Notables and Longshots Comprise Ballot in LV Mayor’s Race … Already!
With election season beginning earlier and earlier it has become difficult to tell when one election cycle ends and the next begins. Case in point is the Las Vegas Mayor’s race and although the election isn’t until 2024, we’ve had announced candidates for quite a while.

Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear (Ward 5)

Kara Jenkins, Nevada Equal Rights Commission

Former Congresswoman (NV01) Shelley Berkley

Deb Peck, Local businesswoman

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman (Ward 2)

Photos provided by candidates via candidate's website or Instagram
With current Mayor Carolyn Goodman termed out, speculation surrounding a number of Las Vegas notables abounds. Well beyond mere speculation are the five candidates who have officially announced the launch of their campaigns to be the next mayor.

Two City Council members, Cedric Crear (Ward 5) and Victoria Seaman (Ward 2) have both announced the launch of their campaigns.

Crear, a self-employed marketing and advertising professional was the first to enter the race back in March of 2021, since citing a platform of public safety, workforce development, and providing services to those experiencing homelessness. Councilman Crear, having worked for gaming and hospitality companies in and out of Las Vegas as well as having served as a university regent and city planning commissioner before becoming a member of the city council in 2018 is well known in the community and in political circles in Las Vegas.

Councilwoman Seaman made clear her intention to run in February of this year. A former member of the Nevada State Assembly, the councilwoman won her seat in a special election and then won re-election in a five-way primary last year. Seaman announced her candidacy for mayor with a platform that includes bringing a children’s hospital to the Las Vegas area as well as engaging local and state legislators to bring forth solutions aimed at homelessness, crime, and community development. Seaman has also been a vocal proponent for building tourism and the local economy by further developing Las Vegas as a world-class city in sports, medicine, and tourism.

Seven term former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley announced her intention to run in early January of this year ending speculation surrounding another would-be candidate, former council member and current Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. District Attorney Wolfson announced his support for Shelley Berkley stating, “She will make a great Mayor” according to a local media report. Berkley’s announcement unveiled a platform that includes finding solutions for homelessness, affordable housing, crime, and economic growth and development.

In the longshot category, political unknown Deb Peck, a local businesswoman and self-described “political conservative” was spurred to run in order to bring her fiscal sensibilities to bear for the residents of Las Vegas. In particular, the local insurance agent is concerned about the potentially catastrophic outcome of litigation surrounding the city’s legal battle with the would-be developer of the now defunct Badlands golf course.

Another early entrant into the race is Kara Jenkins, the current State Administrator of the Nevada Equal Rights Commission under Governor Lombardo. Although Ms.Jenkins announced her candidacy back in 2021, she has remained relatively unknown in political circles. In recent media interviews, Jenkins, a resident of Ward 3, identifies herself as a public servant as opposed to a “career politician” drawing a contrast between her and her opponents. In those same interviews Jenkins touts a long resume of public service with a mayoral agenda centered on solving problems by creating “a livable wage” and programs that provide what Jenkins refers to as wrap-around services needed to solve the homeless crisis in Las Vegas.

At the time of this article’s publication, assuming no candidate gets more that 50% of the vote during the primary, there remain seventy-five weeks before the election; Yet announcements by candidates in this race began over one hundred weeks ago. Taking this into account along with the potential for even more candidates to enter the race, the political consultants we spoke to are reluctant to go on the record this early with predictions for this race.

One consultant familiar with local and statewide races did say they felt the advantage held by a former seven term congresswoman who has “received in her career, more votes than all the other contenders combined” will most certainly be a factor. Shelley Berkley won her last congressional election receiving 103,246 votes. Berkley lost her bid for Senate by less than twelve thousand votes in a race that garnered nearly one million votes. “Her relationships, ability to raise money, and her time campaigning will be extremely difficult to beat,” said the same consultant. Conversely, Councilman Crear and Councilwoman Seaman won their last elections with 1,879 and 9,043 votes respectively. Crear won his first city council election with 627 votes in a race of just over 2,000 votes. The consultant added, “The only problem Shelley Berkley will have is scaling down her operation to fit a city-wide race while the others will have to scale up significantly.”

A former candidate for statewide office who wished to remain unnamed in order to preserve his possible future endorsement in this race, advised, “Do not underestimate the power of incumbency,” referencing Seaman and Crear who will enjoy a calendar full of photo and press opportunities as well as any number of interactions with the voting public. “Victoria [Seaman] is an incredibly hard worker and she and [Councilman] Crear have a constituency that they’ve built relationships with,” he added.

Note: This article should not be construed as an endorsement or position for or against any candidate or any candidate’s position. Battle Born News strives to bring you factual reporting and any opinions expressed by the subjects or interviewees within an article are their own and do not reflect the views of the author, Battle Born News, or our staff.

About Richard MacLean
Richard has worked professionally on numerous political campaigns including city, county, congressional, and statewide races serving in various roles including Data Director, Director of Communications, and other senior staff positions. He holds degrees in Political Science and Computer Science.

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