Nevada’s Largest Newspaper Endorses Joe Lombardo, Adam Laxalt Over Democrat Opponents

The editorial board for Nevada’s largest newspaper endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt instead of vulnerable Democrat incumbents Gov. Steve Sisolak and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).

The Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s endorsements come as both Laxalt and Lombardo pull ahead of their opponents two weeks out from the high-stakes midterm elections. The editorial board called Sisolak “heavy-handed” and Cortez Masto a “loyal foot soldier” for President Joe Biden’s radical agenda.

While the Las Vegas Review-Journal board wrote on Thursday that “history dealt [Sisolak] an unfortunate hand” as far as governing during “a public health crisis not seen in a century,” the board criticized his “heavy-handed” pandemic approach which involved mandates and edicts with “minimal explanation.”

The board also raised concerns about several other aspects of Sisolak’s record and noted he “did little to temper the progressive instincts of legislative Democrats” despite running as a moderate:

He signed a bill allowing state employees to collectively bargain, which will be a fiscal albatross for the state. Gov. Sisolak now says he supports breaking up the Clark County School District, but he did little during his first two legislative sessions to promote reform of the state’s moribund public education system. The governor signed legislation keeping secret some information of state pension recipients. Several agencies — including the DMV and unemployment office — have been a mess.

The board went on to criticize Sisolak for supporting tax hikes.

The editorial board did criticize Clark County Sheriff Lombardo for his “aversion to open records,” but overall called him a “formidable and vital check on an activist Democratic Legislature.”

“Gov. Sisolak has served honorably, but we believe change is in order. Vote for Joe Lombardo,” the board concluded.

A few days later, the Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board threw its support behind Laxalt and accused Cortez Masto of “avoiding tough questions.”

“Sen. Cortez Masto is asking voters for a second term. But on the campaign trail, she’s been avoiding tough questions, seeking shelter in the comfort of friendly forces and refusing other interviews. Politicians who don’t have the courage to defend their own records are in the wrong line of work,” the board wrote.

The board also pegged the embattled senator as a “loyal foot soldier for the Biden economic energy agenda,” which has “triggered the highest rates of inflation in 40 years.” The board said it is also concerned that Cortez Masto would fail to oppose “radical reforms,” such as abolishing the filibuster, packing the Supreme Court, legalization of late-term abortion, and the nationalization of voting laws, if elected again.

The board called former state Attorney General Laxalt a “preferable alternative,” but remarked how he was “unfortunately swept up in the Trump-stolen-election nonsense” before “acknowled[ing] that Joe Biden is the president…” Overall, the board said it believes Laxalt would bring a “fiscally prudent outlook to the Senate” and would “push back against green extremism.”

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