1986Final results
1986 election for Nevada's 1st District
U.S. House · Nevada
James Bilbray (D) won with 54.1% of the vote, defeating Bob Ryan (R) by 10.0 points.
James BilbrayDemocrat · winner
54.1%61,830
Bob RyanRepublican
44.0%50,342
Gordon Michael MorrisLibertarian
1.9%2,145
114,317 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1986
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
James BilbrayBob Ryan
$391K
Raised by the campaign
$280.8K
$387.7K
Spent by the campaign
$276.1K
$3.3K
Cash on hand
$4.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986