Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 | 2 a.m.
President-elect Donald Trump appeared in a Las Vegas restaurant with a “NEVADA IS TRUMP COUNTRY” graphic displayed to his left during a campaign rally in August.
At the time, it was tough to justify his confidence. After all, a Republican presidential candidate hadn’t won Nevada in 20 years.
But three months later, Trump secured Nevada with 3% more of the vote than Vice President Kamala Harris on the way to winning all six swing states and the White House.
“I don’t know how the hell we could lose it,” Trump said during the August event. “I’ve never seen such support.”
He was right.
Here are other notable stories for the past year.
Days after Las Vegas visit, Biden pulls plug on presidential campaign
President Joe Biden’s last campaign event as a presidential candidate came here in July, when he met with customers and recorded an interview with Univision at the Lindo Michoacan on Desert Inn Road. He also spoke at the College of Southern Nevada announcing a $50 million grant to fund building 400 affordable housing units.
Biden’s visit was cut short after testing posted for COVID-19, and while recovering at his beach house in Delaware, he gave into pressures from his party and dropped out of the race.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down,” Biden said in a letter posted on his X account. “And to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the presidential ticket, posting on social media: “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”
His decision to drop out was met with praise for Democrats, many of whom argued the 82-year-old wasn’t fit for a second term.
“From creating millions of jobs to tackling gun safety, President Joe Biden has been an outstanding and important lifelong public servant,“ Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said in a statement that day. ”I’m proud of all we’ve done together. Thank you for your patriotic leadership and enduring service, President Biden.”
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford attends a news conference at a Kamala Harris For President field office Thursday, July 25, 2024.
Michael McDonald, Nevada GOP state chairman, speaks during a campaign rally featuring Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, at the Whitney Recreation Center Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
AG still pursuing justice against Nevada fake electors
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford filed charges Dec. 12 in Carson City against six prominent Republicans who were accused of submitting “fake elector” ballots in a scheme to swing the 2020 presidential election for Donald Trump after a previous unsuccessful pursuit in Clark County.
The new charges come six months after Judge Mary Kay Holthus ruled that Clark County was not the appropriate court venue to decide the case, since the submission of the false records occurred in Douglas County and the ceremony occurred in Carson City.
Ford said his office maintains that Clark County was the correct location for the case, and that he is seeking a state Supreme Court ruling to return to the same court it was turned away from in June. The Carson City charges are a means of avoiding a lapse in the statute of limitations on the charge.
Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald, Republican Party National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, vice chairman Jim Hindle, Clark County Republican chairman Jesse Law, Eileen Rice and Shawn Meehan are the defendants in the case.
On Dec. 14, 2020, they conducted a ceremony in Carson City in which they signed a document “certifying” Nevada’s six electoral votes for Trump, even though Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the state by about 30,000 votes.
Fake electors have been convicted in Michigan and face charges in Arizona and Georgia.
Ford said that “justice requires that these actions not go unpunished.”
Carolyn Goodman termed out, ending 25 years of Goodmans in mayor’s seat
After a quarter of a century run, Las Vegas saw the end of the Goodmans’ mayorship and the ushering of a new era for the city.
Former Mayor Carolyn Goodman concluded her 13-year tenure on Dec. 4, finishing the run her husband Oscar began in 1999. Mayor Shelley Berkley, the former congresswoman, was sworn in that morning.
“I will endeavor to create an atmosphere where everyone who wants to share in the success of Las Vegas has an opportunity to do so,” Berkley said as she was taking office. “No matter what the color of your skin, where your family’s from, whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, whether you’re a business owner or a proud union member.”
Carolyn Goodman led Vegas through some of its largest crises, like the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Strip where 58 people were immediately killed and hundreds of others were wounded. She has carried a tradition of running a remembrance ceremony downtown at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden.
Managing the COVID-19 pandemic was another part of Goodman’s legacy. When businesses were shuttered to limit the spread of the virus, Goodman remained adamant that then-Gov. Steve Sisolak’s shutdown of all nonessential businesses was the wrong move for the city.
Sen. Rosen salvages U.S. Senate seat for Dems
As Democrats lost the majority in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., kept her seat by less than 2% of the vote against GOP challenger Sam Brown in the November election.
Brown’s candidacy gained momentum in July at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee when sharing his story about being injured while serving in Afghanistan.
When results began trickling in on election night, Brown had a slight lead from the high Republican turnout in early voting.
But Rosen supporters led a signature curing effort to ensure mail ballots were counted, helping Rosen secure another six-year term.
“We’re designed to win close races like this one, that’s what we’re built for,” Rosen said. “We didn’t just start this 15 minutes ago, we’ve been working hard together for the last few years to build a foundation, and you never lost faith before, or even after Tuesday night.”