Ron Knecht
Ron Knecht (Republican Party) was the Nevada Controller. He assumed office in 2015. He left office on January 1, 2019.
Knecht (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Nevada Controller. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Knecht completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
He served in the Nevada Assembly for the 2002-04 term, representing District 40 (Carson and Washoe Cities). Knecht served on the Nevada University Board of Regents for District 9 from January 2007 to January 2015.[1][2]
Biography
Knecht is an economic and policy analyst, a registered professional mechanical engineer (in California), and lawyer who has worked in both the public and private sectors.[3] Prior to becoming Nevada Controller, he conducted economic, financial, technical, and policy analyses as an economist and has testified as an expert witness in those areas. Additionally, Knecht worked for 12 firms and public interest groups as either a founder, executive or board member. In the public sphere, he served as a senior economist at Nevada’s Public Utilities Commission from 2001-2012.[4]
Education
- B.S., in liberal arts and sciences, University of Illinois (1971)
- M.S., in engineering, Stanford University (1989)
- J.D., University of San Francisco (1995)[3]
Political career
Nevada Controller (2015-2019)
Knecht was first elected to the controller's office on November 4, 2014. He was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, replacing term-limited predecessor Kim Wallin (D).[1] He served until January 2019.
Nevada Board of Regents (2007-2014)
Knecht was first elected to the Nevada Board of Regents, representing the Sierra Front region, in 2006. He was re-elected in 2012, and remained on the Board until 2014[1][5]
Nevada Assembly, District 40 (2002-2004)
Knecht represented District 40 in the Nevada State Assembly from 2002 to 2004.[1]
Committee assignments
Knecht served on the following committees:[3][1]
- Periodic Presidential Evaluation Committee
- Audit Committee
- Business and Finance Committee
- Health Sciences System Committee
- Investment and Facilities Committee
Elections
2018
- See also: Nevada Controller election, 2018
General election
General election for Nevada Controller
Catherine Byrne defeated incumbent Ron Knecht in the general election for Nevada Controller on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Catherine Byrne (D) | 50.6 | 487,068 | |
| Ron Knecht (R) | 46.2 | 445,099 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 3.2 | 30,500 | ||
| Total votes: 962,667 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Nevada Controller
Catherine Byrne advanced from the Democratic primary for Nevada Controller on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Catherine Byrne | |
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Nevada Controller
Incumbent Ron Knecht advanced from the Republican primary for Nevada Controller on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Ron Knecht | |
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
Knecht ran for election to the office of Nevada Controller. Knecht secured the Republican nomination in the primary on June 10, 2014.[6] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
General election
| Nevada Controller, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Ron Knecht |
52.5% | 282,674 | |
| Democratic | Andrew Martin | 37.6% | 202,573 | |
| Independent American | Tom Jones | 5.4% | 29,108 | |
| Independent | None of these candidates | 4.4% | 23,811 | |
| Total Votes | 538,166 | |||
| Election results via Nevada Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Nevada Controller, Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Ron Knecht |
52.6% | 56,497 | ||
| Barry Herr | 19.4% | 20,820 | ||
| None of these candidates | 14.4% | 15,423 | ||
| Cort Arlint | 13.7% | 14,736 | ||
| Total Votes | 107,476 | |||
| Election results via Nevada Secretary of State. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Ron Knecht participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on May 15, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Ron Knecht's responses follow below.[7]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | 1) Continue to do the very good job we've done on ministerial & back-office functions (nuts & bolts work of Controller's office) -- no drama, turmoil or troubles. Just quiet, effective leadership of a good team. 2) Continue and expand the unprecedented transparency and accountability job we've done with Controller's Annual Report (CAR), weekly column and other writing/speaking outreach. 3) Exercise even more vigorously and extensively the statutory charge to: recommend plans for: support of public credit; promoting frugality and economy; better management of the state's fiscal affairs and better understanding of them.[8][9] | ” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | I'm passionate about transparency and accountability; the rule of law; constitutionally limited government; separation of powers between national, state and local units; separation of functional powers at each level; individual sovereignty and personal liberty; individual rights, not group rights; strong property rights; and high levels of economic freedom. All that leads to economic growth and prosperity; freedom and human flourishing; and true fairness -- the basic public interests. It requires that we rein in government spending, taxing, borrowing, regulation and most intervention. I'm also passionate about education, especially with parental choice, and the Bill of Rights.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[9]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Ron Knecht answered the following:
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?
