2022 NEVADA GENERAL ELECTION

VOTER GUIDE reviewjournal.com

Early voting: Oct. 22 - Nov. 4 • Election Day: Nov. 8 • Return ballot by mail (postmarked by): Nov. 8 • Return ballot in person: Nov. 8

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REVIEWJOURNAL.COM/VOTERS-GUIDE-2022 To our readers:

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VERY year, we hear politicians saying “this is the most important election of our lifetimes.” Most of the time, it’s not. But in reality, every election is important in its own way. Nevada and the nation are facing serious problems, from inflation to gas prices to affordable housing to the falling water levels in Lake Mead. These are serious issues in need of serious solutions. This voter guide is the Review-Journal’s attempt to give you the critical information you need to make decisions about how to solve the serious problems that we face, in our valley, our state and our nation. Nearly every reporter on the newspaper’s staff contributed to this guide. We tried to inter-

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view every candidate running for office, and ask them about the issues in their respective races. In addition, we have asked every candidate running in the general election to provide us with biographical information that you can find online that may also help you make a decision. Most candidates replied to our efforts, although some did not. In our print edition, we’ve focused on some of the top races. But stories on all of the races can be found online. (To figure out who your representatives are, you can access the Clark County elections department website, or the Nevada Legislature’s database.) Our goal was to create the most informed electorate possible, in the hopes that the voters could fulfill their central role in our democratic republic: deciding how their government of, by and for the people should

run, and determining what kind of a nation we will become. There are many ways to participate in the election, all of which are secure. You can fill out the mail ballot that will be sent to every active registered voter in the state. If you prefer to vote in person, you can do so during the two weeks of early voting that lead up to Election Day. Or, if you are a traditionalist, you can go to the polls in person on Election Day, Nov. 8. Now matter how you choose to participate, we hope that you will use this voter guide to make your decisions. The opportunity to have a say in the direction of your country is a hard-won right that we all enjoy. It’s our hope that every eligible voter gets educated, turns out and casts a ballot in this election.

Steve Sebelius Politics & Government Editor

For the latest stories on the 2022 election, including previews of every major Southern Nevada race ▶ reviewjournal.com/voters-guide-2022

U.S. SENATE

Cortez Masto, Laxalt draw contrasts Economic issues, abortion factors in Senate battle By Colton Lochhead

Las Vegas Review-Journal

U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is facing one of the toughest reelection bids among Democratic incumbents in a race that will play a significant role in determining which party controls the upper house of Congress heading into the second half of President Joe Biden’s first term. Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, the grandson of former Nevada governor and Sen. Paul Laxalt, has mounted a well-funded challenge

for the seat, and polling in the race Libertarian Neil Scott. Scott could not has shown it to be virtually a be reached for an interview for dead heat. this story. Both Cortez Masto and Laxalt previously served as Cortez Masto Nevada attorney general, but Cortez Masto said in an similarities between the two interview with the Reviewall but end after that. Laxalt Journal that she is hoping to has focused his campaign on build upon her work in the economic issues and inflation Catherine Senate over the past six years, and gone after Cortez Masto Cortez Masto where she serves as Senate for support of President Joe Energy and Natural Resources Biden’s spending packages. Committee subcommittee Cortez Masto, meanwhile, has chair and is a member on the hammered Laxalt over his antiSenate committees on banking, finance and Indian affairs. abortion stances and his role The senator pointed to the in promoting unsubstantiated provisions in the Inflation claims of widespread voter Reduction Act aimed a lowerfraud during the 2020 election. ing prescription drug prices There are also three minorAdam and creating jobs in the green party candidates on the ballot Laxalt energy sector as ways the legisthis year: nonpartisan Barry lation will lower costs. Lindemann, Independent American “I’ll keep working in the Senate on Party candidate Barry Rubinson and

legislation like this that strengthens our economy and makes life easier on Nevadans,” she said. She was one of four Western senators who helped secure $4 billion in last-minute funding to address the worsening drought and water crisis in the Inflation Reduction Act. That money is expected in part to pay farmers to leave fields unplanted and fund conservation projects. Cortez Masto said that while those funds will help in the short run, they aren’t enough to address the longterm effects of the 22-year drought that has gripped the Southwest. “It’s an incentive to focus on what we need to do in the long-term,” she said. Cortez Masto recently disagreed with President Joe Biden about his student loan forgiveness decision and See SENATE 4

