Promoter of election conspiracy theories wins GOP primary for Nevada secretary of state

Las Vegas (AP) — Former state lawmaker Jim Marchant won the Republican nomination for Nevada secretary of state on Monday, bringing one of the state's most outspoken promoters of election conspiracy theories within reach of the office that oversees voting in a perennial presidential battleground.

His win after Nevada's June 9 primary sets up a rematch in November with Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, who prevailed in their race four years ago.

The winner will oversee the 2028 presidential election in Nevada, a state that went for President Donald Trump in 2024 after voting for Democrat Joe Biden four years earlier.

Marchant has long questioned Nevada’s voting security. He claimed both he and Trump were victims of election fraud in 2020 when Marchant lost his bid for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District against Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, despite officials finding no evidence of any widespread fraud.

He claimed that mail ballots were fraudulent, despite using that method to vote while he was a registered voter in Florida.

In December 2020, he stood alongside the six Nevada Republicans who signed fake electoral certificates claiming Trump won the state — when in fact Biden won Nevada that year by more than 33,000 votes. Those six Republicans continue to face charges filed by the attorney general’s office.

The Nevada secretary of state at the time, a Republican, had her office review multiple claims of fraud submitted by Republicans and found them to be baseless or already under review, specifically refuting thousands of allegations. An Associated Press investigation of potential fraud cases in the six battleground states where Trump disputed his 2020 loss found fewer than 475 overall, far too few to affect the election. In Nevada, the number of possible voter fraud cases represented less than 0.3% of Biden’s margin of victory in the state.

Marchant defeated Gov. Joe Lombardo’s endorsed candidate for secretary of state, Shirley Folkins-Roberts, who had denied there was widespread fraud in Nevada’s elections, and former lawmaker Sharron Angle. Folkins-Roberts conceded the race in a Monday statement.

“Despite being massively outspent in this election, I'm proud to again be chosen by Nevada conservatives to be their champion in the race for Secretary of State,” Marchant said in a statement.

Marchant reported raising and spending no money ahead of the primary. Folkins-Roberts reported spending about $11,000, and Angle reported $20,000 this year, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

If elected, Marchant wants to eliminate electronic voting machines and end the state’s universal mail ballots. He also wants to require paper ballots, which would be counted by hand, according to his campaign website.

Aguilar, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, has promoted his efforts to streamline Nevada’s election processes and improve voter turnout. He also highlighted a bill he successfully helped steer through the Legislature that makes it a felony to harass election officials.

During his tenure, Aguilar spearheaded a transition to a new voter registration and election management system and in 2024 organized a polling location at Allegiant Stadium.

In his statement, Marchant called his win a “victory for voter ID.” He is a staunch supporter of implementing voter ID, a ballot question that passed by a wide margin in 2024 and will be before voters again in November. Aguilar has previously said voter ID is a solution to a problem that does not exist, but also said he respects the will of the voters and will work with the governor and local election officials “to continue strengthening our elections.”

Aguilar's campaign declined to comment about Marchant's victory in the GOP primary.