The 2016 United States Senate election in Nevada was held November 8, 2016 to elect a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to represent the State of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, concurrently with the

2016 U.S. presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...

, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and various

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. The state primary election was held June 14, 2016. Incumbent Democratic Senator

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...

, the

Senate Minority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

and former

Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

, initially said he would seek re-election to a sixth term, but announced on March 26, 2015, that he would retire instead. Former Democratic State Attorney General

Catherine Cortez Masto Catherine Marie Cortez Masto (born March 29, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Nevada, a seat she has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Cortez Masto served as the 32nd ...

defeated Republican U.S. Representative

Joe Heck Joseph John Heck (born October 30, 1961) is an American physician and politician who served as the United States representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2017. Heck is a United States Army major general and a board-cer ...

in the general election on November 8, 2016. Heck won sixteen of the state's seventeen

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

; however, since Cortez Masto won Clark County, which comprises nearly three-quarters of the state's population, she defeated Heck statewide by almost 27,000 votes, and became the first female and first Latina Senator in Nevada's history. As of 2022, this would be the last time Washoe County voted for a Republican Senate candidate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

, former Nevada Attorney General * Bobby Mahendra * Liddo Susan O'Briant, instructional assistant * Allen Rheinhart,

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

activist and candidate for governor in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Withdrew

, incumbent U.S. Senator

Declined

* Shelley Berkley, former U.S. Representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2012 *

Lucy Flores Lucy Flores (born October 24, 1979) is an American lawyer and former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a member of the Nevada State Assembly representing the 28th district in the eastern Las Vegas Valley from 2010 to 2014. S ...

, former state assemblywoman and nominee for lieutenant governor in

(lost primary for NV-04) * Steven Horsford, former U.S. Representative *

John Lee John Lee may refer to: Academia * John Lee (astronomer) (1783–1866), president of the Royal Astronomical Society * John Lee (university principal) (1779–1859), University of Edinburgh principal * John Lee (pathologist) (born 1961), English ...

, Mayor of North Las Vegas, former state senator and candidate for NV-04 in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

* Kate Marshall, former state treasurer of Nevada, nominee for

Nevada's 2nd congressional district Nevada's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district that includes the northern third of the state. It includes most of Lyon County, all of Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Pershing, Storey, and Washoe counties ...

in 2011 and nominee for

Secretary of State of Nevada The Secretary of State of Nevada is a statewide elected office in the State of Nevada. The secretary of state post is common to many U.S. states. In Nevada, it is a constitutional office (i.e., it is mandated by the Constitution of Nevada). Th ...

* Ross Miller, former

secretary of state of Nevada The Secretary of State of Nevada is a statewide elected office in the State of Nevada. The secretary of state post is common to many U.S. states. In Nevada, it is a constitutional office (i.e., it is mandated by the Constitution of Nevada). Th ...

and nominee for Nevada Attorney General in

* Rory Reid, former Clark County Commissioner, nominee for governor in 2010 and son of U.S. Senator Harry Reid *

Steve Sisolak Stephen F. Sisolak (born December 26, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 30th governor of Nevada since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Clark County Commission from 2009 to 2019 and on ...

, chairman of the

Clark County Commission The Clark County Commission is the governmental organization that governs and runs Clark County, Nevada, providing services to the unincorporated areas. Its offices are located at the Clark County Government Center in Downtown Las Vegas. The comm ...

* Dina Titus, U.S. Representative and nominee for

Governor of Nevada A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

in 2006 (running for re-election)

Democratic endorsements

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

* Sharron Angle, former state assemblywoman, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and candidate for NV-02 in 2006 * D'Nese Davis, artist and teacher * Eddie Hamilton, retired auto executive and perennial candidate *

, U.S. Representative * Thomas "Sad Tom" Heck, retired air force officer * Robert Leeds, author, retired Merchant Marine and perennial candidate * Carlo "Mazunga" Poliak, retired sanitation worker and perennial candidate * Juston Preble, sales consultant * Bill Tarbell, retired minister and candidate for governor in

Withdrawn

* Bob Beers, Las Vegas City Councilman, former state senator and candidate for governor in 2006

Declined

Mark Amodei Mark Eugene Amodei ( ; born June 12, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district since 2011. The only Republican in Nevada's congressional delegation since 2019, Amodei ...