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GOVERNOR

Sheriff aims to derail Sisolak bid Candidates air stances on water, abortion, education, rising crime By Colton Lochhead

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Gov. Steve Sisolak is looking to hold off a trio of challengers in his bid for a second term in a race that includes Republican challenger Joe Lombardo, the two-term sheriff of Clark County. A pair of third-party

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his decision to lift the Trump-era immigration policy known as Title 42, a move which she has said “is not good policy.” “There’s a way to fix our immigration system and secure our borders,” Cortez Masto said, adding that she wants to work to ensure the funding needed to do so. Laxalt Laxalt served one term as attorney general before running unsuccessfully for governor in 2018. Laxalt did not agree to an interview for this story. In previous interviews and written responses to a Review-Journal questionnaire, he said he is running because “leftist leadership is taking us dramatically in the wrong direction.” Laxalt has heavily criticized Cortez Masto for her support of the Biden spending bills such as the Inflation Reduction Act, arguing that they have driven up inflation and costs for Americans. “Inflation — both related to COVID and non-COVID spending in Washington — is a threat to both the American economy and the global economy because it endangers the U.S. dollar’s status as a reserve cur-

candidates in Libertarian Brandon Davis and Independent American Party candidate Ed Bridges round out the ticket. The COVID-19 pandemic overshadowed much of Sisolak’s first term in office, and the Democratic incumbent has said that he wants four more years to tackle the objectives such as improv-

ing education and diversifying the economy that the pandemic put on hold. Lombardo, who has served as sheriff of the state’s most populous county since 2015, decided to run for governor because he disagreed with Sisolak’s handling of the pandemic and believes he can better lead the state. The sheriff says the top issues facing the state are economic diversity, education and law and order. “My view of the state and the state government is that we do a lot of handing out other people’s money to

rency,” he wrote in response to a new election law on a party-line vote Review-Journal questionnaire. amid the pandemic. Abortion protections quickly beIn August 2021, he told a news came a major campaign issue after radio host that he would look at prethe conservative majority on the U.S. emptively filing lawsuits to challenge Supreme Court in June overturned the state’s election systems ahead of the Roe v. Wade decision and the 2022 elections. allowed for states to outlaw abortions. The majority of Other candidates abortions are now banned in Barry Lindemann, a 57-yearat least 13 states, according to old nonpartisan candidate, is The New York Times. running for the seat over concerns about water manageThe decision made no immediate impact on Nevada, ment in the West and along where voters in 1990 approved Barry the Colorado River. Lindemann a referendum to allow abor“The issue is the whole tions up to the 24th week of river system. There has to be a pregnancy. That law can be undone universal approach to how the water only by another vote of the people, is used. Nobody, from what I can or if Congress were to pass a federal tell, has done anything about this, abortion ban that would supersede and it’s time,” Lindemann said in an Nevada’s law, such as the one introinterview. duced by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, He describes himself as subscribing to the “live and let live” mindset R-S.C., in September that would outlaw abortions after 15 weeks. with most things but believes the federal government needs to firm Regarding his stance on abortion, Laxalt wrote in an opinion piece in up the southern border with Mexico and wants the federal government to the Reno Gazette Journal that abortion restrictions should be decided stop spending. on a state-by-state basis. “Let the market decide what the Laxalt has been one of the most costs are and then deregulate and vocal promoters of unsubstantiated reduce the size of government,” he claims of widespread voter fraud said. in Nevada after the 2020 election. Lindemann wants to further address student loan debt by resetting Serving as the Trump campaign’s co-chair in Nevada, Laxalt cast doubt all federal student loans down to a 2.5 percent interest rate, which on election security in the state and would make for smaller, more mancriticized Democrats for passing a

solve other people’s problems. But we don’t have a plan in place to address our problems in the future,” Lombardo said. Here’s how the candidates stances stack up on some of the key issues heading into November: Water, energy and climate Sisolak said he wants to look at every possible solution when it comes to addressing the drought-driven water crisis along the Colorado River, includSee GOVERNOR 6

