It was more than just Mary Sickler‘s gown that was sparkling onstage.

As the current Miss Nevada USA took the stage at the Miss USA preliminaries Oct. 22, she decided to leave her chocolate brown wig backstage for the evening wear portion of the competition.

While Mary—who was diagnosed with alopecia universalis in December 2024—first stepped out in a red bikini and a brunette wig for the swimsuit round, she decided to embrace her baldness for her final look. 

Indeed, she dazzled in a jewel-encrusted headpiece that matched her blue and silver form-fitting gown. She completed the look with sparkling teardrop earrings and a smoky makeup look.

Following the powerful onstage moment, the 22-year-old—who was crowned Miss Nevada USA in July—reflected on being the first woman with alopecia to compete in the national beauty pageant.

“This dream has been so many years in the making, and to finally step into this moment feels surreal,” she wrote on Instagram Oct. 22. “I never imagined I would walk that stage in this way, but I always hoped I would do it with confidence, authenticity, and grace.”

Recently, two headlines caught my eye. The first: Nevada plans to roll out the Hollywood red carpet with public tax breaks for private studio companies — Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. The other: The University of Nevada, Reno plans a new 400-unit public-private apartment complex near campus for faculty, staff and students.

Campaign finance documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) last week are beginning to reveal what the 2026 midterms will look like in Nevada’s four congressional districts — including the incumbents’ strength, the challengers to watch and the sources of funding voters might want to know about. 

What stands out in the October quarterly filings is the sheer number of self-funders taking on Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) in the 3rd and 4th Districts, respectively. Though these seats look swingy on paper, Republicans have not won either of them in a decade. A nominee who can pour hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own money into ousting the incumbents would take some of the investment pressure off the party apparatus. Several candidates fit the bill.

Of course, for self-funded candidates, high numbers do not indicate broad support. One way to better gauge early interest in candidates is the amount of unitemized donations they report. The FEC requires candidates to itemize donors’ contributions when they exceed $200, so unitemized contributions can be a good proxy for small-dollar donations.

Here’s what we noticed in each district. 

Lee has lots of cash — and will need it

Lee posted strong fundraising numbers this quarter, bringing in $612,000 and ending the quarter with $1.7 million total, the most she’s ever had on hand at this point in the election cycle. Her team said that the median contribution was just $11, which signals widespread grassroots support, as does her volume of unitemized donations.

Lee’s fundraising encompasses thousands of dollars from House colleagues, especially members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, and $5,000 from the leadership PAC of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), a possible 2028 presidential contender. 

Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalists Ben Horowitz and Chris Dixon contributed as well. Horowitz surprised many when he endorsed President Donald Trump last summer before giving to Vice President Kamala Harris. Dixon this year attended a White House crypto summit and announced a major investment in Kalshi, a prediction market of the sort Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) has criticized. Lee also received $1,000 from travel guide writer Rick Steves.

As one of just 13 Democrats to win a Trump-voting district last year, Lee is considered the state’s most vulnerable Democrat and will likely need money for an expensive campaign. She has attracted the widest field of Republican challengers, and the spendiest. 

It includes numerous self-funders, such as neurosurgeon Dr. Aury Nagy, who loaned his campaign $1 million on the last day of the third quarter. That amount was dwarfed by the $3 million video game composer Marty O’Donnell gave his own campaign back in the spring, but O’Donnell only added a little more this quarter, making a $7,000 contribution. Former Las Vegas mayoral candidate Tera Anderson and businessman Joshua Walters are investing thousands in their campaigns as well.

Those aren’t Lee’s only notable opponents. Since she was elected in 2018, Lee has not faced a primary challenger who reported raising any money. Cardiologist Dr. James Lally (D) changed that this month by raising $90,000, including $32,000 in unitemized donations. 

His website slams Lee’s “bipartisan approach,” accusing her of voting with MAGA and taking money from casino bosses and lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Lee received $5,000 from the committee this quarter and thousands more from gaming industry figures including former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst (D), Shawn Cardinal, Diana Bennett and Yvette Landau. Lally counts political commentator and former congressional candidate Krystal Ball (D-VA) among his donors.

