Incumbent Cisco Aguilar (D) defeated Jim Marchant (R), Brad Barnhill (Independent American Party), and John T. Kennedy (L) in the general election for Nevada Secretary of State on November 3, 2026.
The election was a rematch. In 2022, Aguilar defeated Marchant 48.9%–46.7%. That year, Joe Lombardo (R) won the gubernatorial election 48.8%–47.3% and Catherine Cortez Masto (D) won the senatorial election 48.8%–48.0%. In 2024, President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) 50.6%–47.5% in the presidential election and Jacky Rosen (D) won the senatorial election 47.9%–46.2%. As of 2026, the most recent Republican elected to the office was Barbara Cegavske (R) in 2018.
Aguilar was an attorney and the founder of the sports technology company Blueprint Sports & Entertainment. Aguilar's campaign website said, "The business filing system is making it easier than ever to do business in Nevada, and the statewide voter registration system, implemented in record time, increases security and streamlines the voter experience. Thanks to dedicated efforts to expand access to the ballot box, tribal voting turnout increased by 34% during the 2024 election."
Marchant was a retired businessman who worked in telecommunications. He served in the Nevada Assembly from 2016 to 2018 and ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2024, Nevada Secretary of State in 2022, and U.S. House in 2020. The Associated Press' Jessica Hill wrote, "Marchant has long questioned Nevada’s voting security. He claimed both he and Trump were victims of election fraud in 2020 when Marchant lost his bid for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District." Marchant's campaign website said, "Nevada deserves elections that are secure. Nevada deserves a government that works. Nevada deserves to be the best state in America to do business. I’m running for Secretary of State of Nevada to make that happen."
This election, along with the elections for governor and attorney general, determined Nevada's triplex status. Heading into the 2026 election, neither party had a triplex in Nevada. The governor was a Republican, while the attorney general and secretary of state were Democrats.
Nevada held elections for all three triplex offices in 2026. Because Democrats won all three elections, they gained a triplex in Nevada. If Republicans had won at least one of the three, Democrats would not have gained a triplex. If Republicans had won all three, they would have gained a triplex.
The Nevada Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing the state's elections, maintaining official records for the legislative and executive branches of state government, and maintaining records of businesses registered in Nevada. This was one of 26 secretary of state elections that took place in 2026. Thirty-five of 50 states hold elections for secretary of state.