Henderson mayor’s race appears headed to runoff

The Henderson mayor’s race appeared to be headed to a runoff.

As of Thursday afternoon, incumbent Mayor Michelle Romero’s lead in the five-candidate nonpartisan primary slipped to 49.8 percent — just shy of the simple majority needed to win the race outright, according to Clark County election results posted just before 4 p.m. Thursday. Under state law, candidates in local primary elections can win outright if they get more than 50 percent of the total vote.

Former Henderson Police Chief Hollie Chadwick is in second place with 23 percent of the vote, followed by Henderson Democratic Club President Adam Price in third with 21.4 percent. California transplant Andrew “Your Boy Rue” received 3.2 percent, and interior designer and social media influencer Angeles Scorsetti rounded out the field with 2.7 percent of the vote.

Should Romero remain under 50 percent of the vote, she will face Chadwick in the Nov. 3 general election. The Nevada secretary of state’s office said Thursday that 99 percent of the mail ballots received have been tabulated.

Chadwick’s support at the ballot box came despite Romero’s massive fundraising advantage and the fact that Chadwick was fired last March due to differences with City Manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause. Romero’s campaign as of March 31 had $703,624.98 in available cash, compared to $21,791.59 for Chadwick, according to the most recent campaign finance filings.

Romero campaign consultant Liz Trosper declined to comment until every vote has been counted. Romero was first elected in 2022 after receiving nearly 76 percent of the vote in that primary.

Chadwick, through a campaign spokesperson, said she was excited at the prospect of facing Romero again in November.

“Advancing to a runoff against Mayor Michelle Romero is an extraordinary achievement made possible by Henderson voters who want their voices heard,” Chadwick said in a statement sent by consultant Lisa Mayo-DeRiso. “We started as the challenger, but we proved that this race is competitive and that our message of truth, trust and transparency is resonating across the city.”

The statement continued: “I am honored by the support we’ve received and excited for the opportunity to present voters with a clear choice for Henderson’s future this November.”