Ballot Battleground: Nevada - KRNV

Latest Episodes:

Could Nevada’s deep red CD2 actually flip blue? Talking top candidates with UNR political science professor Jeremy Gelman Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

The field is set. 27 candidates — the most ever by far — filed to run for Nevada’s 2nd congressional district after the sudden retirement announcement from Republican Rep. Mark Amodei.

With no incumbent running and a potentially bluer national landscape, some political insiders believe a Democrat could flip the seat for the first time ever. Is that a reality? Who are the top contenders on both sides?

This week on the Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast, host Ben Margiott speaks with UNR political science professor Jeremy Gelman about the partisan makeup of CD2, its deep red history, the possibility of a flip and the type of candidate who might have a realistic shot.

Full list of candidates for Nevada's Congressional District 2, other key races

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Ballot printers, voter ID and the future of voting in Nevada with election chief Cisco Aguilar Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

Candidate filing has begun, mock elections are happening and officials are testing new ballot marking devices — the 2026 midterm election cycle is officially here.

This week on the Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast, host Ben Margiott interviews Nevada's elections chief, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar.

Ben and Sec. Aguilar discuss Nevada's new ballot marking devices, voter ID proposals at the state and federal level, whether Election Day should be a holiday, how Nevadans could vote in the future and much more.

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The making of Harry Reid’s machine — and the wide-open CD2 race with Jon Ralston Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

Harry Reid was the most powerful politician Nevada has ever produced — and the machine he built still shapes state politics today.

This week on Ballot Battleground: Nevada, The Nevada Independent CEO and veteran journalist Jon Ralston joins host Ben Margiott to discuss his new book, The Game Changer, and what it reveals about Reid’s rise from Searchlight to Senate Majority Leader — and how he rewrote the political playbook for Democrats.

Then we turn to the present: the wide-open race for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District following Rep. Mark Amodei’s surprise retirement. Who’s in, who’s out, who could jump in — and do Democrats actually have a shot at flipping CD2?

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Why Nevada wants to be 1st in 2028 — Artie Blanco on Nevada's case to lead the Presidential nominating calendar Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Nevada has already climbed the Presidential primary calendar, establishing itself in the slate of early states that vote prior to Super Tuesday.

But now Democratic party leaders want to move up to first in the nation, with the Nevada Dems officially submitting their bid to the DNC last month.

Why is Nevada deserving of the coveted top spot?

In the first episode of season 3 of Ballot Battleground: Nevada, host Ben Margiott speaks to DNC Vice Chair Artie Blanco about Nevada’s bid to become the first Democratic presidential contest in 2028.

We unpack how the DNC sets the calendar, why Nevada’s diversity and battleground status matter, and what lessons were learned from the 2024 primary shake-up.

Plus, what a “Nevada first” calendar could mean for voters, campaigns, and national policy priorities.

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Ballot Battleground: Nevada Season 3 Trailer Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Ballot Battleground: Nevada is back for Season 3.

2026 is an election year — and here in Nevada, the stakes are high. From Congressional races and a crucial Governor’s race to state and local contests and major ballot questions, we’re covering it all.

I’m Ben Margiott, a reporter at News 4 Reno and Fox 11, and I'm passionate about breaking down Nevada politics to make it more accessible, more digestible, and more relevant for voters across our critical battleground state.

Season 3 kicks off February 4, with new episodes every other Wednesday to start — and weekly episodes as Election Day approaches.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And new this season, you can watch full episodes on YouTube on the News 4 Reno page.

Subscribe, follow, and get ready for the 2026 election season.

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Dramatic Nevada special session ends with film tax failure, crime bill passage — with reporters Paul Boger, Tabitha Mueller and Eric Neugeboren Nov 21, 2025

Show notes

After 7 days, Nevada lawmakers adjourned the state’s 36th special legislative session sine die late Wednesday.

The week was packed with unexpected surprises, important policy debates, long lulls in the action and criticism about the lack of transparency.

From a rare procedural move that nearly derailed film tax credits on day 1 to lawmakers adding their own bill to the agenda for the first time ever, it was a dramatic special session - which could have major implications for 2026.

This episode, host Ben Margiott breaks down everything that happened — floor debates, committee hearings, and behind-the-scenes negotiations — with the reporters who were there every day: Tabitha Mueller and Eric Neugeboren of The Nevada Independent and Paul Boger of KNPR.

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Washoe County election chief Andrew McDonald on turnover, voter rolls and … paper ballots? Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

In the 2026 midterms, Washoe County will — once again — have someone new running its elections.

Andrew McDonald is the county’s new registrar of voters — the 4th person to hold that job since 2022.

But McDonald says he’s in it for the long haul and he's got some big goals: moving the registrar’s office to a bigger location, continuing to clean up the voter rolls, and bringing in new voting machines that leave a paper record for every ballot cast in person.

In Nevada election quirk, high card draw breaks tie in rural Washoe County trustee contest

RGJ: Election security: Pilot program will focus on voter rolls | Clara Andriola

Critic of Washoe election integrity turns to praise with new voter roll challenge

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Taxes, John Doe, special session cost and cereal: Answering your listener questions with Chris Murphy Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

It's mail time at Ballot Battleground: Nevada. This week, we're digging through the listener mailbag once again with News 4 and Fox 11 morning show anchor Chris Murphy.

Host Ben Margiott and Chris answer questions ranging from tax reform and John Doe's identity to open primaries and the cost of a special legislative session.

Do you have questions for our next mailbag? Send them to bjmargiott@sbgtv.com and put Ballot Battleground: Nevada in the subject line.

Does Nevada need property tax reform? Legislative push renewed amid budget shortfalls

Bonus episode: Rep. Mark Amodei on the federal government shutdown

Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei on tariffs, Signalgate, DOGE, immigration and more
How much will Lombardo's special session of Nevada Legislature cost? Here's what we found

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Should Nevada reel in Hollywood? Film tax credits to be discussed in special session Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Legislators will be headed back to Carson City this fall for another special session of the Nevada legislature — the sixth since 2020.

Governor Joe Lombardo announced he wants them to finish some 'unfinished business' in the next few months.

So when exactly will that be? What still needs to get done? And why have there been so many special sessions lately? One of the biggest issues likely to come up is whether Nevada should offer new tax credits to attract the film industry to Las Vegas, so we figured we'd bring in two southern Nevada journalists. Host Ben Margiott chats with McKenna Ross, politics and government reporter with the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Steve Sebelius, senior political reporter with KTNV Channel 13.

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Bonus episode: Rep. Mark Amodei on the federal government shutdown Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

It's day 10 of the federal government shutdown and it seems Congress is no closer to an agreement to reopen the government.

Amid the partisan standoff, we got the chance to sit down with Northern Nevada's representative in the U.S. House, Republican Mark Amodei.

In this bonus episode, we asked Amodei why he opposes extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies, whether he supports the effort to ensure military members are paid and whether he would call out GOP leaders for continuing to use talking points about illegal immigrants deemed 'highly misleading.'

GOP misleads with claim that Democrats shut down to give health care to 'illegal immigrants'

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