Gibson, Segerblom on pace to stay on commission
Jones trailing in race for the District F seat
One Clark County commissioner was trailing in his bid for re-election on Wednesday evening, while two others were ahead in their races, preliminary election results show.
Commissioner Justin Jones was trailing his Republican challenger, Drew Johnson, in District F, 51 percent to 49 percent.
Commissioners Jim Gibson and Tick Segerblom were leading in their races, however.
Commissioners, who govern the 13th largest county in the United States, are all Democrats; there hasn’t been a Republican on the commission since Bruce Woodbury was forced out by term limits in 2008.
District F
Johnson cited ideological diversity as one of his main reasons for running for office a first time in District F, which spans the areas from Chinatown to Mountain’s Edge and from Red Rock Canyon to Sandy Valley.
Johnson told the Review-journal that he was “cautiously optimistic” that his lead will hold, adding that he was “very proud of the campaign we’ve run.”
Despite an election that favored Democrats, he said, his message of government accountability resonated with voters.
Jones expressed the same sentiment.
“I continue to be grateful for the diligent people who run our election process in a transparent and professional manner,” Jones wrote in a text message Wednesday. “I remain cautiously optimistic that when all votes are counted I will be re-elected by the voters of commission district F.”
Jones, a former state senator elected to the board in 2018, has touted the county’s pandemic recovery, economic development and quality of life improvements and said he looked forward to continue the work.
To help boost the economy, Johnson, a senior fellow at a conservative think tank, said he would advocate to ease red tape for small-business owners.
District G
Gibson is trying to fend off a challenge from Navy veteran Billy Mitchell.
The Republican nominee said he was fed up with “career politicians.”
Mitchell said Gibson, and the commission as a whole, did not break party lines when implementing COVID-19 mandates, which Mitchell said harmed the economy.
The candidates are vying to represent District G in the southeast valley, which includes Henderson.
Gibson led with 52.60 percent of the vote compared with Mitchell’s 45.30 percent. Libertarian Party candidate Jesse Welsh had obtained about 2 percent.
The incumbent declined to comment, and Welsh did not respond to an email seeking reaction.
“I’m really happy with my family and friends that supported me on this,” Mitchell said Wednesday.
He previously told the Review-journal that that the commission is in the “middle of virtually every major issue that affects our lives” and that water and an affordable housing shortage were on top of his list.
District E
Segerblom is being challenged by a trio of candidates, including an independent who ran a tight race against him in the 2018 Democratic primary.
He led with 52 percent of the vote. Segerblom told the Review-journal Wednesday that he was confident that he would win when the vote count was completed. “I’m very happy to be re-elected and look forward to serving four more years.”
Segerblom, a former state legislator instrumental in the legalization of marijuana in Nevada, said that the pandemic hampered much of his first term, but he hopes to continue working in the job he enjoys.
Republican nominee Jon Rider — with 38.4 percent of the vote — said that although he knew how serious the pandemic was, he could’ve been a critical and possible dissenting voice with the policies implemented, which he said went too far.
Rider touted receiving nearly 23,000 votes in a heavily Democratic district with no political experience, campaign contributions or ads.
“I’d say hopefully this is a message to him that there’s people in his district who care about things other than his current agenda,” he wrote in a text message.