LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Clark County Commissioner Ross Miller’s decision against seeking re-election opened an opportunity that attracted five candidates for the June 11 primary with two advancing to the general election.

Democrats Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod and Hunter Cain will compete for a spot on the ballot. On the Republican side, April Becker, Gail G. Powers and Thomas “Wags” Wagner are on the primary ballot.

The winners in each party will face off in the Nov. 5 general election to represent District C, west of U.S. 94 and north of Charleston Boulevard. It contains a few neighborhoods south of Charleston and east of Rainbow Boulevard, as well as extending to the Mt. Charleston area.

Bilbray-Axelrod is serving her fourth term in the Nevada Assembly. Getting on the county commission represents a change of direction for her into local politics.

Cain is a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran and a single foster parent. He’s trying to become the commission’s first openly LGBTQ member.

Democrats have held all the seats on the county commission since 2008.

Becker, a top-rated business litigator, was a strong Republican challenger for U.S. Rep. Susie Lee’s seat in Congress two years ago, and she nearly took down Nicole Cannizzaro in the Nevada Senate in 2020. But the strong showings haven’t resulted in a win yet.

Powers is a businesswoman who has never held public office, but she has lived in the area since 1956. “I know the area better than anybody,” she told 8 News Now.

Wagner is a 25-year veteran of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He lists responsible growth as one of his priorities.

That’s one of the big issues in the northwest valley as growth creeps closer and closer to Mt. Charleston.