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.

What the Right Is Saying

Marchant called his win a 'victory for voter ID' in a statement. 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.

'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 his statement.

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.

Marchant defeated Governor Lombardo's endorsed candidate along with former lawmaker Sharron Angle in the Republican primary.

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has promoted his efforts to streamline Nevada's election processes and improve voter turnout during his tenure. He highlighted a bill he successfully helped steer through the Legislature that makes it a felony to harass election officials.

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

Governor Joe Lombardo's endorsed candidate for secretary of state, Shirley Folkins-Roberts, had denied there was widespread fraud in Nevada's elections. She conceded the race in a Monday statement following her primary loss to Marchant.

What the Numbers Show

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

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. Biden won Nevada in 2020 by more than 33,000 votes.

Marchant claimed both he and Trump were victims of election fraud in 2020 when he lost his congressional race to Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford.

In December 2020, Marchant stood alongside six Nevada Republicans who signed fake electoral certificates claiming Trump won the state. Those six Republicans continue to face charges filed by the attorney general's office.

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

The Bottom Line

The November matchup between Marchant and Aguilar will determine who oversees Nevada's elections through 2028, including the next presidential election. Nevada is consistently among the most closely contested states in national elections.

Aguilar enters the general election as the incumbent with a record of implementing new election technology and protecting election workers through criminal penalties for harassment. Marchant will argue his case to voters who supported the voter ID ballot question and share his concerns about electronic voting systems, despite official investigations finding no evidence of widespread fraud that would affect election outcomes.

The race is expected to draw significant national attention given Nevada's role as a presidential battleground and the office's responsibility for administering federal elections in the state.