The Third House

The utilities fund the people who write their rules

from Southwest Gas and NV Energy to 53 campaigns: 34 Democrats and 19 Republicans

Fair reading: Both companies are regulated monopolies whose rates are set under laws the Legislature writes. Giving is legal and routine; it is here because of who is on the receiving end.

Playing both sides

donors gave to at least three Democrats and at least three Republicans

And the loyalists who only give to one side:

Fair reading: Backing both parties usually means a donor cares about access to whoever wins, not about ideology. Counts are matched on the name as filed, so they are floors.

Many hats, one day

from groups of hotels and companies with shared or related names, each writing the same-size check on the same day

Fair reading: Nothing here shows a rule was broken. Separate companies can each give, and many do. It shows how support from a group of related-sounding businesses can add up well past a single donor's limit.

Politicians funding politicians

moved from 125 campaign and leadership committees to other candidates

Fair reading: Caucus leaders spreading money to their team is normal in every legislature. It also means a handful of incumbents help decide which newcomers can afford to run. Matched on committee names; a candidate's money to their own campaign is excluded.

Whose money is it?

of Steven Horsford's itemized money came from outside Nevada. George Harris's: 2%

Most Nevada-funded:

Fair reading: Congressional races draw national money by design, and Washington-based committees count as out of state. Uses the state on each filing; in-kind gifts are excluded.

Bankrolling yourself

of their own money put in by the 2 candidates who self-funded at least $100,000 and more than half of their campaigns, mostly as loans

Fair reading: Applies one test to all 126 candidates: at least $100,000 of their own money, and more than half of everything raised. Candidates can lend their own campaigns money and repay themselves later from donations. Debt is what each committee reports owing as of June 30.

Big checks versus small checks

as many maxed-out donors for Lombardo as for Ford, while Ford raised 22 times as much in gifts of $100 or less

17 donors gave to both. The biggest:

Fair reading: Two different machines: Lombardo's money comes from fewer, larger checks; Ford's base is broader but thinner. Neither is improper. Figures from each campaign's own summary pages.

Same playbook, same vendors

firms were paid more than $50,000 combined by both Joe Lombardo and Adriana Guzmán Fralick

Fair reading: Statewide campaigns from the same party often hire the same consultants. The overlap shows one shared operation behind the governor and the GOP attorney general nominee.

Three months, $1.33 million

spent by Nicole Cannizzaro's attorney general campaign from April through June, about 3.9 times what it spent in the previous fifteen months combined

Fair reading: The June 9 primary fell inside this window, and heavy spending before a primary is normal. It is here because of the scale and what it left in the bank for November.

Las Begas, Nevada

different ways MGM Resorts appears in the filings. Caesars: 11. NV Energy: 11. Southwest Gas: 7.

Fair reading: Typos are harmless on their own. But searches on the state's system match names exactly, so every misspelling hides part of a donor's footprint. It is also why every donor count on this site is a floor.

On the ballot, nothing in the bank

candidates filed reports showing $0 raised, $0 spent and $0 in the bank

Fair reading: Running without raising money is legal and sometimes deliberate. Candidates who have not filed a 2026 report at all are not counted here.