Daniel George John Tarkanian (born December 18, 1961) is an American attorney, businessman and

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...

for elective office. A Republican, he has mounted unsuccessful campaigns for the

Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the pr ...

(2004),

Nevada Secretary of State The secretary of state of Nevada is a statewide elected office in the State of Nevada. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state post is common to many U.S. states. In Nevada, it is a constitutional office (i.e., it is man ...

(2006), the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

(

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

), and the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

(

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

). In 2020, Tarkanian was elected to the Douglas County Commission and was reelected to a second term in 2024. Tarkanian filed to run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent

Dean Heller Dean Arthur Heller (born May 10, 1960) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator representing Nevada from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 15th secretary of state of Nevada ...

in the 2018 Republican primary, but later withdrew to run for the

Nevada's 3rd congressional district Nevada's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district occupying southern Las Vegas and much of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, Clark County. The district was initially created after the 2000 United States census, 2000 census. Thi ...

, winning the nomination and then losing the general election to Democrat

Susie Lee Suzanne Marie Lee (née Kelley; born November 7, 1966) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Nevada's Nevada's 3rd congressional district, 3rd congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party ...

. In 2020, Tarkanian was elected as a member of the

County Commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to fiv ...

for Douglas County, population 46,997. He defeated incumbent Commissioner Dave Nelson in the Republican primary election and was unopposed in the general election.

Early life, education, and legal career

Tarkanian was born in

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is located a ...

, the third of four children. He is the son of

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Reb ...

, a prominent

University of Nevada Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. I ...

(UNLV) basketball coach, and Lois Tarkanian (née Huter), a

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

City Councilwoman, educator of children with disabilities, administrator, and a co-founder for California's first private school for the deaf. Tarkanian grew up in three different

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

cities, ( Riverside,

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

, and

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as o ...

) as his father progressed in his professional career. The Tarkanian family moved to

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

in 1973 when Danny was 12. He attended Hyde Park Junior High School in

and later the

Bishop Gorman High School Bishop Gorman High School (commonly referred to as Gorman or BGHS) is a four-year private, Roman Catholic college preparatory school located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school is administered by the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. The school opened i ...

. He achieved honors in all four years. At Bishop Gorman High School, he played both basketball and football, and both sports teams went into the playoffs and won state championships. In basketball, he played point guard. In football, he played quarterback and was named All-Conference and All-State at his position twice. Danny Tarkanian 1980

After graduating from high school, he spent one year at Dixie College, playing basketball one season for the

Rebels A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

, where his team went to the regional playoffs. He was named the school's Male Freshman of the Year. Tarkanian then transferred to UNLV, where he was coached by his father. He played 3 seasons, 1981–1984, for the

UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are the men's basketball team that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the Mountain West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); it plays at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. As ...

. In his sophomore year, his team won 24 straight games and was ranked number one nationally. At UNLV, Tarkanian was twice named First-Team Academic All-American by the

CoSIDA College Sports Communicators (CSC) is a membership association for all strategic, creative and digital professionals working in intercollegiate athletics across all levels for colleges, universities and conferences across the United States and Cana ...

. He was drafted by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally ...

in Round 8, but did not make the team. Following graduation, Tarkanian received his J.D. from the

University of San Diego School of Law The University of San Diego School of Law (USD Law) is the law school of the University of San Diego, a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1954, the law school has held ABA approval since 1961. It ...

. Tarkanian passed the Nevada Bar Exam and practiced law for eight years, four as proprietor of his own firm. In 1995,

became the head coach for the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

basketball team at

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

, where Danny joined his father as an assistant coach. The team qualified for the post-season every year during Tarkanian's tenure. Tarkanian moved back to Las Vegas following his father's retirement in 2002. He started a real estate investment business and he co-founded the Tarkanian Basketball Academy.

Political campaigns

2004 Nevada State Senate election

On May 4, 2004, Tarkanian filed to run in Nevada's 11th Senate district
map
against incumbent Michael A. Schneider. Schneider defeated Tarkanian in the general election. Following the election, Tarkanian successfully sued his Democratic opponent for

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

and

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

. During the campaign, Schneider made various accusations against Tarkanian, including accusing him of involvement with the creation of illegal telemarketing companies designed to defraud the elderly. The case went to trial on July 27, 2009. Schneider stood by statements he made in a 2004 debate with Tarkanian and in campaign ads and fliers accusing Tarkanian. Former assistant

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

Leif Reid, son of Nevada U.S. Senator

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...

