robert Eliason (No Party)

NORTH LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL WARD 3
Scott Black

CONSTABLE NORTH LAS VEGAS TOWNSHIP
Lopez, Jr., Delgado M, (Nonpartisan)
Strong supporter of our community

BOULDER CITY MAYOR
Kierman McManus
Incumbent and he cleaned up lots of messes the former administrations left behind. Has not been brought up on any ethics violations, which is more than you can say for the former officials.

BOULDER CITY COUNCIL
James Howard Adams
Incumbent, youngest of the bunch, has a great grasp of the complexities and nuisances of Boulder City. Strongly endorsed!

CONSTABLE GOODSPRINGS TOWNSHIP
Rogers, Gary P
Incumbent, has done a good job and straightened out some accounting issues the office had during his first year. Has served 12 years.

LAUGHLIN TOWN ADVISORY BOARD (Vote for 4)
Walker, Pamela, (Nonpartisan)

Hoss, Kathleen, (Nonpartisan)

Walker, Herm, (Nonpartisan)

Ochs, Kathy, (Nonpartisan)

Egan, Lola, (Nonpartisan)

CONSTABLE MESQUITE TOWNSHIP
Thurston, Duane L, (Nonpartisan)

CONSTABLE LAUGHLIN TOWNSHIP
Ross, Jordan, (Nonpartisan)

CONSTABLE SEARCHLIGHT
Kyle Myers

WHERE DO THESE ENDORSEMENTS COME FROM??

Since the mid-1996 a group of progressive and civic-minded individuals, has gathered to endorse candidates for various offices up for election. This endeavor started at the Las Vegas Bugle, followed by the Las Vegas Night Beat and now continues with this publication, the Las Vegas Spectrum.

These endorsements are available here and as in the past, at https://NevadaImpact.com

Elsewhere in the Spectrum, you’ll find information about  voting during our current COVID-19 pandemic. Each registered voter should receive a ballot in the mail. Ballots will be mailed out to actively  registered voters. If in doubt, if not registered or if you have changed your address since you last voted or just want to verify that you’re registered, the easiest way is to follow the instructions at http://vote.org
Voters can also go directly to the Clark County (NV) Election Department by clicking HERE.

Why we do this:

This list of endorsements is published to help the LGBTQIA+ and Progressive community be better informed about candidates. Our panel considers not only the best interest of the LGBTQIA+ community but also the world in which we live. We believe in LGBTQIA+ equality, women’s rights, a living wage and affordable education and healthcare. In a word, we are progressive.
We have considered and made recommendations for nearly every race in Southern Nevada, with the exception of a few rural areas.
While we hope you will do your own research, we also understand elections are complex and confusing at times. There are nearly 60 judicial races alone. We hope our suggestions are helpful.
We urge you to vote in every race and remind you that legislators (Assembly and Senate) will affect all elections at every level. The Nevada Legislature makes statewide decisions, including redistricting. If we elect the wrong legislators, we end up with gerrymandering which unfairly allows a minority to make decisions for the majority.
A personal note from Rob Schlegel: I edit this list. The decisions and most of the comments are made by our committee. While I stand by the committee’s decisions, these endorsements are made by people I trust but individuals who are  far more knowledgeable that I’ll ever be. I thank them for their tireless work.