| “ | I look up to former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Abe Lincoln; former Oklahoma Congressman and Senator Tom Coburn; and Mother Theresa. Also, economists Ronald Coase, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Mancur Olson, James Buchanan, Thomas Sowell and Robert Barro. SCOTUS Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito. Also, Peter Huber, Bjorn Lomborg, Peggy Noonan and Rosa Parks.[9] | ” |
| “ | Essays: Ronald Coase, On the Problem of Social Cost; Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence; Ralph Waldo Emerson, Gifts. Books: Richard Posner, Economic Analysis of Law; Henry David Thoreau, Walden; Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn; F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. Films: Casablanca, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Fiddler on the Roof, The Godfather Series, It's a Wonderful Life, Excalibur, GWTW, The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, For Love of the Game, The Deer Hunter, Beauty and The Beast (original version). Other: The Simpsons; Calvin and Hobbes; Pogo. Music: Too much to list, and that's true with all these categories. Athletes Sandy Koufax, Bill Russell, Stan Musial, Billy Mills, Ted Williams, Glen Cunningham, Lou Gehrig, Roger Bannister. Etc.[9] | ” |
| “ | Integrity, diligence, sense of humor, intelligence, patience, decency, compassion, tough-mindedness, vision, kindness, stamina, love, fidelity, courage, friendliness, modesty, genuineness, etc.[9] | ” |
| “ | Most of the above to some degree.[9] | ” |
| “ | Taking care of the ministerial functions and nuts and bolts in a businesslike, effective way, as described above. Promoting transparency and accountability and government performance/reform, as described above. Also, the items from rule of law to economic freedom, as discussed above.[9] | ” |
| “ | I'd like to turn around our slide into progressivism, liberal statism, political correctness, etc. that has greatly diminished American Exceptionalism and the American Dream. That slide has diminished economic growth and thus human wellbeing and flourishing, freedom, creativity and fairness. I'm in politics because I want to restore the legacy of hope, growth and opportunity left to our generation for my 16-year-old daughter and all our children.[9] | ” |
| “ | My first historical event memory is seeing Dick and Pat Nixon on TV walking toward the stage at the Republican convention to accept re-nomination as VP; I was seven. That scene means vey little to me today or ever, but you asked about first such memory and that's the answer.[9] | ” |
| “ | Grass cutting and snow shoveling as a teenager -- the only way I ever had any money from 13 to 18. Other odd jobs during that time, then the shoe factory, the in-store bakery, etc.[9] | ” |
| “ | Awkward only because of the outcome: Parking with high school girlfriend, and car got stuck in mud. Had to call Dad to get towed out. She, BTW, was wonderful.[9] | ” |
| “ | Thanksgiving, Christmas, July 4th, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Valentines Day and My Birthday. Labor Day only because our wedding was that day. All because they're great in their own terms; Thanksgiving is the most American holiday and a good thing in its nature. Christmas is just warm and wonderful.[9] | ” |
| “ | Close race between Huck Finn, Walden, Catch-22.[9] | ” |
| “ | Huck Finn, Richard Blaine, Tevye, George Bailey, Rhett Butler, King Arthur, Vito Corleone, Jay Gatsby or Billy Chapel (or Roy Hobbs?).[9] | ” |
| “ | Wife, daughter and mother-in-law -- although they're definitely not inanimate things. Otherwise a choice between mahogany dining room set with massive table and cathedral-size china cabinet, etc. plus robins-egg blue Chinese rug and lovely chandelier versus 2017 ruby-red metallic clear-coat Mustang GT 5.0 my wife and daughter forced me to get.[9] | ” |
| “ | Unchained Melody, The Righteous Brothers; Desperado, The Eagles.[9] | ” |
| “ | Seven years ago, after having been an active jock boy all my life, I fell and broke my hip while running; it wouldn't heal and I got hip replacement. Subsequently, back problems (spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis) required laminectomy and fusion, L3-S1. Stenosis is creeping up my back and is also in neck. All of this has caused me trouble walking and doing many other things for last four years and made vigorous physical activity only a memory. Also, considerable pain and discomfort.[9] | ” |
| “ | We execute an essential function in ministerial and back-office work. Also, have higher visibility charge on transparency, accountability, government performance & reform, etc., as described above.[9] | ” |
| “ | Both the nuts and bolts (ministerial and back-office functions) and the transparency, accountability and government performance/reform, etc. functions are important.[9] | ” |
| “ | Controller serves on Transportation, Finance and Audit Boards.[9] | ” |
| “ | Yes, very much.[9] | ” |
