Michele Fiore trailing challengers in fight to retain Pahrump judicial seat

Michele Fiore is trailing other candidates competing for her seat in Pahrump Justice Court, according to initial results released late Tuesday evening.

Fiore, who ran despite being suspended from the bench and facing disciplinary charges, was pardoned by President Donald Trump in April 2025 after a federal jury found her guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy charges.

As of 10:52 p.m. Tuesday, Michael Foley was leading with 40.9 percent of the vote, followed by Scott Oakley with 27.8 percent and Fiore with 20.8 percent, according to data released by Nye County.

“It’s a huge honor, and it’s humbling, really, that people thought enough of me to vote for me,” Foley said when reached by phone by the Las Vegas Review-Journal Tuesday night.

If one of the candidates ultimately receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, that person will win outright. But if no one surpasses the 50 percent threshold, the two top-performing candidates will advance to a run-off election in November.

“We have 1000 votes still out,” Fiore said in a text message.

Foley has served as a pro tem justice of the peace during Fiore’s suspension. Oakley works as a therapist. A fourth candidate, Richard Hamilton, had 10.4 percent of the vote as of Tuesday night.

Nye County indicated that it hoped to update results later in the week based on 1,801 mail ballots and about 1,200 drop box votes.

Federal prosecutors said Fiore raised tens of thousands of dollars for a statue honoring Metropolitan Police Department officer Alyn Beck, who was shot and killed with his partner in 2014.

The statue was built, but paid for by developer Olympia Companies, according to trial testimony. Prosecutors said Fiore spent the donations on personal expenses, including rent, plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.

Despite the guilty verdict, she has cast herself as the victim of malicious federal authorities.

Campaign advertising for Fiore asserted: “They attacked her. She fought back. President Trump stood with Judge Fiore.”

She had no trouble funding her campaign. She reported $125,000 in contributions in April, including a loan of more than $95,000 to herself.

Oakley reported just $3,370 in contributions as of April. Foley and Hamilton reported no contributions in the same reporting period.

In April, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline charged Fiore with violating judicial conduct rules based on her actions related to the statue scheme and the jury’s verdict against her.

Those charges came after the Nevada Supreme Court upheld her suspension.

“Judge Fiore’s ongoing wrongful retention of the donations and unjust enrichment creates in reasonable minds a perception that Judge Fiore’s honesty, impartiality, temperament or fitness to serve as a judge is adversely affected,” wrote Thomas Donaldson, a special counsel for the commission.

Fiore’s attorney, Paola Armeni, has sought to dismiss the case, arguing that the charges from the commission improperly rely on conduct that predates her time as a judge.

Multiple voters at the Bob Ruud Community Center in Pahrump said in interviews that they considered themselves supporters of Trump but chose not to vote for Fiore.

“I don’t vote for felons. I’ve worked very closely with her in the courtroom,” Theo Eisenloffel said. “I used to be law enforcement. I don’t believe that she knows what she’s doing. I don’t believe in her politics. And I certainly don’t believe in her statements that she was not guilty when she was found guilty in a court of law.”

James Griggs said he had voted for Fiore in the past but did not do so this election.

“I just feel like there’s too much controversy going on around her,” he said. “She might be a fantastic candidate, but with all the stuff that’s going on, it’s really tough for her to do her job.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Pahrump Valley Times reporter Elijah Dulay contributed to this report.