Dark Money and Super PACs Dominate Nevada’s Battleground Elections
In the 2024 election cycle, Political Action Committees (PACs), super PACs, and dark money groups spent around $210 million in Nevada, nearly double the amount spent in the 2020 election. This surge in funds targeted the high-stakes U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen and Republican challenger Sam Brown, as well as state legislative contests, where Republicans sought to prevent Democrats from achieving a supermajority that could override Governor Joe Lombardo’s (R) vetoes.
In the fiercely contested Senate race, the Democratic WinSenate PAC led all PACs with a commanding $41.5 million in spending, fueling advertisements to bolster support for Sen. Rosen (D). On the Republican side, the National Republican Senatorial Committee invested $10.7 million in anti-Rosen ads, emphasizing economic struggles and border security concerns. The Republican super PAC Senate Leadership Fund added $6 million for late-cycle ads promoting Brown’s (R) veteran credentials. These efforts fell well short against Sen. Rosen’s incumbency and robust financial advantage. The race also saw voter fragmentation due to the presence of the Independent American and Libertarian parties.
In Nevada’s state legislative races, Better Nevada and Nevada Way PACs invested $190,000 in Republican candidates. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity Action spent $6.2 million on anti-regulation ads promoting economic freedom and energy independence, targeting suburban independents in competitive legislative districts. These efforts helped prevent Democrats from gaining a veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature, despite Democrats’ 3:1 spending advantage, which was driven by $15 million in union organization contributions, $3.8 million from legislator-affiliated PACs, and $754,000 from the trial lawyers’ group Citizens for Justice.
Dark money spending in Nevada reached around $60 million in 2024. Approximately $30 million raised for ballot measures came from dark money groups. This included $18 million to support and oppose ranked-choice voting and over $6 million from progressive-democratic party groups such as the Advocacy Action Fund and Tides Foundation for the successful abortion rights initiative.
The flood of hundreds of millions of dollars from PACs will remain a constant feature in Nevada’s politics. This massive spending significantly shaped the state’s 2024 election results and laid the groundwork for the 2025 legislative agenda. With Nevada continuing as a competitive battleground, these outside groups are projected to invest even more resources in the 2026 and 2028 elections, further underscoring the growing influence of undisclosed and independent money in the state’s politics.
