One last look back: Top takeaways from Nevada's 2024 political year in review

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — 2024 was a huge year for politics, especially here in swing-state Nevada.

Not only did a former president regain the White House for only the second time in history, but there were some unusual developments in state politics, as well.

Here’s our list of the top 13 political stories of 2024.

1. Donald Trump wins all the things.

You can erase the “former” from Trump’s title because as of noon on Jan. 20, he will be the president once again. Trump will be the first and only president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to win a non-consecutive term.

Not only did Trump win Nevada, but he also won all the other swing states — Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona — flipping six of them back to the GOP after they went for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

Trump beat his past performances in Nevada, too, beating Vice President Kamala Harris by 3.1 percentage points and more than 46,000 votes. Even more remarkably, Trump came within about 27,000 votes of beating Harris in Democrat-rich Clark County.

Nationally, Harris logged 6.2 million fewer votes than Biden in 2020, a deficit that allowed Trump to win the popular vote, albeit narrowly, 49.9% to 48.4%.

2. Republicans change their voting habits.

One of the factors behind Trump’s victory in the Silver State was the GOP changing its tune on voting. In past years, Republicans everywhere discouraged early and mail voting in favor of in-person voting at the polls on Election Day.

But this year, Republicans embraced early voting like never before. Nevada Republicans cast more than 247,000 ballots during early voting, far outpacing Democrats’ 150,000. And they kept pace with mail voting, too: Democrats posted 268,000 ballots by mail, while the GOP sent in 202,000. Election Day voting — the least popular method of voting — was about even.

That change, which for some Republicans was a long time coming, erased the advantage Democrats formerly enjoyed using mail and early voting and will change turnout efforts going forward.

3. Trump’s short coattails in Nevada.

But if Trump’s victory was solid, his ability to help other Republicans on the ticket was limited.

For example, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown, who campaigned with Trump and JD Vance during their visits to the Silver State, lost his race to Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen. Brown, in fact, earned 74,000 fewer votes than Trump did statewide.

And in Southern Nevada’s congressional districts, all three Republican challengers lost: Mark Robertson in Congressional District 1, Drew Johnson in Congressional District 3 and former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee in Congressional District 4 all fell short by margins ranging from 2.7 to 8 percentage points.

In the state Legislature, Republicans gained a single seat in the Assembly, with Dr. Rebecca Edgeworth capturing Assembly District 35 after the Democratic incumbent chose not to seek re-election.

The numbers suggest Trump’s brand is unique and that other Republicans — even those who vocally support Trump — may not enjoy as much support from their party as he does.

4. Candidates talk…mostly.

One of Nevada’s advantages as a swing state is that locals get to hear directly from presidential candidates at big rallies and small gatherings alike. This year was no different.

Trump made several visits, including one at Sunset Park in the June heat. He met with Channel 13 in September at the Trump International Hotel to answer questions about how his plans would affect local voters.

WATCH: We asked Donald Trump questions on the issue that matters most to locals in Southern Nevada

Vance didn’t do a one-on-one interview, but he did take questions from local reporters, including Channel 13, at the end of an October rally at the Treasure Island hotel-casino.

WATCH: JD Vance speaks on housing crisis at a Las Vegas rally

Then Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took time after a small October rally in downtown Henderson to speak to Channel 13 about the Harris economic agenda.

WATCH: We asked Tim Walz questions on the issues that matter most to Southern Nevadans

Harris, for her part, made more visits to Southern Nevada than any of the other candidates for the White House, but did not do individual interviews with local media here. In August, she held a rally at the Thomas & Mack Center that attracted thousands.

5. Lombardo saves his veto pen.

Although Gov. Joe Lombardo recruited a number of candidates for legislative seats, he only succeeded in turning over two: Senate District 11 in Las Vegas, where Lori Rogich defeated Democratic state Sen. Dallas Harris, and Edgeworth’s victory in Assembly District 35.

But those victories were enough for him to keep his veto power, as the state Senate is now divided 13-8 and the Assembly 27-15, both in favor of Democrats. That means neither house has the two-thirds majority needed to override a gubernatorial veto or pass a tax bill over the objections of Republicans.

Meanwhile, with 15 veteran lawmakers not returning to Carson City, the Nevada Legislature lost more than a century of political experience.

6. Fake electors of 2020 become real electors of 2024.

After the 2020 election, as Democratic electors met and signed official certificates of election attesting to Joe Biden’s victory, a group of six Republican electors met in Carson City and signed certificates of their own, falsely claiming Donald Trump had won the election.

Those fake certificates were sent to all the places the state sent the real ones, including the secretary of the U.S. Senate. It was part of a nationwide scheme to cloud the results of the election and keep Trump in power, a plan that fizzled after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Attorney General Aaron Ford ultimately indicted the six on charges of filing a false instrument and uttering a forged document, both felonies. But he sought the indictment from a Clark County grand jury, when the alleged crimes had taken place in Carson City and Douglas County. As a result, a Clark County judge ruled she lacked jurisdiction and dismissed the case.

At year’s end, Ford was appealing that dismissal, and had filed new charges in Carson City just before the statute of limitations on uttering a forged document expired.

In the meantime, two of the electors who signed the fake certificates were once again selected to serve as real electors for Trump this year. So, despite being under indictment and facing new charges in Carson City, Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald and Clark County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Law were able to sign real Electoral College certificates on Dec. 17.