ageable payments, and forgiving all penalties for late payments. “The government’s policies are responsible in a big way for the way the economy is,” Lindemann said. “Why are you penalizing (students) on top of that if the government put you into a crappy economy?” Independent American Party candidate Barry Rubinson, a 77-yearold retired software designer, said he believes that Democrats and Republicans have strayed too far from the center. He said he wants to see rational policy to address global warming, believes that federal spending needs to be reduced and wants to rein in dark money spending by big corporations on elections. “Candidates right now are basically bought,” Rubinson said. Rubinson said that his party favors states’ rights, but he’s open to federal legislation when it comes to abortions. He said he is worried that some states are going too far in restricting access to abortions, while others are moving to make their abortion laws too liberal. “If something does get enacted into federal law, I’d like to see limitations on late-term abortions to real medical problems,” he said. Contact Colton Lochhead at [email protected] Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.

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▶ GOVERNOR Continued from Page 4

ing pushing for the six other states that rely on the Colorado to catch up with the conservation measures that have been put in place by the Southern Nevada Water Authority over the past two decades. Sisolak, who served on the Las Vegas Valley Water District when he was a Clark County commissioner, said that Nevada is in a better position than other states thanks to the low-lake-level pumping station and third straw that can pull water from Lake Mead even if it drops to a point where water can’t be released. But Sisolak said there are additional policies the state could look at, such as working with municipalities to remove grass front yards. Lombardo said he would like to see jurisdictions be more aggressive with conservation measures, including “removing all green spaces,” and looking to curb water use in the agriculture sector downstream of Hoover Dam. Neither Sisolak nor Lombardo think the concerns over future water supplies should hinder Southern Nevada from growing. Clark County is expected to grow by 1 million residents by 2060, according to forecasts by UNLV. California recently passed legislation to effectively ban the sale of gas vehicles by 2035. But that is not a step either Lombardo or Sisolak say they are willing to take for Nevada. Abortion Abortion protections quickly became a major campaign issues after the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned the Roe v. Wade decision and allowed for states to outlaw abortions. The decision made no immediate impact on Nevada, where voters in 1990 approved a referendum to allow abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy. That law can only be undone by another vote of the people or if the federal government were to pass some kind of national abortion restriction. Both Sisolak and Lombardo have vowed to fight to support Nevada’s abortion law if Republicans passed a nationwide ban, but their views on other forms of abortion restrictions and policies differ. After the Dobbs decision, Sisolak issued an executive order that made it so that no Nevada agency can provide

Nevada. During a campaign stump in July, former President Donald Trump, flanked by Lombardo, called Nevada a “cesspool of crime.” Lombardo has tried to lay the blame of the uptick in crime on criminal justice reforms passed by Democrats during Sisolak’s first term. But criminologists say that jurisdictions that have embraced such reforms have not seen crime rates go up faster than other jurisdictions. Crime trends in Las Vegas have tracked closely to what has been seen in other major cities, with overall crime numbers increasing from 2020 to 2021, but still a good clip below 2019 levels. Lombardo said he will repeal “soft on crime policies,” specifically Assembly Bill 236 of the 2019 session. That bill was an omnibus criminal justice reform package, which Lombardo’s department did not oppose, aimed Education at reducing the rate at which The Clark County School District is facing a yearslong teacher people return to prison to lower shortage that only continues to Joe spending on incarceration. worsen. In mid-July, the district Lombardo Among other changes, the had more than twice as many bill raised the trigger for a vacancies as it saw in the same felony theft charge from $650 period in 2020 and 2021. to $1,200 and increased the Asked how he would address weight of drugs for a person that issue, Lombardo said he to be charged with felony trafficking. wants to make it easier to become a teacher and would look Sisolak, who has been to reduce the teacher licensing criticized for the low pay and requirements and streamline overall lack of staffing for state Brandon the process overall. police, said that there needs to Davis But he said his first focus be more funding to hire more would be repealing the state law enpolice officers and raise their pay to be acted in 2019 that put restorative justice competitive with other law enforcepolicies in place for students 10 years or ment jobs, and has said he would call for that increase during the 2023 older, meaning there are less punitive Legislature. and more reflective measures in place such as behavioral intervention and Elections referrals to a student support team. Democrats in 2021 moved Nevada to “We have to go back to the discipline an all-mail ballot election system, with model we experienced in years past,” the ability for voters to opt out of receivLombardo said. Sisolak said that he would push to get ing a mail ballot. Republicans have teachers another raise but that the state railed against the change fueled by unsubstantiated claims of mail ballots needs to get more teachers in the pipeline; he said the Nevada State College leading to voter fraud, claims stoked should play a large role in that effort. heavily by Trump. “Teacher’s shouldn’t have to drive for Lombardo hasn’t embraced the Uber or wait tables to ensure they can same election denial rhetoric as others make ends meet,” Sisolak said. in his party, but he has been critical of Sisolak and the Democrats over the Crime switch to mail ballots. Lombardo said Mirroring a national trend, rising he said that he believes mail ballots crime has becoming a major talkare “ripe for fraud” and would seek to ing point for Republicans running in repeal Nevada’s mail-in ballot law and information or use resources to help authorities from other states in investigating people for receiving or providing an abortion in Nevada. Sisolak said he would push to codify that executive order into law during the next legislative session in 2023. Sisolak said he would also continue to fund family planning centers. “I’m a firm believer that the choice of when to start is family is between a woman and her doctor,” Sisolak said. Lombardo, who has run on an anti-abortion platform, has said that he would consider other restrictions on abortions such as parental notification. Lombardo called Sisolak’s executive order “political theater” and said that Steve he would consider repealing it Sisolak if elected. But Lombardo more recently issued a statement changing his position on repeal of that order.

