Danny Tarkanian
Danny Tarkanian is an American attorney, businessman, and Republican political candidate. He serves on the Douglas County Commission in Nevada, representing the 1st district. He was elected in 2020, defeating the incumbent in the Republican primary, and was re-elected in 2024.
Over the years, Tarkanian has mounted many campaigns but has not won higher office. He sought the Nevada Senate in 2004, the Nevada Secretary of State in 2006, the U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2018, and the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2022.
Background and education: He was born December 18, 1961, in Redlands, California. He is the son of Jerry Tarkanian, a famous UNLV basketball coach, and Lois Tarkanian. The family moved to Nevada in 1973. He attended Bishop Gorman High School, where he excelled in basketball and football. He played college basketball at UNLV under his father. He was briefly drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 1984 but did not make the team. He earned a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and practiced law in Nevada. He has been involved in real estate investments and co-founded the Tarkanian Basketball Academy.
Key political moments: In 2004 he ran for Nevada State Senate but lost. He later sued one of his opponents for libel and defamation; a 2009 verdict awarded him damages, and the other side settled for $150,000. He ran for Nevada Secretary of State in 2006 and lost. He announced a bid for the U.S. Senate against Harry Reid, but the field shifted, and he eventually ran for the U.S. House in 2012 and 2016, losing both times (to Steven Horsford in 2012 and to Jacky Rosen in 2016; he later sued Rosen for defamation). In 2018 he aimed for the U.S. Senate again but withdrew to run for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, winning the GOP nomination but losing to Susie Lee in the general election. In 2020 he won a seat on the Douglas County Commission, and in 2022 he also ran for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, losing to incumbent Mark Amodei. He was reelected to the Douglas County Commission in 2024 and, as of 2026, is running for Nevada attorney general.
Other notes: He has faced various legal and political controversies, including a 2012 federal judgment related to a California real estate deal and a 2018 complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission regarding a campaign loan linked to his charity basketball organization.
Personal life: He married Amy Hanson in 2001, and they have four children. The couple lived in Las Vegas until 2019, when they moved to Gardnerville. Amy Tarkanian later became involved in Nevada Republican Party leadership for a period in the early 2010s.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 20:56 (CET).