By Associated Press - Tuesday, June 12, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Latest on Nevada’s primary election (all times local):

11:35 p.m.

The owner of half a dozen legal brothels in Nevada has ousted a Republican state lawmaker running for re-election.

Pimp Dennis Hof defeated incumbent Assembly member James Oscarson and a third candidate in a GOP primary race Tuesday for a southern Nevada Assembly seat.

Hof starred in the HBO adult reality series “Cathouse” and is the owner of half a dozen legal brothels that are threatened under proposals to ban such businesses in two of the state’s seven counties where they’re legally operating.

Hof has said the effort is a political attack.

In the sprawling 2nd Congressional District, Clinton Koble defeated five other challengers in the Democratic primary.

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10:55 p.m.

The owner of half a dozen legal brothels in Nevada has a slim lead with about two-thirds of the votes counted in a Republican race for a legislative seat.

Brothel owner Dennis Hof, incumbent Assembly member James Oscarson and a third candidate are vying for a southern Nevada Assembly seat.

Hof starred in the HBO adult reality series “Cathouse.” His legal brothels are threatened under proposals to ban such businesses in two of the state’s seven counties where they are legally operating.

Hof has said the effort is a political attack.

Oscarson, a hospital executive, and Hof previously faced off in 2016 when Hof ran for the seat as a Libertarian. Oscarson won with 60 percent of the vote.

The winner will face Democrat Lesia Romanov in November.

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10:30 p.m.

The sheriff heading the local investigation of the Las Vegas Strip shooting that killed 58 people and injured hundreds has won a second term heading the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo easily topped the second-place finisher, former North Las Vegas police Lt. Tim Bedwell, in Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary.

Lombardo won outright by drawing more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff in November.

Lombardo and Bedwell were trailed by Clark County School District Police union chief Matt Caldwell, former Las Vegas police detective Gordon Martines and Gregory Heiny.

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9:55 p.m.

A state election official and a member of The Associated Press election tabulation team say an unspecified technical issue delayed the count of votes for more than two hours in a rural northern Nevada county.

The vote tally glitch in Pershing County came late Tuesday, hours after election officials reported “isolated’ early problems with some of the state’s new touch-screen voting machines in Washoe and Clark counties, including the Reno and Las Vegas areas.

Nevada Secretary of State’s office spokeswoman Jennifer Russell says officials know of no cases where voters were unable to successfully cast ballots.

Russell and AP election team member Alicia Craig in Lovelock say Pershing County votes began downloading for counting about 9:30 p.m.

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9:45 p.m.

Voters picked two candidates for a November runoff to replace one retiring Nevada Supreme Court justice.

Clark County District Court Judge Elissa Cadish and State Court of Appeals Judge Jerry Tao were the top vote-getters Tuesday among five candidates seeking to succeed retiring Justice Michael Cherry.

They topped Carson City attorney John Rutledge, Lyon County District Judge Leon Aberasturi and Las Vegas lawyer Alan Lefebvre.

The November ballot also will offer a choice between current Justice Lidia Stiglich and Clark County Family Court Judge Mathew Harter. They did not face a primary because they were the only two candidates to seek the seat.

Nevada Court of Appeals Judge Abbi Silver will replace retiring Justice Michael Douglas on the seven-member state high court in January, after she drew no primary challenger.

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9:35 p.m.

Danny Tarkanian has won the Republican primary for Nevada’s 3rd District congressional seat left open by the incumbent Democrat who’s running against GOP Sen. Dean Heller in November.

The son of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian will face Las Vegas Democrat Susie Lee in the high stakes battle that is expected to be the most expensive congressional race in Nevada this fall.

Lee clinched the Democratic nomination Tuesday. Both candidates raised well over $1 million in their primary campaigns.

Tarkanian didn’t enter the House race until March when President Donald Trump and others persuaded him to abandon an aggressive bid to knock off Heller in the Senate primary.

The incumbent congresswoman, Jacky Rosen, won the Democratic Senate nomination Tuesday for the right to challenge Heller in November.

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9:17 p.m.

Steve Sisolak (SIHS’-oh-lahk), a Nevada politician backed by former Sen. Harry Reid, has won a contentious Democratic primary for Nevada governor.

Sisolak, chairman of the Clark County Commission, bested his commission colleague Christina Giunchigliani and four other candidates on Tuesday.

Sisolak outraised and outspent Giunchigliani in the race and earned backing from former Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid.

He’s expected to face Republican state Treasurer Adam Laxalt in the November election.

Sisolak has spent a decade on the governing body for Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas Strip and about two-thirds of the state’s residents.

Nevada hasn’t had a Democratic governor in two decades. Moderate Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval is leaving the office because he is term-limited.

