One seat could determine Democratic supermajority in Nevada


Elections for 10 of the 21 seats in the Nevada Senate will take place on November 5, 2024. The Nevada Senate is one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Nevada Current’s April Corbin Girnus wrote, “Democrats already have a supermajority in the Assembly. If Democrats can maintain that and flip a Senate seat, they will have enough votes to override any veto by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.” Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) says the prospect of a Democratic supermajority is “a huge concern and so much of a concern that I’ve been proactive in identifying candidates and supporting current candidates on the Republican side of the aisle.”

Lombardo vetoed a state record of 75 bills during the 2023 legislative session. Democrats are campaigning against Lombardo’s vetoes, and say he vetoed legislation that voters supported. Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D) said the legislative elections offered a choice between Democrats who he said “are actually trying to solve problems and make life better for Nevadans, or Republicans, who offer nothing but complaints with no real solutions to any of the challenges facing Nevadans.” Assemblyman Gregory Hafen (R) has been critical of the prospect of a super majority saying “It makes me very nervous to have one party control because the Nevada Constitution requires a two-thirds majority to implement any new tax. So not only is the Governor’s veto at stake here, but we’re talking about any tax that could be passed with just one party control.”

Nevada is one of 10 states that has a divided government. Republican Joe Lombardo (R) is governor while Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the Nevada Legislature. Democrats hold 13 seats and Republicans hold 7, with one vacancy in a seat previously held by a Republican.

Ballotpedia identified 5 Senate battleground districts. Democrats represent two of these districts, while Republicans represent two districts and one is an open seat a Republican vacated. Click here to read more about the battleground elections.

Nevada is one of two states where one party has the potential to gain a veto-proof supermajority with a governor from another party after the 2024 elections. The other state is Wisconsin. To read more about Ballotpedia’s coverage of veto-proof legislatures and opposing party governors, click here.