Kasama Challenges Mack in Primary for County Commissioner Seat

The Competitive Primary Race for Clark County Commission

The primary race for an open Clark County Commission seat is heating up, with opposition websites, attack signs, and allegations of insincerity at the center of the conflict. Heidi Kasama, a Nevada Assemblymember, and Albert Mack, an entrepreneur, are vying to replace Commissioner Justin Jones, who chose not to seek re-election for District F, which covers large portions of the west Las Vegas Valley.

Both candidates have secured high-profile endorsements and raised significant campaign funds. As they promote their policies, they’ve also been engaging in intense criticism of each other. The tension escalated last month when Mack’s campaign issued a cease and desist letter regarding a years-old video that showed him at a boat party where women in bikinis were dancing, including two women at a pole. The clip does not depict any inappropriate behavior. Mack’s attorney, Dominic Gentile, stated in the letter that none of the attendees were paid, nor were they involved in unlawful activities.

“They were social acquaintances of Mr. Mack, or of his acquaintances, and are all employed across a cross-section of Las Vegas economic industries such as realtors, food & beverage servers, and hospitality workers to name a few, and had been invited to attend,” the letter said.

A bitter Clark County Commission primary is not unprecedented, but rare, according to UNLV historian Michael Green, who told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that similar Democratic contests for District E have occurred in the past. “I think Republicans are showing they can have some excitement in their primaries, too,” he added.

Kasama emphasized her qualifications, highlighting her background as a public accountant and three terms in the Legislature. “Nobody actually has the experience that I have for this important position,” she said. “I certainly have the depth and the financial experience, which is needed,” she added.

Mack, a private equity firm CEO and grandson of one of the pioneers of the Thomas & Mack Center, also cited his experience. The fourth-generation Nevadan believes the county's quality of life is slipping. “And I believe that the county commission is the place that can solve so many of those problems, and that’s why I’m excited to run,” he added.

Republican Bonafides Questioned

Kasama’s campaign placed signs that show Mack’s face imposed on the body of a man standing next to Hillary Clinton. The ads allude to a 2014 Mack social media post from a UNLV Foundation dinner in which he described her as the next U.S. president.

Mack clarified that he voted for President Donald Trump in that election cycle. He filmed an Instagram video calling Kasama fake and a liar as he stood next to one of the signs. He then unveiled an adjacent mock sign that shows him with Elvis and an alien.

The Clinton signs have confused Republicans who’ve told him they thought he put them up, he said. “I certainly never gave (Clinton) money, I never met her. I never hugged her, and you now have Kasama’s entire campaign that hinges on AI-generated Photoshops of my head on someone else’s body wearing an ‘I’m With Her’ shirt.”

Records show that Mack donated to past campaigns of U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen and gave to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2019. He acknowledges that he was raised in a Democratic household but underwent a conservative political transformation as he grew older.

Other politicians including Trump and former President Ronald Reagan did, too, he noted.

In turn, Mack’s campaign linked Kasama to a National Association of Realtors’ political action committee that has donated to Democrats. Anti-Kasama signs, which Mack said his campaign didn’t post, show her with progressive Democrats like U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota.

Kasama, who serves in the finance committee for the national association, said she was not involved with the PAC. “My opponent is trying to tie me into it because I’m a real estate agent,” said Kasama, calling the attack a “far leap.”

Another sign links her to Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., whom she nearly challenged in 2024 before dropping out. A listed PAC said neither campaign approved those signs.

The claims are published on campaign opposition websites corruptkasama.com and liberalalbertmack.com.

Boat Party and Voting Record

Mack’s attorney last month sent Kasama a cease and desist letter alleging that she was circulating the now-deleted video of the boat gathering, implying that he was being unfaithful to his wife. The letter said the couple had been separated and heading toward an amicable divorce at the time of the party. They didn’t hide their social activities from each other, it added.