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9:05 p.m.

A former Republican state senator and Las Vegas City Council member will face a Democratic businessman in November for Nevada state treasurer.

Bob Beers defeated Henderson certified financial planner Derek Uehara in primary voting Tuesday.

Beers will face Las Vegas businessman Zach Conine in the race to replace outgoing GOP Treasurer Dan Schwartz, who lost a primary bid for governor.

Conine was an executive at the Golden Nugget casino-hotel in Las Vegas and an investment analyst before co-founding the business consulting firm Joseph Beare & Co.

Beers cites a background as a certified public accountant. He served in the state Senate from 1999 to 2008, lost primary bid for governor in 2006 and was elected to the city council in 2012. He lost a re-election bid in 2017.

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8:50 p.m.

Nevada Republican Cresent Hardy has won the GOP primary for the 4th District congressional seat he held in southern Nevada for one term before Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen (KEE’-hihn) defeated him two years ago.

Kihuen announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election to a second term amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Hardy, a former state legislator, unseated then-Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford in the 2014 general election.

Horsford won the nomination in the Democratic primary Tuesday night, setting up a rematch in November in the swing district that stretches from north of Las Vegas through four rural counties.

Hardy defeated five other lesser-known challengers in the GOP primary.

Horsford, the first African American elected to Congress in Nevada, faced five other opponents in the Democratic primary, including state Sen. Patricia Spearman.

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8:45 p.m.

A Republican former assistant state attorney general will vie against the Democratic state Senate leader for the top state law enforcement position in Nevada in November.

Wes Duncan advanced in the GOP primary for state attorney general with a Tuesday win over Las Vegas lawyer Craig Mueller.

Aaron Ford topped Democratic challenger Stuart J. Mackie, a northern Nevada farm owner.

Duncan was a top aide to Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who is running for governor, and became a partner in the Nevada law firm Hutchison and Steffen with former GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Steffen.

Duncan resigned from the Assembly in 2014 to join Laxalt’s office. He has Laxalt’s backing.

Ford is an attorney from Las Vegas who was elected to the state Senate in 2012 and 2016.

He has backing from the state’s Democratic congressional delegation.

8:37 p.m.

Nevada’s top election official has won her party primary over a little-known challenger and will face a Democratic contender in November.

Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske (seg-AHV’-skee) on Tuesday easily won the Republican primary over Ernest C. Aldridge.

Cegavske is seeking a second term as secretary of state after serving 12 years in the state Senate and six years in the state Assembly.

She is a former convenience store franchise operator from Las Vegas.

Her Democratic challenger will be Nelson Araujo, a state assemblyman since 2014 who served as assistant party leader last year.

Araujo once worked for Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. He did not draw a primary challenger in his party.

8:36 p.m.

A former two-term state treasurer will face a former state Senate minority leader for Nevada lieutenant governor in November.

Kate Marshall easily topped unknown challenger Laurie L. Hansen in Democratic party primary voting on Tuesday.

Former Republican legislative leader Michael Roberson advanced in his party primary over four other candidates: Brent Jones, Eugene Hoover, Scott Anthony LaFata and Gary Anthony Meyers.

The winner in November will replace Mark Hutchison, an attorney who was elected in 2014 and decided last year not to seek re-election in 2018.

Roberson aligns himself with conservative Republican causes and led the Republican Caucus in the Nevada Senate for three sessions.

Marshall, who lost two elections since 2011, was endorsed by nearly every major state Democrat.

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8:30 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei has defeated conservative activist Sharron Angle and won the Republican Party’s nomination as he seeks re-election to Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District.

Amodei defeated Angle Tuesday in the race for the district covering Nevada’s northern half.

Amodei is expected to win re-election in November to the Republican-heavy district.

He was first elected in 2011 to replace Dean Heller, who had been appointed to the U.S. Senate.

Angle is a former legislator who gained national attention in 2010 when she unsuccessfully challenged ex-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. She also lost a 2016 bid to become the GOP’s nominee to replace Reid.

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8:11 p.m.

Democrat Steven Horsford has won the Democratic primary for the 4th District congressional seat he held in southern Nevada for one term before Republican Cresent Hardy defeated him in 2014.

He’ll face a rematch in November against Hardy, who captured the GOP nomination Tuesday night in the swing district that stretches from north of Las Vegas through four rural counties.

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election to a second term amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Horsford became the first African-American to represent Nevada in Congress when he was elected in 2012. He beat five other Democrats in the Tuesday’s primary, including state Sen. Patricia Spearman.

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8:02 p.m.

Democrat Susie Lee cruised to an easy primary victory in a key congressional race in Nevada, setting up a battle in November for the seat left open when U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen decided to run for Senate.