would also push to make so-called ballot harvesting illegal again and implement voter ID requirements. Other candidates Davis, 40, is the CEO of MNGR, a marketing and advertising agency in Las Vegas. He told the Review-Journal that he decided to run because he saw politicians in both parties passing legislation that he believes has not been in the best interest of Nevadans. Davis pointed to the 2015 tax increased passed by Republicans under Sandoval and to pandemic policies put in place by Sisolak in 2020. He said the growth of the nonpartisan and third-party voting groups in Nevada has given rise to “politically homeless” voters who don’t fit into either major party. “Most people in the state want to keep government out of their lives,” Davis said. “I’m the voice of those people in the middle.” He said his biggest issue is the economy and addressing inflation, which he would do by repealing existing taxes such as the 2015 commerce tax and streamlining occupational licensing in the state. Davis said he would not seek to make any changes to Nevada’s abortion laws. On elections, he said he thinks Nevada’s mail-in ballot system works and would support a switch to a rankedchoice voting for the state as a way of creating system that takes control away from the two major political parties. He said he supports alternatives to public education, such as education savings accounts and private school vouchers. Bridges, 86, a member of the Independent American Party, is a retired financial adviser who is running because he feels like the Republican and Democratic parties “have sort of merged and are ignoring the constitution.” “Both parties are straying from our constitution, both are controlled by Washington. We have a lot of independent people in Nevada, but they don’t vote that way,” he said. Bridges said that Nevada should require people to show identification and proof of citizenship to vote and that Nevada should consider taking away a person’s right to vote if they receive welfare aid. Contact Colton Lochhead at [email protected]. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NEVADA DISTRICT 1

Split on spending in House race Titus notes aid for Nevada; foes cite fiscal waste By Gary Martin

Review-Journal Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dina Titus is touting her success in bringing economic assistance and transportation projects to Southern Nevada in her race for re-election against GOP challenger Mark Robertson, a retired U.S. Army colonel who wants to return fiscal responsibility to Congress. Libertarian candidate Ken Cavanaugh said less government would

provide more personal freedom and liberty. All three candidates are on the Nov. 8 general election ballot in the newly drawn Congressional District 1, which includes Las Vegas, portions of Henderson and Boulder City. Voters will have distinct choices in the race with an outcome that could factor into which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. Titus, 72, is seeking a seventh term in Congress. Before Congress, she served 20 years in the Nevada state Senate. She is a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee chairwoman and House Homeland Security Committee member. She wrote pandemic relief and infrastructure legislation that garnered Republican support for highway, airport, rail and