, U.S. Representative (running for re-election) *

Greg Brower Gregory Allen Brower (born February 8, 1964) is an American attorney in private practice, former state senator in the Nevada Senate, former United States Attorney in the state of Nevada and a former member of the Nevada Assembly. He is a member o ...

, state senator and former

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the District of Nevada * Barbara Cegavske,

, former state senator and candidate for NV-04 in

Heidi Gansert Heidi Seevers Gansert (born 1963) is an American politician, businessperson, and engineer from the state of Nevada serving in the Nevada Senate, representing the 15th district since 2016. She served in the Nevada Assembly from 2004 through 201 ...

, former state assemblywoman and former chief of staff to Governor Brian Sandoval *

Cresent Hardy Cresent Leo Hardy (born June 23, 1957) is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for from 2015 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Nevada Assembly from 2010 to 2014. Har ...

, U.S. Representative (lost re-election to NV-04) * Steve Hill, executive director of the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development *

Mark Hutchison Mark Alan Hutchison (born May 5, 1963) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 2015 to 2019. He was elected to the Nevada State Senate on November 6, 2012, to represent Senate District 6, ...

Lieutenant Governor of Nevada The lieutenant governor of Nevada is a constitutional officer in the executive branch, executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Nevada. The lieutenant governor maintains an office in Carson City, Nevada at the Nevada State Capitol and i ...

and former state senator *

Ron Knecht Ronald Lee Knecht (born May 4, 1949) is an American attorney, businessman and politician. He is a member of the Republican Party. Knecht ran for State Controller of Nevada in the 2014 election and defeated Democrat Andrew Martin. He lost r ...

Nevada State Controller The Nevada State Controller is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Nevada. Twenty-two individuals have held the office of State Controller since statehood. The incumbent is Andy Matthews, a Republica ...

, former

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12 ...

and former state assemblyman *

Brian Krolicki Brian K. Krolicki (born December 31, 1960) is an American businessman and politician. He was the 33rd Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, from 2007 to 2015. As the Lieutenant Governor, he presided over the Nevada State Senate, chaired the Commission ...

, former

lieutenant governor of Nevada The lieutenant governor of Nevada is a constitutional officer in the executive branch, executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Nevada. The lieutenant governor maintains an office in Carson City, Nevada at the Nevada State Capitol and i ...

* Adam Laxalt, Nevada Attorney General * Michael Roberson, Majority Leader of the

Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the pr ...

( running for NV-03) *

Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root (born July 20, 1961) is an American conservative television and radio host, author, activist, conservative political commentator and conspiracy theorist. He is the host of two new television shows, daily at 7 PM ET on Lindell TV ...

, former member of the

Libertarian National Committee The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national ...

and

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

nominee for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Brian Sandoval Brian Edward Sandoval (; born August 5, 1963) is an American politician, academic administrator, and former federal judge who served as the 29th Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Sandoval began ...

Dan Schwartz Daniel Mark Schwartz (born July 28, 1950) is an American businessman who served as Nevada State Treasurer from January 2015 to January 2019. An international businessman, attorney and Republican, Schwartz defeated his Democratic opponent, for ...

, state treasurer and candidate for NV-04 in

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Independent American primary

Candidates

Declared

* Tom Jones, retired businessman and perennial candidate

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declined

* Dennis Hof, owner of the

Moonlite Bunny Ranch The Moonlite BunnyRanch is a legal, licensed brothel in Mound House, Nevada, United States, east of Carson City. First opened in 1955, it came to national attention under Dennis Hof, who owned the brothel from 1992 until his death in 2018. Hist ...

(running for the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

)

Independents

Candidates

Declared

* Tony Gumina, physician and businessman * Tom Sawyer, retired railroad worker * G.A. Villa (not on final ballot) * Jarrod M. Williams, veteran

General election

Debates

Predictions

Polling

;with Harry Reid ;with Dina Titus ;with Catherine Cortez Masto

Results

Cortez Masto won her bid to succeed

47.10-44.67, or by 2.43%, running 0.01% better than

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

By county

Notes

;Partisan clients

References

External links

;Official campaign websites (Archived)
Catherine Cortez Masto (D) for Senate

Joe Heck (R) for Senate

Tom Jones (IA) for Senate
{{2016 United States elections

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...