Lee captured the Democratic nomination against largely unknown rivals Tuesday night in the 3rd District covering much of suburban Las Vegas.

The wealthy Las Vegas philanthropist, who has an endorsement from Vice President Joe Biden and financial backing from several national abortion rights groups, is expected to face Republican Danny Tarkanian in November.

The son of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian faced five other GOP congressional hopefuls after deciding in March to drop an aggressive campaign to defeat Sen. Dean Heller in the Senate primary.

8:01 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus has easily locked up the Democratic nomination as she runs for re-election in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District.

The congresswoman on Tuesday defeated challenger Reuben D’Silva.

Titus is a former University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor and former state legislator who was first elected in 2012.

D’Silva is a high school teacher and former Marine who was awarded the Purple Heart after he was injured in Iraq in 2007.

Titus’s Las Vegas district includes the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding neighborhoods. It leans Democratic and her re-election in November is considered a safe bet.

7:56 p.m.

Nevada Republican Dean Heller has secured his party’s nomination as he seeks re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Heller defeated four others in the Republican primary on Tuesday. He was able to cruise through his primary race after President Donald Trump earlier this year persuaded Heller’s main challenger, Danny Tarkanian, to drop out. Tarkanian sought a U.S. House seat, instead.

Heller is considered the most vulnerable Republican U.S. senator seeking re-election this year because he’s the only one running in a state that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

Heller was a past critic of the president but has become closer to him in recent months and helped deliver the overhaul of the U.S. tax codes to Trump’s desk in December.

7:58 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen has become the Democratic Party’s nominee to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller in November.

Primary election results Tuesday show Rosen sailed past five lesser-known Democrats.

Rosen is a former computer programmer, software designer and president of a Henderson synagogue who narrowly won her House seat in 2016 after being recruited to run by former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid.

She has portrayed Heller as a flip-flopper who has cozied up to President Donald Trump.

Heller is considered the most vulnerable Republican U.S. senator seeking re-election this year because he’s the only one running in a state that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

7:56 p.m.

Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt has defeated more than half a dozen opponents to become the GOP nominee for Nevada governor.

The 39-year-old faced state Treasurer Dan Schwartz and six other lesser-known candidates in Tuesday’s election.

Laxalt is a former lieutenant in the U.S. Navy who has served as the state’s chief prosecutor since 2015. He’s the grandson of former U.S. Sen. and Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt and son of former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico.

He supported Donald Trump for president in 2016.

He’s backed in his bid for governor by billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group funded by the wealthy Koch brothers.

Moderate Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval is leaving the office because he is term-limited.

7 p.m.

Results are upcoming in dozens of legislative and primary races in Nevada now that polls have closed.

The most closely watched race Tuesday is the gubernatorial primary race in which Clark County Commission colleagues Steve Sisolak (SIHS’-oh-lahk) and Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN’-ee) are vying to be the state’s first Democratic governor in two decades.

Nevada Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Thorley has said voters were turning out in higher rates than past primary elections because of the close primary race to succeed outgoing Gov. Brian Sandoval in November.

Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller is expected to breeze through the primary race after President Donald Trump earlier persuaded his strongest GOP opponent to drop out.

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5:25 p.m.

Nevada election officials say Clark County experienced some of the same problems Washoe County voters reported with the names of some candidates failing to be displayed properly on voting machines at a limited number of polling places.

Washoe County Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula said the “voter display” problems affected fewer than 10 voters Tuesday in the Reno-Sparks area who couldn’t initially see a complete list of candidates on the ballot for certain races.

Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer Russell says she doesn’t know how many voters in the Las Vegas area were affected but it appeared to be an “isolated’ incident.

Russell says state officials investigated each report immediately and in each case, the machine was either taken out of service or reset.

She says in each instance, the voter was then able to successfully cast a ballot.

4:40 p.m.

Some Washoe County voters are complaining that the names of some candidates didn’t initially show up on their ballots at the polls in Nevada’s primary election.

County Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula confirmed Tuesday there were a “handful” of “voter display” problems reported where voters didn’t see a complete list of candidates on the ballot for certain races. She estimated it affected fewer 10 voters and says the problem has been resolved.

Spikula says the problem was not limited to any particular political party. She says in some cases, the size of the text was too large for all the names to appear on the screen.

Spikula says that once an individual incident was identified, poll workers were able to rectify the issue and the voter was able to cast a complete ballot.

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4:30 p.m.

Voters are turning out in higher rates than past primary elections in Nevada thanks to a close primary race for governor.

Nevada Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Thorley said about 18.6 percent of active voters had participated by early afternoon Tuesday.

