NV's Senate Race Heats Up: Trump-Endorsed Republican Adam Laxalt Leads Democrat Catherine Masto

The much underreported Senate Nevada race is heating up in April as Trump-endorsed Republican Adam Laxalt leads Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).

With the 2022 midterms expected to be a huge red wave, Masto may lose her seat amid high crime, massive migrant surges, and 40-year-high inflation. Masto has not yet done much campaigning, electing instead to throw money at the problem. From the large amounts of money she has raised, Masto has spent large quantities of money on local TV ads.

One of the largest problems Masto has is few know who she is and what she believes. Former Nevada Attorney General and current Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt, who is leading the GOP primary by a huge margin, has so far successfully tied Masto to Biden’s failing policies, such as soft on crime, border security, and inflation.

Masto has relied on touting Biden’s coronavirus stimulus packages that have fueled 40-year-high inflation. The tactic is a “generic 2020 strategy for vulnerable senators,” Politico Playbook reported.

In Nevada, voters are worried about the direction of the nation and if the Democrat Party can heal the wounds created by Biden’s presidency. Polling reported by Breitbart News suggests Nevada voters are currently disenchanted with how Masto has governed with the Biden administration:

• 72 percent of voters say the Democrats’ economy is fair to poor
• Inflation is the top issue with 40 percent saying they were better off under Trump
• Masto is polling behind both Republicans Laxalt and Sam Brown
• The leader of the Democrat Party, Biden, has only a 35 percent approval rating

The polling numbers suggest Masto is ripe for defeat.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., talks to reporters in her office in Reno (AP Photo/Scott Sonner, File).

In March, Laxalt told Breitbart News that Masto has enabled the radical left’s efforts to “demonize” law enforcement, who are trying to capture migrants walking across the border, but is now changing her tune with the imminent election.

“Nevada law enforcement deserves an advocate in the U.S. Senate who will consistently support them every single day, not just when an election year comes around,” Laxalt said. “Catherine Cortez Masto has enabled the left’s efforts to demonize police officers and supported taxpayer-funded assistance for criminals, even after a Las Vegas police officer was shot during the 2020 riots. Now she’s reversing herself because it’s a re-election year.”

“When I am elected, I will be a consistent ally for law enforcement,” he added.

Laxalt’s campaign comes after Nevada’s political heavyweight, former Sen. Harry Reid, died in 2021, leaving the state’s Democrat Party without a leader. Reid was a ruthless senator from 1987 to 2017, when he served as Barack Obama’s Senate majority leader. While in office, Reid became the de facto leader of Nevada politics, turning Nevada from a red state to blue.

After Reid left office, he remained a powerbroker in the state’s politics. Masto’s campaign will have to contend with surging Laxalt without help from Reid, though it is unknown if Reid would have any impact on how Nevada voters view the modern Democrat Party.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter and Gettr @WendellHusebø.