The Republican Party is getting some good news in Nevada, as early voting returns show the GOP has expanded leads over Democrats ahead of Election Day.
Over half of Nevada’s ballots have already been cast, and early voting is set to end Nov. 1. After the first nine days of early voting, Republicans hold a lead of 5.3 percentage points as the country races toward Nov. 5, per an analysis by the Nevada Independent. The news could spell a boost for former President Donald Trump and Republican candidates down the Nevada ballot, including Senate hopeful Sam Brown, who is running to unseat Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
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“I know people want to keep comparing this year to 2020 or 2022, but at the risk of repeating myself: This is a unicorn year. We have never seen this,” Jon Ralston, the outlet’s editor who has covered Nevada politics for over 30 years, said in a post Monday evening.
Votes for Republicans accounted for 39.7% of the statewide total cast through Sunday, compared to Democrats 34.8%.
As one of the top experts on Nevada politics, Ralston pointed to an “unprecedented turnout pattern” in Clark County as an argument that Republicans have “reason for confidence” in the Silver State.
Home to Las Vegas, Nevada’s most populated county has traditionally been a Democratic stronghold. Yet Republicans held an early voting turnout edge of between 8 to 9 percentage points Monday evening.
With polls showing Trump is outperforming some Republican candidates in the Silver State, including Brown, the news about early voting returns could signal a boost for GOP candidates down the ballot because Nevada is one of only two swing states to allow straight-ticket voting.
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“A key aspect of this election cycle will be straight-ticket voting,” Republican strategist Jimmy Keady recently told Fox News Digital. He added that “there is a good chance that straight-ticket voting will help Senate, congressional, and statewide races.”
The Trump and Harris campaigns have made the battleground state a focal point with seven days until Election Day.
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During his closing remarks at this latest rally in the state last Thursday, Trump reminded supporters in Reno that “Early voting is underway, and everyone — get out of here and start voting.” Meanwhile, Harris is set to hold a dueling Reno “Get Out the Vote” rally on Oct. 31.
Trump held a razor-thin advantage over Harris in Nevada as of Tuesday, per an aggregate of polling data from RealClearPolitics.