A national Republican group focused on down-ballot races is making a last-minute push for candidates running for lieutenant governor, secretary of state and two Assembly seats. The Republican State Leadership Committee has in the past week launched ads or microsites supporting lieutenant governor candidate Michael Roberson, Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske and Assembly candidates Jill Dickman and Stephen Silberkraus, both of whom are trying to reclaim their seats in the Assembly after losing close races in 2016.

Nevada Republicans are planning a campaign to persuade voters to cast ballots for former Assembly candidate and brothel owner Dennis Hof, who died suddenly on Tuesday, a knowledgeable source confirmed Wednesday. Although details are sparse, the effort is a clear indication of Republican efforts to ensure they hold a reliably Republican-leaning Assembly District despite the untimely death of the candidate.

“Right now, on its face. it looks like a normal death, but we are taking precautions and doing an autopsy,” said Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly. Just hours earlier, Hof celebrated his birthday along with longtime friend and pornographic actor Ron Jeremy, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist.

The leader of the Nevada Assembly Republican caucus says he hopes brothel owner Dennis Hof wins his legislative race in November, after much of the state’s political establishment have distanced themselves from his candidacy. Although the Assembly Republican caucus itself voted to not endorse or support any candidates following Hof’s victory over incumbent Assemblyman James Oscarson in the state’s June primary, caucus leader Jim Wheeler said in an email to Hof this week that he would “automatically” become a member of the caucus if he wins in November and wished him luck on his campaign.

Former President Barack Obama has officially endorsed another 12 Nevada Democrats on the 2018 ballot as part of a second wave of more than 260 midterm endorsements nationwide. Obama previously endorsed a slew of Democratic candidates in the state, including gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak, U.S. Senate candidate Jacky Rosen and congressional candidates Susie Lee and Steven Horsford.

Nye County authorities say workers at Republican Assembly candidate Dennis Hof’s Love Ranch Brothel surrendered their work cards, brothel license and liquor license “without a problem” Tuesday after commissioners voted not to renew the permits.

Hof said an order was placed Monday for billboard trucks, billboard trailers, and more than a dozen static billboards that say “The Winning Team! Laxalt-Hof-Heller.” He said the signs should be posted within a few days and will run for about a month at locations inside and outside of Assembly District 36, where he’s running and which includes Nye and portions of various other counties.

Not only will the results of today’s election set in place the top contests on the November ballot, including one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate battles in the country and an open gubernatorial seat, but many important races will be effectively decided based on Tuesday’s results, including a seat on the powerful Clark County Commission and the county’s district attorney.

Democrats are likely to hold onto their majorities in both houses of the Legislature come November, even if they don’t win any swing seats. That’s why the party is now angling for a veto-proof two-thirds majority in both houses.

Candidates for statewide and legislative races are on the home stretch for the primaries, and financial disclosures they filed before a Friday deadline show it’s an expensive stretch for many. Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak burned through more than $1 million in the most recent three-week filing period.

Life as the most famous operator of the brothels legal only in Nevada hasn’t always been winks and laughs. Police and court records show Dennis Hof has faced serious allegations from former employees in the years since he first bought the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Northern Nevada in 1992, although he has not been convicted of any crimes or charged for the alleged conduct.

The pro-choice women’s political advocacy group EMILY’s List is stepping into Nevada legislative races, endorsing nine female candidates who face Democratic primaries. The group, whose name is an acronym for Early Money Is Like Yeast, announced its selections on Tuesday. It typically offers its chosen candidates training on grassroots organizing, communications and fundraising.  

Democratic Assembly leader Jason Frierson wants to give teachers something a bit less tangible — more certainty about what changes the Legislature might make to education when it reconvenes in 2019. It comes on the heels of a series of teacher strikes in other states, the appointment of a new Clark County School District superintendent and a bitter schism between the state teachers’ union and its largest local affiliate.

The chamber, known for its hesitance to support new taxes, embraced even some liberal Democratic incumbents in districts that lean blue. The selections are based on candidates’ voting records, if one exists, their stated positions on business policies and their willingness to work with the Chamber.

Martin said in an interview with The Nevada Independent that it came down to “whether I wanted the focus on unity of the party or being in a very contested situation … I gamed it out to the nth degree and [decided] this is not going to be good for me. We decided that the financial commitment was going to be overwhelming.”

After months of political maneuvering and campaigning, candidate filing for most of the offices up during the 2018 midterm elections has finally arrived.

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"About Last Week" is our way of bringing news-hungry but time-strapped readers up to speed on happenings that may have flown under the radar. Our promise: We’ll keep it brief. Our hope: You’ll read (or skim) and keep checking back every Monday.

“If we don’t vote, we’re going to lose. If we keep losing, those that will be left on the corners are those that we love most in the world," Democratic Assemblyman Nelson Araujo told attendees in Spanish at a recent town hall event. It’s a sentiment that’s especially meaningful for Nevada’s Hispanic voters, who are credited with putting now-Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Hillary Clinton over the top in 2016 but are projected to stay home at a higher rate during a sleepier midterm.