water projects that will pour millions into Nevada. In her House leadership role, Titus was instrumental in changing federal funding formulas to include the unemployment rate of a state, which brought an additional $1 billion to Nevada in economic aid during a pandemic that killed 1 million Americans, including more than 11,000 people in Nevada. “We were the hardest hit area with the highest unemployment in the country. And now we’re the fastest recovering,” Titus said, citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. She said federal funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act helped Nevada businesses, workers and families

with loans, unemployment benefits, vaccines and equipment and training for first responders. “We need to continue in this vein to fully have a sustained recovery,” Titus said. Fighting spending Her opponents, Robertson and Cavanaugh, have called recent federal spending wasteful and said it resulted in record-breaking inflation. Robertson, 63, said he has talked to thousands of residents in Southern Nevada, and the No. 1 issue is the economy, and inflation. “And what got us into inflation was excessive wasteful government spending in the trillions — and then shutting down our economy, shutting See DISTRICT 1 8

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the factories and the stores,” Robertson told the Review-Journal. Robertson, a veteran and former Defense Department senior adviser, is running on his experience as a businessman and financial planner. He gave up his business to run for Congress. “You stop the excessive wasteful government spending and you stop paying people not to work. They go back to work in our factories, and business owners can find people to hire and produce the goods and services,” said Robertson, who taught business at UNLV. He dismisses Dina the argument that Titus the Russian war in Ukraine, and its impact on energy supplies, is the cause of skyrocketing inflation. Robertson said the rate of inflation in the United States Mark was at 7.8 percent Robertson before the war. During the coronavirus pandemic, Robertson said the government shut down the economy, then sent money to bail out states and local governments, which now have budget surpluses. Money, he said, also was wastefully given to businesses and workers, some without need. Stimulus checks sent to government workers, who were never out of work, is an example of wasteful spending, according to Robertson. “There is not one single employee in the federal government who lost their job or missed a paycheck during the government shutdown, but every single one of them got a stimulus check,” Robertson said. Libertarian view Cavanaugh, 66, a retired telecommunications worker, also said reversing inflation is necessary to shore up the economy. He agreed

that it is the most important issue in the race. And the only way to reverse inflation, Cavanaugh told the Review-Journal, “is to remove the money that was injected into the economy.” To do that, he said, “you have to do something that (former President) Bill Clinton did back in the early ’90s. You’ve got to collect taxes, and stop spending it, in this case. You actually have to burn the money.” “So that’s $5 (trillion), $6 trillion that basically the federal government’s got to collect in taxes and then do nothing with it and destroy it,” Cavanaugh said. Cavanaugh first ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2000 as a Libertarian in Pennsylvania. Since then, he has been involved in the Libertarian Party in Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Nevada. Abortion The three candidates differ significantly on abortion and the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to strike down the Roe v. Wade decision that made it a constitutional right. Robertson said Nevada codified a woman’s right to an abortion in 1990 with a referendum passed overwhelmingly by state voters. “It’s settled law,” he said. But Titus and other congressional Democrats have warned that Republicans, with control of Congress, could pass a federal ban which would supersede laws in states such as Nevada. Although some GOP lawmakers have called for passage of a federal ban, it would still face legislative hurdles such as a Senate filibuster and a presidential veto. “I support the overturning of Roe v. Wade, not just because I’m pro-life, and I am, but because it was the correct legal decision,” Robertson said. The high court decision rightfully returned the decision on abortion to the states, Robertson said. Democratic positions on the issue, Robertson said, were intended to deflect the party’s dismal economic record. Titus called the Supreme Court decision “an assault on all women but particularly those living in mi-

