Nevada is a key state to watch in the 2024 election. Although it has the fewest electoral votes of the seven battleground states, its results could potentially tip the balance of the presidential race.
Nevada has six electoral votes.
What to know about Nevada
Nevada, with an economy largely based around tourism and hospitality surrounding Las Vegas, is home to a significant working class population. Both Trump and Harris announced no-tax-on-tips policies in Nevada earlier this year, underscoring the dominance of service industry workers in the Silver State.
Although a Republican presidential candidate hasn't won Nevada since 2004, Democrats' margin of victory has decreased in recent years. The Silver State's economy, dependent on the hospitality industry, was among the most impacted by pandemic closures in 2020, leading to a much slower recovery than in other states, and spurring frustration with Democrat-led policies.
In 2022, Republicans flipped the governor's mansion, and the state was home to the closest Senate race in the country, suggesting that in 2024, it could be seriously in play for Republicans even at the presidential level. But Nevada, a state with high population turnover, has historically posed polling difficulties. And the largest voting bloc — more than 30% of voters — are registered as nonpartisan in 2024.
How Nevada voted in 2016 and 2020
All but two counties backed Trump in the last election — but those two Democrat-voting counties, home to Las Vegas and Reno, make up the bulk of the state's population. President Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election by more than 33,000 votes, and Hillary Clinton won the state in 2016, besting Trump by just over 27,000 votes.
Major issues in Nevada
- Economy: Economic issues like inflation and housing prices, issues that are salient nationally, are particularly relevant for Nevadans, with a Las Vegas-centered economy that's heavily reliant on tourism and hospitality, and the job market still feeling the impacts of the COVID pandemic.
- Abortion rights: The issue has galvanized voters nationwide since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, and it's on the ballot this year in Nevada. The measure would enshrine abortion as an individual right in the state constitution, and if passed, would also appear on the ballot in 2026, since constitutional amendments have to be approved twice by voters in the state.
Major races in Nevada
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican Sam Brown are facing off in a key Senate race in Nevada as Democrats fight to hold onto control of the chamber. Brown, a 40-year-old businessman and former Army captain who lost the 2022 Republican Senate primary, is aiming to unseat Rosen in her first reelection bid and deliver the GOP its first Senate seat win in the Silver State since 2012.
What time do polls close in Nevada?
Polls close in Nevada at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET).