A Couple of surprises as filing for the 2024 city and county races closed on Friday.
There will be a primary in two of the commission seats as Republicans Rebecca Murdock and Tim Pauley filed for Commission Seat 2. The winner will face former Ely Mayor George Chaghas and Doug Saunders in the November General Election.
In Seat 3 Republicans Pat Ranson Robison and Scott Romos will battle it out in the primary. The winner will advance unopposed in the general election. (This is a correction from this morning's news)
And in Seat 4 a surprise as former commissioner Ian Bullis filed to take on two other Republicans Paula Carson and Samantha Stroud. Voters turned out Bullis from his commission seat in the 2022 primary. The winner of the primary will face Jason Merlino who filed as a Nonpartisan candidate.
In the Ely Justice of the Peace race Stephen Bishop and Bodie Golla advance to the general election in November.
In the White Pine County School Board there will be no election as Angie McVicars, Krystal Blades, Blaze Griffin, Shella Nicholes, and Candice Campeau had no opposition.
The same for the Hospital District Board of Trustees and Dr Todd Wilkin and Kimberly Cunningham had no opposition.
There were no filings for the Baker Sewer/Water Board, the McGill Ruth Sewer Water Board, Soil Conservation District, or the White Pine Television District.
There will be no primary election for Ely City Council. Mayor Nathan Robertson will automatically have his second term in office as no one filed to oppose him. In the two city council seats former Mayor Melody Van Camp will face Dean Reynolds in the General Election for Seat 2, while Tony Enriquez and Dennis Perea will face off for Seat 4.
In Congressional District 2 Republican incumbent Mark Amodei will see opposition from within the party from Dr. Fred Simon of Gardnerville. Simon ran for Governor in 2022. Simon is a trauma surgeon and owns a Minden restaurant. Amodei has held the District 2 seat since 2011.
In Congressional District 4 Three Republicans have filed to take on the incumbent Democrat Steven Horsford. Most prominent among them is former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, who also ran for Governor in 2022. Lee will face Bruce Frazey and David Alton Flippo, both from Las Vegas. Horsford will face Desharn Shultz of Las Vegas in the primary.
In State Senate District 19 there will be a primary as former Republican Assemblyman John Ellison from Elko faces off against a pair from Pahrump. Nye County School Board Trustee Chelsy Fischer and William Eric Hockstedler who ran for Senate in 2022.
In State Assembly District 33 no one filed against Spring Creek incumbent Bert Gurr, nor did anyone file against District 38 incumbent Gregory Scott Koenig of Fallon.
In the US Senate race incumbent Jacky Rosen faces opposition in her own party from Troy Walker and Mike Schaefer of Las Vegas. The Republican field is crowded and led by former Army Captain Sam Brown, who has significant support from several political action committees and politicians. Twelve other candidates have filed for the Republican nomination including former assemblyman and perennial candidate Jim Marchant, Edward T. Hamilton, Bill Conrad, Vincent Geronimo Rego, Ronda Kennedy, Stephanie Phillips, Gary A. Marinch, Walter A. "Tony" Grady Jr., Barry Cameron Lindemann, Jeffrey Ross Gunter, Garn Mabey, and Shawn White.