The state’s Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo, a former sheriff, will face off against the state’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, who has sued the Trump administration numerous times, or a more left-leaning local elected official, Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill.

There are more voters registered nonpartisan than either Democrats or Republicans. They’re part of a growing electorate nationwide who are tired of parties and looking at individual candidates they resonate with. In recent elections, Nevadans have split the ticket.

“There’s some portion of the electorate, some tens of thousands of voters, that are willing to vote for Democrats and Republicans for really important offices,” said Jeremy Gelman, associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno. “What they’re thinking about might be balancing power, it might be this specific candidate has an issue they really care about, or they really dislike something about a specific candidate.”

However, this race will likely come down to national politics, such as immigration, crime, and the economy, Gelman said, and the outcome will reflect the national political environment.

“When Nevada voters are thinking about how they want to express their political will, they’re going to use this top of the ballot race to get at: are they happy with the direction of the state, the country, the president,” Gelman said. “So, whether or not you get a really close race, like we usually do, or if it’s swinging one way or another, which would be unexpected, but a good indication that the political environment is shifting. This is sort of a race for folks, maybe not in Nevada, to look at.”

Some top issues are data centers, gas prices, and health care costs.