“We feel an obligation to speak out in opposition to Adam Laxalt’s candidacy for governor of Nevada, lest there be any misunderstanding that because he carries our family name he represents our family’s values.
“We believe that he came from Washington to Nevada for the sole purpose of using the family name to pursue a political career which would allow him to eventually return to Washington as one of Washington’s most elite. We do not believe he came to Nevada based on any true connection to, or interest in, this state. …
“We believe that he not only has no true connection to Nevada, but has demonstrated a disdain for our beloved state and its people. We do not believe that Adam Laxalt represents Nevada or has the interests of our people at heart.”
Statement by Monique Laxalt, cousin to Adam Laxalt, Sept. 26, 2018, supported by Kevan Danielle Laxalt, Michelle Terese Laxalt, Peter Laxalt, Michelle Janet Laxalt, Dr. Kevin Marie Laxalt, Dr. Kristin Laxalt, Meggan Laxalt Mackey and other family members. (Reno Gazette Journal, Oct. 24, 2018)
The above statement was made in 2018, when Adam Laxalt was running for governor, but it’s still pertinent today. Laxalt is currently a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. He was born in Reno in 1978, but left as a baby. He grew up in Virginia, never living in Nevada until he moved here in 2013 to run for Attorney General, an office he won in 2014. As his family says, he has no true connection to Nevada except for his family name.
In contrast, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was born in Las Vegas in 1964. She lived in Nevada her whole life and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno. After law school, she worked as an attorney in Las Vegas and was elected as Attorney General in 2006. After being termed out in 2014, she was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. Her life has been dedicated to serving Nevada.
In a current TV ad for Laxalt, ex-President Donald Trump praises him, saying Laxalt will be a fighter for Nevada. What does that mean? What did he fight for when he was Attorney General?
According to public records, he fought against environmental protections and gun regulations and supported abortion restrictions. These may be popular right-wing issues, but they do very little to promote Nevada’s economy and quality of life.
The only major lawsuit Laxalt won was in 2016, opposing a rule that certain workers should be paid overtime. He said, “Businesses and state and local governments across the country can breathe a sigh of relief now that this rule has been halted.” What he thought of the workers wasn’t recorded.
By comparison, as Nevada’s Attorney General, Cortez Masto negotiated a $1.9 billion settlement with Bank of America, providing relief to Nevada families who lost their homes during the 2008 housing market collapse. She also created a special unit to go after people who scam Nevada seniors. She is now fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare from those who would destroy these programs.
Cortez Masto has always worked closely with police and other law enforcement officials. She supports comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders and allows a legal path to citizenship. As the granddaughter of an immigrant, she knows Congress needs to make this a priority.
During her first two years in the Senate, she secured over $468 million for Nevada. She has worked with businesses, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, helping make Nevada attractive to new companies moving here. One of her strongest efforts has been to boost domestic manufacturing to help alleviate the supply chain bottlenecks experienced as a result of the COVID pandemic.
Cortez Masto promoted a Senate bill called the “U.S. Innovation and Competition Act,” a bill that supports Made-in-America businesses such as Via Seating in Sparks, keeping good jobs in the U.S. and addressing supply chain shortages. This bill passed and is now in the House of Representatives.
These are just a fraction of the many ways Cortez Masto is achieving real results for Nevada. In contrast, Laxalt is fulfilling his cousin’s prediction: “We believe that he came from Washington to Nevada for the sole purpose of using the family name to pursue a political career which would allow him to eventually return to Washington as one of Washington’s most elite.”
We need a senator who will work for us, not his own ambition. We need to re-elect Catherine Cortez Masto.
Jeanette Strong, whose column appears every other week, is a Nevada Press Association award-winning columnist. She may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.