nority, underserved and impoverished communities.” “They will be forced to take drastic and unsafe measures to self-manage abortions or carry unwanted pregnancies to term,” she said. Titus said abortion rights are human rights and the decision “has energized women” voters. “People think that they’re protected here with (state law),” Titus said. “The problem is, we’re protected now, but if Republicans take over and pass a national law, that could all go out the window.” Titus, a former UNLV professor of history, also said that Roe v. Wade was predicated on privacy rights and that the recent Supreme Court decision calls into question protections on contraceptives, same-sex and interracial marriage. Cavanaugh falls into the Libertarian camp that abortion is a matter of personal conscience and that government should not infringe on personal rights. Personally, Cavanaugh said, he is “a pro-life Christian.” Still, Cavanaugh said the Supreme Court made the right decision when it ruled to strike down Roe v. Wade. “The word abortion does not exist in the Constitution; it is not in the Bill of Rights.” “As a Libertarian, first off, I believe you do what you want to do as a person, which basically equates to if you want to abort your fetus, abort your fetus,” Cavanaugh said, later adding, “Don’t think I’m going to have you over to play bridge with me, but there you go.” Money race Titus holds a huge fundraising advantage in the race to keep her seat. She has raised $1.7 million and has $1.6 million in cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings in June. Robertson raised $720,533 and had $201,112 left after a competitive Republican primary, records show. Cavanaugh has not raised or spent any funds for his race. Contact Gary Martin at [email protected]. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NEVADA DISTRICT 3

Lee, Becker in a ‘toss-up’ House battle Economic woes, abortion among issues in spotlight By Gary Martin

Review-Journal Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — A spirited race between incumbent U.S. Rep. Susie Lee and Republican attorney April Becker has garnered national attention as one of several pivotal races to determine which major political controls the House of Representatives next year. Nevada’s Congressional District 3 is a “swing” district, despite Democratic gerrymandering, and is seen by national Republicans as one of their best opportunities to flip the seat because of President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings and national economic woes. Susie Democrats, however, are confiLee dent in their chances to hold the seat because of recent legislative victories to lower health care costs for seniors and with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a 50-year constitutional right for women to have an abortion. Not surprisingly, both candidates emphasized those issues in interApril views with the Review-Journal. Becker “The landscape is changing,” Lee, 56, said of new political forecasts in House races. And the reason that the landscape is changing is the abortion ruling “and a woman’s ability to make her own personal health care decisions.” Becker, 51, said she is running for the right reasons — to halt federal spending and runaway inflation that affects local families. “When you see one-party control, you see what happens. There has to be checks and balances,” Becker said. Lee is seeking a third term in office. She is a forSee DISTRICT 3 9

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▶ DISTRICT 3

McCarthy, R-Calif., has appeared with Becker.

mer education nonprofit executive. Becker practices real estate law and narrowly lost a state Senate seat in 2020. Both candidates have the backing of their national parties, who are targeting key voters in the district, which includes suburban Las Vegas, Summerlin, Spring Valley, Enterprise and southern and western portions of Clark County. Lee has outraised Becker, 3-to-1, according to early financial reports, but third-party spending is expected to be heavy with attack ads already targeting both candidates. Becker has categorized Lee as “radical,” and Lee has called Becker “extreme.” The candidates have denied accusations by outside groups of fiscal misappropriation or wrongdoing, and neither Lee nor Becker has been subject to criminal or ethical charges. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif., has helped raise funds for Lee, while House Minority Leader Kevin

Passing legislation Lee, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, is running on her accomplishment of lowering prescription drug costs and making health care more affordable through legislation she championed that became part of the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law this year. As a member of the centrist, bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, Lee advocated for Medicare to negotiate drug costs that will drop and cap outof-pocket costs for seniors at $2,000 per year, including a $35 per month cap on insulin per month. The Inflation Reduction Act also extended Affordable Care Act subsidies for three additional years. “That has been central to what I ran on in 2018,” Lee said. “No American should have to make a choice between paying their electrical bill and taking lifesaving medication.” Lee also voted in support of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, as well as the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs

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Act, spending bills that brought over $4 billion to Nevada after the pandemic. Her legislation to fund water recycling projects included a plant to benefit Southern Nevada and California also became law. “We have to work together with other states,” Lee said. Spending and inflation Becker said federal spending by Congress and Biden administration that topped $6 trillion in the past two years spurred historic inflation, shifted energy policy and poured money into wasteful projects. She said Democrats padded the spending bills with pet projects that included overseas language studies and added 87,000 new IRS employees, money that she says would have been better spent on Border Patrol agents. “It’s just more spending and spending that most people don’t want, and it’s causing inflation,” Becker said of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. Despite recent prices for gas and fuel coming down, Becker said the costs are still being felt by American consumers in food and other goods