| “ | Economic, financial and policy analysis, especially for transparency, accountability, performance/reform, etc. functions. Supervisory, management and executive leadership in general. Accounting is useful, but we have good staff accountants. Engineering, economics and regulation for transportation board. Auditing or audit oversight for audit board. Finance, especially including cost-of-capital and investment portfolio management for finance board.[9] | ” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
| Ron Knecht | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | At-large delegate |
| State: | Nevada |
| Bound to: | Unknown |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
Knecht was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Nevada.[10] In the Nevada Republican caucuses on February 23, 2016, Donald Trump won 14 delegates, Marco Rubio won seven, Ted Cruz won six, and John Kasich won one. Two delegates were unbound. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Knecht was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how Nevada’s Republican delegates were allocated, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.[11]
Delegate rules
Delegates from Nevada to the Republican National Convention were elected at the Nevada Republican Convention in May 2016. Delegates were bound on the first ballot unless the candidate to whom they were pledged suspended his campaign. However, a presidential candidate who withdrew from the presidential race could keep his delegates by submitting a request to the state party secretary stating that they remain bound on the first ballot.
Nevada caucus results
- See also: Presidential election in Nevada, 2016
| Nevada Republican Caucus, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
45.9% | 34,531 | 14 | |
| Marco Rubio | 23.9% | 17,940 | 7 | |
| Ted Cruz | 21.4% | 16,079 | 6 | |
| Ben Carson | 4.8% | 3,619 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 3.6% | 2,709 | 1 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.2% | 170 | 0 | |
| Jeb Bush | 0.1% | 64 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.1% | 50 | 0 | |
| Totals | 75,162 | 28 | ||
| Source: Nevada GOP | ||||
Delegate allocation
Nevada had 30 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 12 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's four congressional districts). Nevada's district-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; each candidate who won a percentage of the statewide caucus vote in Nevada was entitled to a share of the state's district delegates.[12][13]
Of the remaining 18 delegates, 15 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; each candidate who won a percentage of the statewide caucus vote in Nevada was entitled to a share of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[12][13]
Personal life
He was born and raised in a small town in the Midwest. He has been a resident of Nevada since 2001, where he lives with his wife, Kathy, and their daughter.[1]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Ron + Knecht + Nevada + Controller"
See also
| Nevada | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
- Nevada State Assembly
- Nevada Controller
- Nevada down ballot state executive elections, 2014
- Nevada Controller election, 2018
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Nevada Controller, "Controller Bio," accessed Aug. 18, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Ron Knecht," May 15, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNHSE - ↑ Ron Knecht Information Nevada System of Higher Education
- ↑ NHSE, "Former Members of the Board of Regents," accessed Aug. 18, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsos - ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Ron Knecht's responses," May 15, 2018
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 9.19 9.20 9.21 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Nevada GOP, "National Delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention," May 15, 2016
- ↑ To build our list of the state and territorial delegations to the 2016 Republican National Convention, Ballotpedia relied primarily upon official lists provided by state and territorial Republican parties, email exchanges and phone interviews with state party officials, official lists provided by state governments, and, in some cases, unofficial lists compiled by local media outlets. When possible, we included what type of delegate the delegate is (at-large, district-level, or RNC) and which candidate they were bound by state and national party bylaws to support at the convention. For most delegations, Ballotpedia was able to track down all of this information. For delegations where we were not able to track down this information or were only able to track down partial lists, we included this note. If you have additional information on this state's delegation, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kim Wallin (D) |
Nevada Controller 2015-2019 |
Succeeded by Catherine Byrne (D) |
| Preceded by ' |
Nevada Board of Regents, Member 2007-2014 |
Succeeded by {{{after}}} |
| Preceded by ' |
Nevada State Assemblyman, District 40 2002-2004 |
Succeeded by ' |
| ||||||||||||||
 |
State of Nevada Carson City (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2024 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |