The Silver State has had its full share of dirty election battles, but the attorney general matchup of Democrat Ross Miller and Republican Adam Laxalt is shaping up to be a knock-down, drag-out fight.

Unlike the Grand Garden Arena, there will be no referee warnings or fighters being sent to their corners.

Miller, the son of former Nevada Governor Bob Miller, was youngest Secretary of State in Nevada history when he was elected in 2007. Before that he spent five years as deputy district attorney.

Miller is also known around the state as a mixed martial-arts fighter, a 2012 ring debut he showcases in a recent web ad.

Laxalt is the grandson of another former Nevada governor, Paul Laxalt. He is a former Navy Lieutenant and JAG officer.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Laxalt volunteered to work in the war zone prosecuting military detainees. After military service, he began working at a private law firm here in Nevada where he remained until he began his run for attorney general.

Well-known surnames are where the similarity between Laxalt and Miller ends.

It is their stark differences, not to mention the walk-in-the-park reelection bid Republican Governor Sandoval is facing, that are turning this race into the one to watch in Nevada.

Miller’s track record in statewide elections has helped him maintain high name recognition. He had managed to avoid any political or personal controversies.

Few voters have ever heard of Adam Laxalt. He has never run for any office, let alone one for a top statewide post. Yet, he is no stranger to being the subject of attention-grabbing headlines.

Early last year, it became public that his father was former New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici; his mother had decided after becoming pregnant to raise her son on her own and not make news of the married father’s affair.

The personal is proving to be very political. Besides that biographical fact, a confidential and negative internal performance review done by Laxalt’s law firm, Lewis and Roca was leaked last week.

The law firm immediately released a statement saying, in part, “release of these documents was not authorized by the firm,” and that they “do not represent the current view of Lewis Roca Rothgerber LLP about Adam.”

In response to the leak, Laxalt released another evaluation of his work, this one from his time as a naval prosecutor in Iraq, which called him, “exceptionally skilled,” and an “outstanding performer.”

Three days prior to the documents going public, partners from the Lewis Roca Reno office held a fundraiser for Miller, although I am told the candidate himself did not attend. When asked if Miller thought it right for someone to leak the review, or if the campaign had any comment regarding the fundraiser held for him, I did not receive a response from the campaign.

The attorney general’s race has already started out like a Vegas show. But in the coming months honest reporting and diligent voters can help see past low blows.

– Ciara Matthews is a national political reporter for the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity.

Editor’s note: This content has been changed since posting.