and services. “I filled up the other day, and gas was over $5 a gallon. That’s crazy. And that’s what people are focused on because everyone puts gas in the car. It’s affecting everyone,” Becker said. Passage of the recent Inflation Reduction Act, which included funding to crack down on wealthy tax cheats, sent the wrong message to middleclass earners, Becker said. If elected, Becker said she would vote to rein in spending and roll back some of the proposals that have been approved by the Democratic Congress and Biden administration in the past two years. On water issues, Becker said federal efforts are needed to force states like California into compliance to ease burdens on Nevada. Abortion On the issue of abortion, Becker and Lee differ significantly. Becker is an anti-abortion Republican endorsed by right-to-life groups. She opposes the procedure with the exception of rape, incest and harm to See DISTRICT 3 10

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NEVADA DISTRICT 4

Tight race brews for incumbent Horsford touts bills; Peters cites border security By Gary Martin

Review-Journal Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — A slugfest is playing out in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District where U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, touting his legislative accomplishments, is fending off Republican challenger Sam Peters, who has tapped into the Trump-era outrage over border security and crime. It’s a competitive race and one that could help decide party control of the House of Representatives. Both have received help and endorsements from party leaders and surrogates. Mudslinging has marred the race. The opening of a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee office in Las Vegas where Horsford was in attendance drew a police response when armed Peters supporters protested. No citations were issued. Beyond that, both candidates are

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the mother. Lee said she is a “pro-choice” Democrat, and she is endorsed by abortion-rights groups. Becker said that because the Supreme Court left it to the states, “it would be unconstitutional to pass or vote on any type of federal law that is regulating abortion in any manner.” “It’s the will of the people. In Nevada, abortion is legal up to six months, no questions asked. The only way that can be reversed or changed

making their case to voters that they caps insulin costs at $35 per month. are best to tackle issues that range The spending in the Inflation Reduction Act is offset by a 15-percent from the economy, prescription drug costs and abortion to border security. minimum corporate tax rate, and IRS funding to hire more agents to Horsford, D-Nev., told the Reviewcrack down on tax cheats and collect Journal he is running on his public overdue tax revenue. service experience and his record of delivering for constituWhile Horsford wrote pieces ents in the far-flung district, of the legislation, the bill was which includes Mesquite, largely drafted in the Senate North Las Vegas, Pahrump and passed on a strict party and central Nevada rural line vote under budget reconciliation rules to avoid a counties. Republican filibuster. It passed “I know the people of this on a party-line vote in the district because I’m rooted in Steven Horsford House and later signed into this state. I have experience law by President Joe Biden. not only in Congress, but in the state Senate and leading Attacking the IRS a nonprofit for more than 10 Peters, 47, and congressioyears, as well as being a business owner,” Horsford, 49, told nal Republicans have roundly the Review-Journal. attacked the spending bill over A member of the tax-writing its tax provisions and have House Ways and Means Comzeroed in on hiring of new mittee, Horsford wrote porIRS employees, warning of tax Sam tions of the inflation reduction Peters hikes and audits for middlelegislation that will lower the class earners and small businesses. cost of prescription drug costs for Those scenarios were dismissed by seniors on Medicare, and extend centrist analyst groups such as the subsidies for those who buy insurance on public exchanges. Committee for a Responsible Federal It also included Horsford’s lanBudget. guage to cap out-of-pocket costs of But Republican leaders and candidates cite an early Congressional prescription drugs for seniors on Budget Office analysis that included Medicare at $2,000 per year. It also

a possible impact on middle-income earners. The GOP has ramped up rhetoric about IRS audits. “When you put 87,000 new IRS agents on the streets, and you arm a number of them and you’re buying guns for the IRS, that doesn’t send a message to the public that they can trust their government,” Peters said. Increased federal spending in recent bills by Democrats have resulted in double-digit inflation, which has hurt Nevada families, Peters said. “That’s, you know, taking that money out of the household and off the table,” Peters said. “That’s a big deal.” As a business owner with a degree in organizational finance, Peters said he would work with other Republicans to reduce spending and bring back energy independence to lower the cost of fuel impacting family finances. Peters served 20 years in the Air Force and retired as a major. He received a Bronze Star for heroic achievement in Afghanistan. He launched his first run for Congress two years ago but was defeated in the Republican Party primary seeking the nomination for Congressional District 4.