WATCH: Four years later, Nevada's 'fake electors' become real ones

7. Changing of the guard at City Hall.

After 25 years, the rule of the Goodmans is over on Main Street. A term-limited Carolyn Goodman turned over the gavel to former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley in December.

Berkely won after defeating Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, who emerged from the June primary. The two debated frequently, agreeing on the need to settle the contentious Badlands litigation. (At year’s end, a settlement was nearing approval.)

Following Berkley’s victory — and that of newly elected Ward 5 Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong, a former Assembly member — the Las Vegas City Council is composed nearly entirely of women. The only man is Ward 1 Councilman Brian Knudsen.

8. Fiore faces justice.

Speaking of the City Council, former Councilwoman Michele Fiore was convicted of wire fraud charges stemming from money she raised for a police memorial, but which she actually used for personal expenses, including plastic surgery.

WATCH: Chief investigator Darcy Spears breaks down the allegations against Michele Fiore

Fiore had long been under scrutiny by the FBI. In 2021, agents searched her home for evidence in the case.

Fiore, who considered running for mayor, had previously lost bids for Congress and for state treasurer. She was ultimately appointed as a justice of the peace in Nye County, a job she was suspended from with pay after charges were filed. After her conviction, she lost the pay from the Nye County post. She’s expected to be sentenced in March, although she’s appealing her conviction.

9. ‘Big Dan’ in big trouble.

Former Nevada congressional candidate Dan “Big Dan” Rodimer — who lost a bid for Congressional District 3 in 2020 — was charged with murder in Las Vegas after a fight at Resorts World in October 2023.

Rodimer, who turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued, allegedly assaulted Christopher Tapp in a dispute about cocaine that was allegedly given to Rodimer’s stepdaughter. Tapp later died of his injuries. Rodimer has denied all the charges.

After his 2020 loss to Democratic Rep. Susie Lee, Rodimer sued to question the election results, although his case was later dismissed. He also lost a bid for Congress in a Texas special election in 2021.

10. Board of Regents spark controversy.

The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents earned some negative publicity thanks to comments made by several members during the year.

First, Regent Patrick Boylan in March went out of his way to say that transgender athletes were “men masquerading as women” and insisted he would continue to speak out on the subject. He ignored calls to resign and remains on the board.

Second, in June, Regent Donald McMichael objected to an anti-discrimination policy by saying Jewish people were trying to “set themselves up in a higher position than everyone else in the United States” and that they should “get in line” because members of other groups had faced discrimination for longer periods.

Finally, in September, Regent Stephanie Goodman faced criticism for posting a doctored clip from the movie “Tropic Thunder” aimed at Harris’s presidential candidacy. Goodman quickly apologized for the post and said it was “irresponsible.”

But the incidents didn’t hurt the regents when it came to an issue on the November ballot: Question 1 would have removed the regents from the state constitution and put them into state statute, where the Legislature would have greater control over their management of the state’s colleges and universities. But Question 1 failed, 54.5% to 45.5%.

11. Voters adding to the constitution.

Speaking of constitutional amendments, voters began the process of inserting two items — one liberal, the other conservative — into the state’s governing document.

Question 7, which passed with 73% of the vote, would require voters to show an ID when voting in person or to write an ID number on their mail-in ballot. The measure comes after several attempts to enact voter ID in the Legislature were ignored by majority Democrats.

Question 6, which passed with 64 percent, would protect abortion rights in Nevada. Although voters already approved an abortion-rights statute in 1990 (a law that cannot be changed without another vote of the people), putting those rights into the constitution would make them harder to change in the future and insulate the state in the event a federal law is passed restricting abortion.

Both Questions 6 and 7 will have to be approved again by voters in 2026 in order to go into effect.

12. Clark County School District budget whiff draws criticism.

Although the Nevada Legislature provided the district with additional money during the 2023 session, school trustees still ended the year with a budget deficit, both at local schools and in its central office.

Officials blamed unexpected litigation and cybersecurity costs for the central office shortfall and said a miscalculation of teacher pay caused local schools to overspend. Trustees fired the district’s chief financial officer after the budget problems came to light and were able to find money to cover the expenses.

But that didn’t stop Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro from incredulously grilling district officials for more than an hour at year’s end, demanding explanations and declaring “that just cannot happen again.”

Afterward, Cannizzaro said she was introducing an education accountability bill in the upcoming 2025 session of the Nevada Legislature.

13. The Culinary Union’s longest campaign ends.

On a spring evening in March 1999, the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 held a protest on the sidewalk in front of the yet-unopened Venetian hotel-casino. They objected to Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson’s refusal to negotiate with the union at his property.

Flash forward 25 years: The Venetian has expanded, adding the Palazzo. Adelson has died, and the hotel has a new owner.

But the Culinary Union isn't outside anymore. Instead, union officials and workers were inside, celebrating the signing of the resort’s first contract with the union with acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su in September.

Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said the long wait demonstrates the union’s tenacity.

At year’s end, with every Strip casino represented by the union, Culinary Workers were once again on the picket line, this time outside the Virgin hotel-casino.

If you have questions about any of our 2024 political takeaways — or want to share your opinion — submit your question or comment to Ask Steve.