Pro-Lombardo PAC Ad: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ‘Cutting Sweetheart Deals’

RGA Nevada PAC, an affiliate of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), released an advertisement hammering Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s (D) record ahead of the November gubernatorial election.

The television advertisement, titled “Sweetheart Deals,” reportedly has more than $1 million behind it and launches Monday.

“Pay-to-play politician Steve Sisolak gifts donors with government contracts…even ones whose COVID tests failed ninety six percent of the time. And Sisolak’s wife took a two hundred and fifty grand, no-bid contract from his cronies while he was governor,” the advertisement states. 

“Nevadans are still struggling from Sisolak’s lockdowns. Gas, rent, and groceries are crushing their budgets. But instead of helping them, Sisolak’s cutting sweetheart deals, and taking care of himself. Time for a change,” it concludes.

WATCH: 

The advertisement refers to reporting from ProPublica, which found that a coronavirus testing contractor called Northshore Clinical Laboratories was able to operate in Nevada “without proper licensing and yielded a high rate of negative COVID results for people who actually had the illness,” the Nevada Independent reported. The tests were found to have missed 96 percent of positive coronavirus cases from the University of Nevada (UNR) campus.

The publication reported:

ProPublica’s investigation also found that Northshore used political connections, including contracting with the sons of a close friend to the governor, to fast-track its state laboratory license application and secure testing agreements with five government entities in the state. Those agreements not only gave Northshore the exclusive right to test and bill for thousands of people a week, they also gave its lab a legitimacy lacking among upstart testing companies that had set up shop in strip malls and parking lots across the country.

The governor’s office called Northshore’s behavior “despicable,” but “argued that it opened an investigation and took action to suspend the company’s PCR testing and correct deficiencies the first day it was made aware of the issues.” His office has agreed to comply with a federal subpoena for documents about the company.

The advertisement also refers to reporting from 360 News Las Vegas, which in August of 2021 said that a whistle-blower sent them a copy “of a no bid contract between Southern Nevada Water District and Kathy Sisolak’s company Hoggs, Ong and Associates, Inc.”

“Ong is Kathy Sisolak’s maiden name. The no bid contract which pays Sisolak $250,000 for financial consulting services was approved on July 15, 2021 by the Southern Nevada Water Authority Board which is made up almost entirely of Clark County Democrats. The contract disclosure attached below does not mention Ong is actually Mrs. Sisolak anywhere. Let’s be clear, money going to Kathy Sisolak is money going to Steve Sisolak,” 360 News Las Vegas reported.

Clark County Sheriff and Republican Gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo has previously hit out at Sisolak over the report’s claims — Sisolak responded by taking to Twitter to accuse Lombardo of doing “anything to win.”

“Attacking my wife is a new low,” he tweeted, along with a video in which he called the accusations “baseless claims.”

RGA spokeswoman Maddie Anderson released a statement saying “Governor Sisolak has made a mockery of the governor’s office.”

“As Nevada families are struggling to pay for basic goods like gas and groceries in the Biden-Sisolak economy, it’s clear Sisolak is only looking out for number one,” she added. 

Trump-endorsed Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo is hoping to snag Sisolak’s seat in November. Both Sisolak and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) are widely considered to be some of the most vulnerable incumbents ahead of the midterms. 

RealClearPolitics gives the race a “toss-up rating,” although an average of recent polling numbers shows Lombardo leading by 1.4 percentage points. Emerson College polling from last week showed Lombardo and Sisolak tied 40 percent to 40 percent.