, testified that Tarkanian was not part of the investigation into the telemarketing companies. On July 31, 2009, a

Clark County Clark County may refer to: *Clark County, Arkansas *Clark County, Idaho *Clark County, Illinois *Clark County, Indiana *Clark County, Kansas *Clark County, Kentucky *Clark County, Missouri *Clark County, Nevada, containing Las Vegas *Clark County, ...

District Court jury ruled in Tarkanian's favor and awarded him $50,000 in damages. On August 3, 2009, Schneider agreed to pay a $150,000 settlement in the case.

2006 Secretary of State election

In December 2005, Tarkanian announced his second bid for public office, this time a statewide election for Nevada Secretary of State. He defeated Brian Scroggins in the Republican primary and faced Democratic nominee

Ross Miller Ross James Miller (born March 26, 1976) is an American attorney and politician. He is a Democrat, and served as the Clark County Commissioner for District C from 2021 thru 2025, the former Secretary of State of Nevada and 2012–2013 president ...

, the son of former Nevada governor Bob Miller in the general election. Miller defeated Tarkanian in the general election.

2010 U.S. Senate election

In 2009, Tarkanian announced that he would run against Democratic U.S. Senator

. Before other candidates entered the primary, Tarkanian was the front-runner for the Republican nomination. Former Nevada Republican chairwoman Sue Lowden and former assemblywoman

Sharron Angle Sharron Elaine Angle (née Ott; born July 26, 1949) is an American politician and perennial candidate who served as a Republican member of the Nevada Assembly from 1999 to 2007. She ran unsuccessfully as the 2010 Republican nominee for the U.S. ...

entered the primary field shortly after Tarkanian's announcement and quickly overtook him in the polls. Angle won the nomination with Tarkanian finishing third in the field. Angle ultimately lost the general election to Reid.

2012 U.S. House election

In January 2012, he announced he would run in the newly created

Nevada's 4th congressional district Nevada's 4th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district that was created as a result of the 2010 United States census. Located in the central portion of the state, it includes most of northe ...

. The district includes most of northern Clark County, as well as all or part of the rural counties of Esmeralda, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye and White Pine. 46% of the district were registered Democrats, higher than the statewide average of 43%. Registered Republicans were 33% of the district, while they made up 35% statewide. In June 2012, Tarkanian won the Republican primary with 32% of the vote, defeating eight other candidates. The most notable of these was State Senator

Barbara Cegavske Barbara Katherine Cegavske (née Jewson; born August 27, 1951) is an American businesswoman and politician, who is the former Secretary of State of Nevada from 2015 to 2023. She was a Republican member of the Nevada Senate, representing Clark ...

, who won the endorsements of the party establishment. Tarkanian faced Democratic State Senate majority leader

Steven Horsford Steven Alexzander Horsford (born April 29, 1973) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 4th congressional district since 2019, previously holding the position from 2013 to 2015. He also served ...

in the general election. He lost to Horsford, 50–42%. Although Tarkanian won the rural counties in the district by margins of better than 2-to-1, it was not enough to overcome a 28,800-vote deficit in the district's share of Clark County, home to four-fifths of the district's vote.

2014 Nevada System of Higher Education Regent election

Tarkanian filed to run for NSHE Regent on March 14, 2014, and withdrew on March 25, 2014, citing that he did not want to oppose a family friend, attorney Trevor Hayes.

2016 U.S. House election

Tarkanian ran to represent

in the 2016 election. He won the Republican primary in June 2016, and faced Democrat

Jacky Rosen Jacklyn Sheryl Rosen (née Spektor; born August 2, 1957) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party ...

in the November 2016 general election. Rosen won with 47% of the vote to Tarkanian's 46%. Tarkanian sued Rosen after the election for defamation and the case is currently pending.