“Your allegations of marital infidelity necessarily involve accusing my client of serious sexual misconduct and are defamatory per se in Nevada,” the letter said. “Moreover, in this instance, the video portrays no such conduct.”

Kasama’s campaign subsequently shared the clip with media outlets, countering that it became aware of the video after it was shared publicly on social media. “Albert appears to have seen the same Facebook comment and became nervous as you’ll notice his cease and desist contains no evidence Heidi sent the video to anyone,” the campaign wrote.

Mack’s campaign has attacked Kasama for her vote on the film tax credit bill that eventually failed in the 2025 Special Session. It also highlighted her support for that year’s Assembly Bill 530, even though she signed an Americans for Tax Reform’s taxpayer protection pledge.

On the Issues

Kasama is a managing broker for Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices in Nevada. Mack leads TBD Group, a firm that invests in mid-size hospitality, technology, marketing, and manufacturing businesses, some of which it manages.

She said sustained funding for public safety is her top priority. Kasama and Mack said they would prioritize oversight to combat fraud and waste in budgets, and are proponents of transparency and accountability.

Mack said he would ask to sit on the county’s audit committee to identify inefficiencies.

Kasama called attainable housing as a critical issue and is a proponent of what she called “thoughtful development” to address attainable housing, taking into account energy and water resources. Mack would sit with private developers to see what they need to bring down costs and streamline permitting.

Kasama supports the county’s camping ban and said combating homelessness has to balance compassion and resources with the protection of small business infrastructure. Mack said the county’s budgets lack transparency as to where the funds to address the issue are going. He would meet with providers, police, and prosecutors to improve centralized strategies.

Kasama said she would continue supporting Lombardo’s platform of attracting new industries and streamlining licensing and regulations. She would leverage the valley’s medical schools to recruit healthcare professionals so that Clark County is a “medical mecca” rather than a desert.

Mack said he wants to make decisions that steer the county for the next few decades in a positive direction. “Whether you’re a retiree right now or you’re a child growing up … you will have the same opportunities that I had, that my grandfather had, and that my great-grandfather had,” he said.

Democratic Primary

Seven Democrats also are running to represent District F and its more than 376,000 residents. They are: Minddie Lloyd; Lenna Hovanessian; Sebastian Crawford; Justin D. Lieberknecht; Michael Robert Wall and Minja Yan. Independent candidates Becky Harris, former chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and Brian Baron will appear on the November ballot.

Early voting kicks off on May 23 for the June 9 primary election.

Kasama is supported by the likes of Lombardo and Commissioner April Becker, the lone Republican on the county commission. Mack’s endorsements include Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony and Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill, Lombardo’s successor.

Mack raised more than $135,000 in the first quarter of 2026 and had just over $1 million on hand, Secretary of State’s Office filings show. Kasama raised nearly $100,000 and had nearly $700,000 available during the same time period.

Commission Candidate Mud-Slinging Not Unprecedented

This is far from the first time commissioner races have gotten heated. Green highlighted the 1990s primary contest between the late Thalia Dondero, who was unseated after 20 years as commissioner by a fellow Democrat, the late Myrna Williams. Williams campaigned on change and herself was unseated by former Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who won under a similar platform, he said. He sees similarities with Kasama and Mack’s split Republican endorsements.

“Both of those were difficult primaries because a lot of (Democrats) were loyal to each person,” Green said. “It left hard feelings, but it wasn’t a significant change for the commission, I think, in terms of ideology.”

The historian noted the commission’s typical nonpartisan operations due to the fact that commissioners who handle local issues have a wide array of approaches regardless of party.

“And truthfully, the Strip is so dominant in what they do that it’s tended to bleach out a good part of the partisanship,” Green said.

Green said the primary hostilities can benefit Harris, who also is a former Nevada state senator.

“While Kasama and Mack are chopping up each other, Harris, once a Republican, is running as an independent,” he said.

Both candidates are confident they’ll win in June. Neither dismissed the possibility of supporting the other during the general election if they don’t.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.