Nevada Senate, District 8

Map of the Las Vegas Valley with District 8 colored blue
Map of District 8

The current District 8 of the Nevada Senate contains over half of Summerlin South, and parts of Las Vegas and Spring Valley. Its inhabitants were represented by Republican Barbara Cegavske between 2012 – when the district was created – and 2014.[1] Independent Patricia Farley is the district's senator since 2014.[2]

History

The 8th District was originally created after the 1990 census. It was originally a north-south district stretching from Spring Valley up towards North-Central Las Vegas. It has shifted westward as the population has grown. The borders of the current eighth senatorial district were drawn during the reapportionment in 2011 after the 2010 Census.[3] The new districts became effective for filing for office, and for nominating and electing senators on January 1, 2012. They went into effect for all other purposes on November 7 – the day after Election Day, when most new senator terms started. The area which District 8 occupies is defined in the Nevada Revised Statutes using census tracts, block groups, and blocks.[4] Since the first senatorial elections in the district were held in 2014, Barbara Cegavske represented the district between 2012 and 2014. She had been elected in 2010 to represent the former District 8, which had different borders.[1][5]

District profile and demographics

The surface area of District 8 amounts to 24 square miles (62 km2), and its perimeter is 28.2 miles (45.4 km).[6] The district's area exactly matches that of assembly districts 2 and 5.[7] In 2010, District 8 contained a total of 72,500 registered voters, which was just over 55% of the total population, and close to three quarters of the voting age population. Slightly more of those registered voters were Democrats: 39.5% were registered as Democrats, while 38.5% were registered as Republicans. 17% of the electorate is non-partisan.[8]

The eighth senatorial district had a population of 128,218 according to the 2010 Census. That population was 0.3% below the ideal population for senate districts in Nevada. Just under 70% of the district's population is solely white, which is just above the Nevada average. Nearly 15% of the inhabitants of District 8 are Asian Americans, which is high compared to the rest of Nevada. Furthermore, the district has a relatively low percentage of Hispanics and Latinos (15%). Only two of the twenty other senate districts have a lower percentage of them.[8] Besides, the district's population is older than the Nevada average: just over 50% is 40 years old or older, while that percentage amounts to 45% for all of Nevada. The inhabitants of District 8 are better educated too, which results in a median household income of $65,000, and a poverty rate of 10%. The median household income for all of Nevada is $12,000 less.[9]

Election

2014

Incumbent Barbara Cegavske, a Republican, was not able to seek re-election because of term limits. Instead, she ran successfully for Secretary of State of Nevada.[10] The election for senator of District 8 was between Republican Patricia Farley, Democrat Marilyn Dondero Loop, and Independent American Jon Kamerath. The Las Vegas Review-Journal called the district's seat one of "three critical seats which [would] decide which party [would control] the Senate."[11] By losing all three of those seats, the Democrats would lose their majority in the Senate.[12]

Primaries were held for both major parties. At the Republican side, Clayton Kelly Hurst and Lisa Myers participated besides Farley. Farley, owner of a construction company, had never run for office before, but was endorsed by the Republican Senate Caucus.[11] Hurst had unsuccessfully ran for office before. Both Farley and Myers refused to be interviewed by the media, and instead campaigned using mailers and billboard, and walked door-to-door. Hurst, who called himself fiscally conservative, said he found balancing the budget the most important issue.[10] Farley raised the most money, and won the June 10 primary with over half of the votes.[13] On the Democratic side, Loop was challenged by Garrett LeDuff. Loop, who is a former teacher, and had served three terms as assemblywoman, said she understood the issues, since she had lived in the community for 20 years. LeDuff argued the opposite, and said Loop was "out of touch with the residents."[10] The Las Vegas Review-Journal called LeDuff's opposition only "token".[12] Loop won with over four fifths of the votes.[13]

During the general election campaign, Loop said she supported raising funding for public education in order to – among other things – raise teacher's wages. She had no position on Question 3, which would have implemented a 2% margins tax on business to increase funding for public schools, because she argued it would hurt small businesses.[14] Farley opposed the ballot measure, and said she advocated school choice.[15] Independent American Kamerath, a licensed practical nurse, opposed Question 3 as well.[16] Loop outraised Farley, having raised almost $340,000 in October. Farley raised about $285,000.[17] According to two polls – both conducted in late September – Farley would get a majority. Republican pollster The Tarrance Group said Farley would get 43% of the votes, while Loop would get 36%. According to a poll by Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research those percentages would be 46% and 44% respectively.[18] The polls predicted the winner right: Farley received 57% of the votes on November 4, while Loop got 39% of them.[2] The GOP gained control over the Nevada Senate because of Farley's win.[19]

Nevada elections, 2014: Senate District 8[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Patricia Farley 16,205 57.0
Democratic Marilyn Dondero Loop 11,092 39.0
Independent American Jon Kamerath 1,119 3.9
Turnout 28,416
Republican primary, 2014: Senate District 8[13]
Candidate Votes % ±
✓ Patricia Farley 2,814 52.0 –
Clayton Kelly Hurst 2,054 38.0 –
Lisa Myers 543 10.0 –
Turnout 5,411 –
Democratic primary, 2014: Senate District 8[13]
Candidate Votes % ±
✓ Marilyn Dondero Loop 2,844 83.0 –
Garrett LeDuff 582 17.0 –
Turnout 3,426 –

References

  1. 1 2 "Nevada State Senate". Nevada Secretary of State. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Nevada State Senate". Nevada Secretary of State. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "Final District Plans: Congressional, Legislative, and Board of Regents". Nevada Legislature. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  4. ↑ "CHAPTER 218B - LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Nevada State Senate Clark County Senatorial District 8" (JPG). Nevada Legislature. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Nevada State Senate - 2011 Districts: State of Nevada Area Analysis Report" (PDF). Nevada Legislature. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "Who's My Legislator / What's My District". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Nevada State Senate - 2011 Districts: State of Nevada Population Report" (PDF). Nevada Legislature. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  9. ↑ Research Division of the Legislative Counsel Bureau (May 2015). "Demographic Profile of Nevada Senate District No. 8 of the 78th Session (2015)" (PDF). Nevada Legislature. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 Morrison, Jane Ann (25 May 2014). "Three Republicans, two Democrats want Cegavske's seat in District 8". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  11. 1 2 Morrison, Jane Ann (10 June 2014). "Early voting appears to boost GOP Senate takeover plans". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  12. 1 2 Myers, Laura (8 June 2014). "It's been a slow primary season, but there's still much at stake". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "State Senate". Nevada Secretary of State. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  14. ↑ Myers, Laura (18 September 2014). "Nevada Senate candidate favors teacher pay raises". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "EDITORIAL: For state Senate". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  16. ↑ Kamerath, Jon. "Jon Kamerath". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  17. ↑ Whaley, Sean (22 October 2014). "2 GOP Senate candidates outraised, still could win". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  18. ↑ Myers, Laura (8 October 2014). "Polls show GOP running strong in key state Senate races". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  19. ↑ Whaley, Sean (4 November 2014). "GOP takes control of Nevada Legislature". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  • "Map of District 8" (PDF).
  • "Larger map of District 8" (PDF).

Coordinates: 36°09′N 115°18′W / 36.15°N 115.30°W / 36.15; -115.30

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