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FACT BRIEF

Do Nevada Democrats typically lose 15 of the state’s 17 counties in elections?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

State politics in Nevada reflect the national trend of Democrats winning the urban vote and losing the rural vote.

Nevada’s two most populous counties are Clark County in the southernmost part of the state and Washoe County in the northwest, which have populations of about 2.3 million and 486,000, respectively. Together, they make up almost 89% of Nevada’s population, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

In the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats won the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial votes by significant margins in Clark County, and more modest margins in Washoe County. In contrast, Democrats only received about a third of the rural vote in both races.

Maps of previous election results from 2020, 2018 and 2016 show similar outcomes, with Washoe and Clark counties in blue bookending Nevada’s 15 remaining red counties.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Brookings Blue metros, red state politics in the 2022 Nevada midterm elections
US Census Nevada: 2020 Census
Politico Nevada presidential results: 2020
Politico Nevada presidential results: 2018
Politico Nevada presidential results: 2016
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.