Las Vegas Sun: Lombardo Taking a “Cowardly and Irresponsible Position” on Election Integrity

Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Sebelius Lays Out “Lombardo’s Donald Trump Problem”

Nevada Current: “Media Personality” Joe Lombardo has a “Hectic Week of Selecting Finery and Fittings for the GOP Gubernatorial Primary Debutante Ball”

Just one week into his campaign, Joe Lombardo was called out for pandering to the far-right base and for his propensity to say anything to win even if it means lying. From invoking topics like Critical Race Theory and standing up to non-existent attempts to impose a state income tax, Lombardo’s desperation to set himself apart from a crowded field became evident from day one. 

“It took less than a week to see right through Joe Lombardo’s political calculus as he works to solve his Trump problem by casting doubt on our electoral process and employing Republican buzzwords,” said Nevada Democratic Victory spokesperson Molly Forgey. “As Lombardo desperately tries to prove his conservative bonafides in a crowded field, this Republican primary for Governor is shaping up to be a long, brutal fight to the right.”

Read more from these savage editorials below:

Las Vegas Sun: Refusal to defend democratic process is irresponsible of Lombardo

• Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo badly disappointed the community last week when, during the formal announcement of his gubernatorial campaign, he ducked and dodged a question about whether he believed in the Big Lie.

• It’s a cowardly and irresponsible position.

• As a law enforcement official, Lombardo’s suggestion that evidence of fraud may exist could reaffirm the beliefs of delusional individuals who think the election was rigged. He must not do that, because it further endangers county and state election officials. It also risks further radicalizing the violent far-right.

• For a man with a gun and a badge and the honor of serving Clark County residents, his cowardice in the face of anti-democratic forces speaks volumes about his unfitness to be governor.

• Nevada deserves brave leaders who are not afraid to take a stand for what’s right, even if it costs them politically. Lombardo has crossed his name off that list.

Nevada Current: Lombardo’s charm offensive

• Lombardo’s handlers know full well Gov.Steve Sisolak has zero, which is to say not any at all, interest in or appetite for muttering the words “state income tax,” let attempting to create one. Lombardo should know that too. If he doesn’t, his handlers have done a piss-poor job getting him up to speed.

• On the other hand, if Lombardo does know the truth — that Sisolak is not proposing or advocating an income tax — and Lombardo is asserting the falsehood anyway, he’s deliberately lying. 

• Yes, the party of Lombardo and his handlers remains in thrall to a con man for whom lying is not only a central strategy but the default response to nine out of ten stimuli. But while I knew Lombardo was a little bit Trumpy, I guess I didn’t think he was that Trumpy.

Las Vegas Review-Journal: STEVE SEBELIUS: Lombardo’s Donald Trump problem

• Sheriff Joe Lombardo has a Donald Trump problem.

• During his gubernatorial campaign kickoff on Monday, Lombardo confronted the most obvious question of all: Do you think the 2020 election was fraudulent (bearing in mind that the answer is “no”)?

• Lombardo’s answer, as reported by the Review-Journal’s Rory Appleton, was a little different. “I have a good thought on that,” he said. “I don’t know the process of the investigation … I’m not privy to the data, but all I know is I’m moving forward. I’m not moving backward. And what I see is a system that makes it easy for people to commit fraud. Your question was do I think there was fraud and everything like that — I’m not even going to try to give you an answer on that.”

• For the record, it’s a hell of a lot harder than Lombardo might think to commit fraud. (And if it was so easy and, presumably happened, where are his cops with the investigations and prosecutions?) “The data” shows there was no widespread fraud in Nevada or nationally in 2020. Period.

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