or amended is through our state constitution,” she said. (Voters could target the abortion statute for another referendum, however, without the need to amend the constitution.) But some congressional Republicans have called for a federal legislative ban on procedure after the recent ruling, although it would face steep hurdles in a narrowly divided Congress and a likely presidential veto. Lee disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling and warned of federal legislative bans, even with exceptions cited by politicians and lawmakers that would allow the procedure.

the Democratic-controlled Legislature, but the district is still considered competitive and is rated a “Toss Up” by the nonpartisan The Cook Political Report. Lee raised $4.2 million for her campaign and had $2.5 million available as of June 30, according to the last report filed with the Federal Election Commission. In the same period, Becker reported raising $1.4 million and had $363,391 cash on hand.

“This is a decision that should be between a woman and her doctor, and that’s where it should remain,” Lee said. “And when you start getting into exceptions for this or that, then it takes decisions out of the woman’s hands and puts it into someone else’s hands.” “Abortion care is health care access,” Lee said. Lee has made abortion access a key message her campaign against Becker, while Becker has focused on economic issues like inflation and deficit spending by Congress. The swing district gained more Democratic voters in redistricting by

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Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ garymartindc on Twitter.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL Friday, October 7, 2022

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Peters has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and Republican U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, both of Arizona and both members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Border security Peters, meanwhile, has made border security a centerpiece of his campaign, with charges that the Biden administration and congressional Democrats have failed to provide enforcement needed to stanch illegal immigration and a flow of narcotics along the 2,000-mile southern border. Peters said he went to El Paso and toured Customs and Border Protection facilities and found agents demoralized by the onslaught of contraband and humans crossing the Rio Grande. Workloads have increased for agents as others retire. He said a Republican Congress would reverse that trend with additional funding for the agency. He also wants to resume building the border

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wall. Horsford, meanwhile, said he is more focused on keeping communities safe. He supported legislation contained in the coronavirus relief bill to increase funding for police departments and first responders during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. And he has voted to shore up communities with programs to create jobs and provide housing and rent protections for families who he said were concerned about “kitchen table issues.” Horsford said he “takes pride” in his accomplishments across the district, including funding for a hospital and child care center in Tonopah. He also represents military installations in the state and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Abortion The two candidates have opposite stances on the issue of abortion, with Horsford favoring abortion rights and Peters an anti-abortion candidate endorsed by right-to-life groups. Horsford said the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down

the Roe v. Wade decision would set back women’s rights. The ruling also calls into question the privacy precedent that led to the 1973 landmark law and the legal foundation for same-sex and interracial marriage rulings. Peters said he agreed with the recent ruling, which returned the question of abortion rights back to the states. Nevada voters ratified abortion rights in statute in a 1990 referendum. “Democrats have mischaracterized my position,” Peters said, adding that he is not in favor of a national abortion ban. Horsford has characterized Peters as a Make America Great Again extremist, and national Democrats have called Peters an 2020 election denier over his questions about Nevada results and supporting a move against the use of voting machines in this election. “I’m not an election denier,” Peters said, adding that Joe Biden is the duly elected president after the 2020 election. He said he still has questions about how voting was conducted in the state and sees the need for

voter ID, but he does not dispute the presidential outcome two years ago. Meanwhile, Peters and national Republicans have accused Horsford of dereliction of duty and have referenced an extramarital affair that was disclosed two years ago and acknowledged by the congressman. “I acknowledge the mistakes that I’ve made in my life. I’ve apologized to the people who have been directly impacted, and I’ve stayed focused on doing the job that the people in my district have asked me to do,” Horsford said. Some nonpartisan political analysts like The Cook Political Report have rated the race a “toss-up,” while others like Sabato’s Crystal Ball have it rated as lean Democrat. Campaign finance reports at the Federal Election Commission show Horsford raised $3.2 million and had $2.4 million in cash on hand after the June reporting period. Peters raised $938,031 and had $165,317 left in that same quarter. Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ garymartindc on Twitter.

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