The GOP got a taste of their civil war at Adam Laxalt’s Basque Fry, while a QAnon-linked group announced they’re holding a convention in Las Vegas, which is sure to catch the attention of this far-right primary field. Although Republicans missed out on a visit from Ron DeSantis, they made up for it by ramping up their dangerous COVID rhetoric.
Quote of the Week:
- John L. Smith on KNPR: “Republicans are going to need their own bus just for the gubernatorial candidates at this point”
Competition at the Basque Fry The messy GOP primary was on full display this week, starting at Adam Laxalt’s Basque Fry as the field fought for attention from their base. Dean Heller, after being MIA for two years, emerged to speak to the press, hinting at an inevitable campaign launch. Mark Amodei was front and center as he addressed the fringe crowd. Guy Nohra made sure to document his attendance and took photos with attendees at his booth. And while Joe Lombardo has worked day and night to do or say whatever it takes to win, his invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.
Gilbert is Ready for a Fight Joey Gilbert is expanding his campaign to Southern Nevada. He announced a Las Vegas office opening – beating Joe Lombardo to the punch in his hometown – and anti-mask rallies in Reno and Las Vegas. As a die-hard Trump loyalist who attended the January 6th insurrection, he’s pulling out all the stops to prove he’s in it to win it.
Double Dealin’ Joe Lombardo is trying to have it both ways once again. As Sheriff, he mandated Las Vegas Metro Police Department new hires get the COVID-19 vaccine, but from his official campaign Twitter account, he complained about mandates, insisting they are an infringement of our rights.
QAnon Comes to Town This field has a clear history of embracing debunked claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election so we want to know: Will they attend the QAnon convention coming to Las Vegas?
TBH, it’d be more surprising if they didn’t attend. In a crowded and messy primary, they’ve shown they will do or say anything to win over their conservative base even if it means embracing conspiracy theories perpetuated by a group deemed a potential domestic terrorist threat by the FBI.
Playing Politics with Nevada Children As the U.S. experiences record highs of children hospitalized due to COVID, the GOP primary field for Governor is doing nothing to help protect Nevada kids from this virus. Instead, they’re putting politics first as they fight to win over their conservative base.
- Joe Lombardo is completely ignoring the science, saying in a recent interview with conservative commentator Alan Stock that “school-aged children were not affected by [COVID].”
- Joey Gilbert has gone above and beyond to endanger our children, from protesting masks in schools to filing a lawsuit against the state’s mask mandate for students.
- John Lee has made it clear he doesn’t support requiring masks in schools, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
- Dean Heller is too busy fundraising to say anything about COVID’s impact on children or provide Nevadans with his plan for leading our state during a pandemic.
The Crickets Get Louder Republican candidates *still* haven’t denounced Commissioner Cox’s blatantly racist remarks and they’re *still* being called out for their silence:
- Reno Gazette-Journal: Republicans must call out Nye commissioner on racist remarks: “This is what the era of Donald Trump has wrought, and most elected Republicans are so terrified of their base voters they refuse to utter a word of criticism as their party members rage.”
###