Horsford’s fundraising dips, but he’s still got big money

Horsford is the only Nevada House Democrat who has seen his fundraising fall and his cash on hand drop compared to this point last cycle — he raised a little more than half a million dollars and has $573,000 on hand. The difference might have to do with the fact Horsford is no longer the Congressional Black Caucus chair. But his fundraising this year is still strong, just closer to what it was before. 

More than half of his donations came from PACs, including thousands of dollars from House colleagues and Beshear’s PAC. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), another possible presidential hopeful, donated $7,000. Horsford also received $5,000 from BET Media Group CEO Scott Mills, $2,500 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, $1,000 from Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom (D), and money from Horowitz and Dixon. 

Horsford’s biggest individual spend was a $40,000 list purchase from BCom; such lists can help candidates reach the voters they want to. He spent tens of thousands more paying Sena Kozar Strategies and the Strathdee Group.

The congressman has drawn two Republican challengers who have poured six figures of their own money into their campaigns, small-business owners David Flippo and Cody Whipple. They now trail Horsford in fundraising, but both have gotten support from elected officials, though from different wings of the GOP.

Flippo brought in $191,000 this quarter and has $375,000 on hand, much of which he loaned himself. His website advertises a campaign rally with Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in Las Vegas this Saturday. He also has endorsements from Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Trent Kelly (R-MS) and former Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC). Jim Chilton, an Arizona rancher who spoke about illegal immigration at the Republican National Convention last year, also donated to his campaign. Flippo has been spending on radio ads on The Steve Sanchez Show and donating to groups such as the Las Vegas Young Republicans, the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Texas-based Latinos for America First. 

Whipple raised $55,000 this quarter and has $185,000 after loaning himself $100,000 last quarter. His site boasts endorsements from Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT), former Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-NV) and retired Esmeralda County Sheriff Ken Elgan. The latter two gave to his campaign this quarter. Elgan’s wife, Cindy, a Republican elections clerk who Trump supporters targeted after 2020, gave to the campaign as well, as did the Agricultural Retailers Association PAC and the National Chicken Council PAC.

Titus brings in the medium bucks

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) is not known for posting gangbuster numbers in non-election years, and the $172,000 she raised this quarter in the 1st District is respectable, if not impressive. What’s more striking is her $610,000 cash on hand, which is the most she’s ever had by October of an off-year.

The bulk of her money, more than $81,000, came from other political committees. Much like her Democratic colleagues, she received money from other House members and from Beshear’s PAC.

Titus has already attracted several challengers, but the standout is state Sen. Carrie Buck (R-Henderson), whose fundraising fell just short of the congresswoman’s with $146,000 raised. 

More than a fifth of that sum, $32,000, came from unitemized donations, indicating Buck could see wide support from voters. Former congressional candidate Flemming Larson (R), who lost the 2024 GOP primary in this district, donated the maximum $7,000 allowed to Buck’s campaign. Several real estate and education professionals gave as well. 

Amodei sitting pretty

In the safely Republican 2nd District, quarterly fundraising reports show little for Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) to worry about. 

He raised $175,000 this quarter and is sitting on a bigger war chest than he’s ever had at this point in the election cycle, $521,000. The two other 2nd District candidates who filed statements of candidacy, Kathy Durham (D) and Heath Fulkerson (R), did not submit quarterly reports.

Amodei received about a third of his money this quarter from PACs, including ones associated with the National Rifle Association to the Environmental Defense Action Fund. One of his donors is Jonathan Evans, president and CEO of Lithium Americas. Amodei has supported the company’s Thacker Pass project as it renegotiated a deal with the federal government this fall. 

The congressman’s spending includes $1,000 transfers from his campaign committee to committees for Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), both of whom announced Senate bids. Amodei also ordered fundraiser supplies in late July from two cigar companies. His campaign has spent money on at least one of the two every year since 2015.