2018 U.S. Senate election

On August 8, 2017, Tarkanian announced on

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

that he would run against incumbent Republican

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

in the 2018 primary. Tarkanian promised firmer support for

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. He also gained the support of

Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of president Donald Trump's first ...

, the executive chairman for

Breitbart News ''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...

. In October 2017, Tarkanian was photographed with brothel owner

Dennis Hof Dennis Leroy Hof (October 14, 1946 – October 16, 2018) was an American businessman and politician. He owned seven Prostitution in Nevada, legal brothels in Nevada, most notably the Moonlite BunnyRanch. Hof was also a Republican Party (United S ...

at a county fair. On February 1, 2018, in a meeting between

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

members and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, Trump said that he would travel to Nevada to support Heller, who was doing well in the polls, in the Republican primary against Tarkanian. On March 16, 2018, hours before the filing deadline and at the request of President Trump, Tarkanian announced that he would be withdrawing from the Senate race and would instead run for

2018 U.S. House election

Tarkanian had seven times as much campaign funding as any of his primary opponents as of mid-April 2018.Tarkanian, Lee lead pack in fundraising for Nevada congressional races
, ''

Las Vegas Review-Journal The ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' is a daily subscription newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1909. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada and one of two daily newspapers in the Las Vegas area. The ''Review-Journal' ...

'', Colton Lochhead and Ramona Giwargis, April 16, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018. He won the Republican primary on June 12, 2018, with 44.1% of the vote. He faced Democrat

in the general election and lost 52–43%.

2020 Douglas County Commission election

Tarkanian ran against incumbent Republican Dave Nelson for District 1 of the Douglas County Commission, which includes the town of

Gardnerville Gardnerville is an unincorporated town in Douglas County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the county seat of Minden. The population was 6,211 at the 2020 census. U.S. Route 395 runs through the center of Gardnerville. State Route 207, kno ...

. He defeated Nelson in the June 17 primary by 17 votes. While Nelson indicated he would seek a recount, he ultimately decided against it. Tarkanian ran unopposed in the general election as no Democrat filed, making his primary victory

tantamount to election A safe seat is an electoral district which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both. With such seats, there is very little chance of a seat changing h ...

2022 U.S. House election

Tarkanian was a candidate for

Nevada's 2nd congressional district Nevada's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district that includes the northern third of the state. It includes most of Lyon County, Nevada, Lyon County, a small portion of Lincoln County, Nevada, Lincoln County, all of Churchill Count ...

in the

election, unsuccessfully challenging Republican incumbent

Mark Amodei Mark Eugene Amodei ( ; born June 12, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district since 2011. The only Republican Party (United Stat ...

. As a candidate, he has spoken in favor of banning taxpayer funding from going to

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

and breaking up

Big Tech Big Tech, also referred to as the Tech Giants or Tech Titans, is a collective term for the largest and most influential technology companies in the world. The label draws a parallel to similar classifications in other industries, such as "Big Oi ...

companies through antitrust enforcement.

2024 Douglas County Commission election

Tarkanian was reelected to a second term to District 1 of the Douglas County Commission. He narrowly won renomination in the June 11, 2024 primary 54–46%, and won the November general election with 64%

2026 Nevada Attorney General election

Tarkanian is currently running for

Nevada attorney general The Nevada Attorney General is the chief legal officer for the U.S. state of Nevada. The functions of the office are set forth in Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 228. The Attorney General represents the people of Nevada in civil and criminal mat ...

in the 2026 election.

Legal issues

In June 2012, a federal court issued a $17 million judgment against Tarkanian and his family in a California real estate deal gone bad. In February 2018, the campaign co-chair for Dean Heller filed a complaint with the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...

regarding a $40,000 loan that went from Tarkanian's charity basketball organization to his campaign during his 2012 candidacy.

Personal life

In October 2001, Tarkanian married Amy Hanson. The couple lived in

until 2019 when they moved to

. They have four children. In 2011, Amy Tarkanian was elected chairwoman of the

Nevada Republican Party The Nevada Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Nevada. The organization has a history that goes back to 1864. The party currently controls Nevada's Governor of Nevada, governorship, Nevad ...

, served about eight months, and resigned in February 2012 during her husband's primary campaign.

Electoral history

References

External links