Nye votes against state trend in many key races

Horace Langford Jr. / Pahrump Valley Times - Voters in Nye County and other rural areas of Nevada did not receive the desired results at the ballot box on many issues Tuesday including in the U.S. Senate and congressional races, and on State Ballot Question No. 1 involving expanded background checks on firearms.

Horace Langford Jr. / Pahrump Valley Times Voters in Nye County and other rural areas of Nevada did not receive the desired results at the ballot box on many issues Tuesday including in the U.S. Senate and congressional races, and on State Ballot Question No. 1 involving expanded background checks on firearms.

Nye County voters showed they blaze their own trail after much of the candidates and an issue residents opposed found opposite results statewide.

It was evident in the voting over State Question No. 1, which requires background checks for most private gun sales and exchanges, which narrowly passed with 50.45 percent of voters choosing yes.

In Nye, just 26.11 percent of voters chose yes, with an overwhelming 73.89 percent of voters choosing no.

The U.S. Senate race between Catherine Cortez Masto and Joe Heck also a saw vast discrepancy between Nye’s vote and Nevada as a whole.

Cortez Masto won her bid for the Senate with 47.07 percent to 44.7 percent margin statewide, while Nye voters heavily sided with Heck, casting 59.97 percent of its vote for the Republican candidate, while Cortez Masto generated just 27.14 percent.

The 4th Congressional District race between incumbent Cresent Hardy and Ruben Kihuen also saw a big difference in voting patterns. Kihuen beat Hardy by a 48.49 percent to 44.55 percent margin statewide. Hardy, who visited Pahrump often during his tenure, received 63.32 percent of the county’s vote, compared to Kihuen’s 25.57 percent.

In the presidential race, Nye County voters were heavily in favor of now President-elect Donald Trump, despite Hillary Clinton winning Nevada.

Trump garnered 67.99 percent of the vote in Nye County to Clinton’s 26.01 percent. Statewide, Clinton bested Trump by a 47.89 to 45.53 margin. Clinton took the state largely due to the most populated counties, Clark County and Washoe County, being in favor of Clinton. All other 15 counties in the state were in favor of Trump.

Incumbent District 36 Assemblyman James Oscarson disposed of his opponent, brothel owner Dennis Hof in their race by a 60.76 percent to 39.29 percent margin statewide (56.32 percent to 43.68 percent in Nye), but was a stark contrast to Oscarson’s Primary Election win.

In the primary, Oscarson eked out challenger Tina Trenner by a 46.5 to 43 percent margin but lost the county by 238 votes in June.

Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.