That’s already higher than turnout in the 2016 primary.

Thorley estimated that turnout by the time polls close at 7 p.m. will top 20 percent.

Primary turnout has typically hovered around 19 percent except in 2010, when turnout was about 30 percent.

That year longtime Democratic Sen. Harry Reid was running for re-election and a crowded field of Republicans signed up to try to challenge him.

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2 p.m.

President Donald Trump is endorsing Republican Adam Laxalt’s run for governor as voters cast ballots in the state’s primary.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that the Nevada Attorney General is a hard worker who would work to lower taxes and be tough on crime as governor. Laxalt is the favorite to win the GOP nod and his campaign says they’re honored to have the president’s support.

The race is closer on the Democratic side, where Clark County Commissioners Steve Sisolak (SIHS’-oh-lahk) and Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN’-ee) are vying for the nod.

Nevada hasn’t had a Democratic governor in 20 years, but Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the state in the 2016 presidential election.

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12:50 p.m.

Wes Elliott is among the Nevada Republicans rallying around primary election candidates they hope will further President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The 70-year-old Reno-Sparks real estate agent says Trump’s election in 2016 was “exactly what the doctor ordered.”

He says Trump’s honesty is a breath of fresh air. He says the president isn’t worried about being politically correct, something he says has torn the country apart.

Elliott voted for Attorney General Adam Laxalt in Nevada’s Republican gubernatorial primary. He says he likes Laxalt’s character and the fact he’s a military veteran.

A registered Republican for 30 years, Elliott says the biggest issue for him in politics is government corruption.

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12:30 p.m.

Two candidates in a close Democratic primary for Nevada governor have cast their ballots.

Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN’-ee) voted Tuesday morning at K O Knudson Middle School in Las Vegas, while Steve Sisolak (SIHS’-oh-lahk) voted along with his two daughters at Kenny Guinn Middle School.

Both candidates serve on the Clark County Commission and are competing to be the Democratic nominee for governor in Nevada, which hasn’t had a Democratic governor in two decades. They have each pledged to stand up to President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.

The winner is expected to go up against Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

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11:30 a.m.

Elections officials in Nevada say they’ve fixed early problems with voting machines at two polling places in Reno.

The Reno Gazette Journal reports that a technical error caused problems for up to half of people who voted in the first two hours polls were open Tuesday morning.

Voter Greg Rabina tells the newspaper he had to try three cards and several machines before his vote went through.

Washoe County Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula says the machines malfunctioned because the time programmed on voting cards didn’t match the time on voting tablets.

One polling location manager, Scott Kabrin, says it’s the first time using new voting machines and they expect to have the kinks worked out before the general election in November.

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11:15 a.m.

Nevada Democrats are struggling to choose between two strong gubernatorial candidates who want to succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval in November.

Two 67-year-old Sparks women - Pamela Jones and Debora Lee - say they’ve been Democrats all their lives.

Jones, a medical technician, says she voted for Steve Sisolak because he seemed more honest than his opponent.

Lee, a retired AT&T worker and former union representative, says she voted for his opponent Chris Giunchigliani because she liked her record in the state legislature.

James Mapp, a 71-year-old retired computer communications worker in Sparks, says he voted for Giunchigliani because she has a long history of supporting education and fair pay for teachers.

A two-term limit is forcing Sandoval out. Attorney General Adam Laxalt is favored to win the GOP nomination.

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7:30 a.m.

Polls are now open in Nevada’s primary election as voters choose candidates in several races, including a closely watched Democratic primary for governor.

Two members of the Clark County Commission are vying to become Nevada’s first Democratic governor in two decades.

Steve Sisolak (SIHS’-oh-lahk) and Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN’-ee) both say they will stand up to President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.

The winner is expected to face Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt in the general election in November.

Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller will likely breeze through his primary. He avoided a potentially tough GOP challenge when Trump asked his main opponent to run for Congress instead.

Heller is expected to face Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen in the general election.

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1 a.m.

The most closely-watched race in Nevada’s primary election Tuesday is the battle for governor.

Clark County Commission colleagues Steve Sisolak (SIHS’-oh-lahk) and Christina Giunchigliani (joon-kihl-ee-AHN’-ee) are vying to be Nevada’s first Democratic governor in two decades. Both candidates have pledged to stand up to President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.

Republican state Attorney General Adam Laxalt is expected to win the GOP primary for the governor’s race.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller is the only GOP senator seeking re-election in a state won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016. He is expected to breeze through his primary after Trump asked his main opponent, Republican Danny Tarkanian, to run for Congress instead.

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Thorley’s title. He is Deputy Secretary of State for Elections, not Deputy Elections Director.

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