Skip to content

Friday, Dec. 16, 2022

Was Steve Sisolak Nevada’s first Democratic governor in 20 years?


yes

Before Steve Sisolak was elected governor of Nevada in 2018, the last time the state elected a Democratic governor was Gov. Bob Miller in 1996. Between Miller and Sisolak, Republicans Kenny Guinn, Jim Gibbons and Brian Sandoval held the office.

Nevada has a history of partisan balance among its governors. With the 2022 election of Republican Joe Lombardo, the state’s last 18 governors have been evenly split between the two parties.

Among the 28 incumbent governors nationally who sought re-election in 2022, Sisolak was the only one to lose his race.

Nevada’s governor serves a four-year term and is limited to two terms. A candidate must be at least 25 years old, a registered elector, and a citizen of the state for at least two years. 

See a full discussion of this at The Nevada Independent

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

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.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.