Several of the Republican candidates for Nevada State Senate seats have declared they will not be debating their opponents. Thing is, these races are incredibly important for our state, as they will determine which party has control of the Senate. And despite Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson’s comment that “very few voters watch these debates,” the political process always benefits from the public sharing of viewpoints.
So what the heck—we’ve gone ahead and created our own debate between the candidates for the three races in question, using their actual quotes from previous interviews combined with questions we made up. Feel free to take none of this seriously.
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State Senate District 20: What’s a key priority for you in running for office?
Challenger Teresa Lowry (D): “Nevada continues to lag behind other states in terms of how we address child welfare. It has to be approached holistically. It has to be a collaborative effort between parents and nonprofits, schools, the mental health facilities and juvenile justice and child welfare.” (Source: Las Vegas Sun)
Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson (R): “To make sure Senate Republicans win and that we take a majority in the state Senate next session to help Governor Sandoval advance his legislative agenda.” (Source: Las Vegas Sun)
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State Senate District 9: Your race is being closely watched nationally. Any thoughts on that?
Senator Justin Jones (D): “My real focus is talking to my constituents and telling them about the important work we have been doing and the important work that we will continue to do.” (Source: Las Vegas Sun)
Challenger Becky Harris (R): “I was encouraged to run for this seat, so I agreed to do it. And it was like, ‘This is for control of the Senate.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, it’s a state race.’ I had no idea when I got into this race that it would be the kind of race where national politicians are looking at what happens in the Nevada State Legislature.” (Source: New York Times)
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State Senate District 8: Softball question: Do you support pay raises for teachers?
Marilyn Dondero Loop (D): “People should be rewarded for doing a good job.” (Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Patricia Farley (R): “ ………” (No quotes available)