Nevada GOP Files Lawsuit Seeking to Block Presidential Primary
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, May 26, the Nevada Republican Party (NV GOP) filed a lawsuit against the state of Nevada and Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar (D) challenging Nevada’s presidential primary system. In 2021, then-Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed Assembly Bill 126, which transitioned the state from a caucus system to a primary system for nominating presidential candidates.
The NV GOP alleges that the primary system “threatens to obstruct the rights of the NV GOP and Nevada citizens under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to freely associate.” In turn, the NV GOP requests that the secretary of state be prevented from enforcing the provisions of A.B. 126 that require participation in a presidential primary system. Additionally, the NV GOP asks the court to allow the state party to select and bind its delegates for the national presidential nominating convention according to its own rules and bylaws.
Alternatively, the NV GOP asks the court to deem the results of the 2024 presidential primary “non-binding,” which would allow the NV GOP to select its delegates for the national party nominating convention as it chooses (regardless of the outcome of the primary).
The attorney representing the NV GOP in this lawsuit is former failed attorney general candidate and conspiracy theorist, Sigal Chattah. Chattah, who ran as a Republican, has “significant ties” to the conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election and has even “funded the politicians who helped plan the violence on January 6, met with the organizers of the January 6 rally, and called speakers at the January 6 rally her heroes.”
In response to this lawsuit, the Nevada Democratic Party stated that this is a clear ploy to circumvent the will of the voters and to benefit former President Donald Trump: “This is the GOP playbook at work – restrict voting access to limit as many voices as possible and change the rules if they don’t serve their interests. Democrats moved from a caucus to a presidential preference primary to simplify the process and make voting easier and more accessible. Republicans aren’t even trying that hard to hide their intentions – they’re doing whatever it takes to protect their MAGA leader and get Trump over the finish line.”