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Our 2022 Nevada middterm primary election endorsements

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(From left) Dina Titus, Steve Sisolak and Susie Lee

The spirit of public service is alive and well in Southern Nevada, as shown by a strong and diverse field of candidates competing in the June 14 statewide primary election. As voters consider their choices, we have teamed up with our partners on the Las Vegas Sun Editorial Board to offer our recommendations in select races. (Not all races include an endorsement.)

While not an exhaustive list, in general we considered candidates who 1. are not actively undermining the U.S. Constitution and U.S. electoral system by promoting claims of election fraud or other unfounded vast conspiracy; 2. have a firm grasp on issues that matter to Nevada voters and provided at least some specific policy proposals for addressing those issues; and 3. demonstrated leadership qualities, including the ability to effectively convey their ideas and engage in basic editorial review of their public statements and writings.

To be clear, candidates were not removed from consideration simply because they discussed issues related to election integrity or otherwise put forth policy proposals with which we might disagree. Rather, candidates were only removed from consideration for asserting verifiably false information, failing to provide specific policy proposals, or failing to meet even basic electoral standards. Under all circumstances, promoting the "Big Lie” renders a candidate simply unqualified for office and untrustworthy in civic life.

U.S. Senate

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

Embodying the quintessential narrative of the American Dream, Catherine Cortez Masto proved in her first term that she is a worthy successor to former Senator Harry Reid, and a champion for all Nevadans. Her ability to build coalitions has helped her be incredibly productive for a first-term Senator and earned her a rare combination of endorsements that include everyone from national environmental groups and social- and economic-justice organizations to the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers and Professional Firefighters of Nevada.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

No Endorsement

While most eyes are focused on the fight between Adam Laxalt and Sam Brown, we cannot endorse either candidate, as both have actively contributed to Trump’s lies about the 2020 election that undermine American democracy.

In fact, of the eight candidates who are running in the Republican Primary, only Bill Hockstedler, who identifies himself by the moniker “straight shooter,” cleared the extremely low bar we established of not spreading verifiably false or conspiratorial propaganda. Unfortunately, he is still too extreme on some of his positions for us to feel comfortable offering our endorsement.

U.S. House of Representatives

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Reps. Dina Titus, Steven Horsford and Susie Lee

The Weekly strongly endorses the Democratic incumbents in Southern Nevada’s 1st, 3rd and 4th congressional districts: Titus, Lee and Horsford, respectively.

With 30 years of legislative service to her name, Congresswoman Dina Titus has a proven track record as a pragmatic leader who gets things done for Nevadans. As chairwoman of the subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, Titus is well-positioned to ensure the future economic growth of Nevada. The subcommittee oversees many federal real estate and economic development programs, an especially important position in a state in which 63% of the land is owned by the federal government.

Like Titus, Congressman Steve Horsford is a seasoned veteran with more than a decade of combined service in Congress and the Nevada State Senate. Throughout that time, Horsford has been a strong advocate for ensuring all Nevadan’s have access to affordable healthcare, lowering prescription costs and creating job training programs.

Though not as experienced as Titus or Horsford, Congresswoman Susie Lee is vying for her third term and is becoming a noteworthy congresswoman. Rising to prominence as the founding director of the Inner-City Games—now known as the After-School All-Stars, which conducts after-school programs for children—Lee has continued to advocate for safer, healthier communities for children and families alike.

In short, all three incumbents have been staunch defenders of democracy and advocates for Nevada. All now have multiple terms under their belts and have served commendably. They deserve another two years representing the State.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

No Endorsement

On the Republican side, it’s a disappointing field short of public leadership experience and long on Trump-era extremism.

While we cannot formally endorse any of these candidates (and consider several of them to be active threats to democracy), we will note that of the 16 Republican candidates running for CD1, CD3 or CD4, two, Mark Robertson and John Kovacs, did go on record with a news outlet stating that Biden defeated Trump in 2020 and is the rightful President of the United States. Despite these statements, both candidates have touted the existence of election fraud and the need for greater election integrity, undermining their own admissions that Biden was duly elected.

Governor

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Gov. Steve Sisolak

The tenure of Steve Sisolak, the first Democrat elected governor of Nevada in more than 20 years, has been far from perfect. Fortunately, we do not expect perfection from our elected leaders. During a time of extraordinary crisis, he showed us steady, calm and resolute leadership. He also delivered on the overwhelming majority of his big-ticket campaign promises, including raising the minimum wage, expanding the small-business assistance program, updating the K-12 funding formula and boosting Medicaid reimbursement rates. Most important, however, is that Sisolak helped expand voter access and rebuild the institutions of democracy in Nevada.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

William “Dock” Walls

While the five leading candidates in the Republican Primary continue to undermine democracy through their support of the Big Lie, there is one candidate who has both refuted it and committed to taking action to oppose voter suppression, empower people through voter education and mobilization, and protect the right to vote. A self-described “Renaissance Republican,” William “Dock” Walls has also developed creative solutions to help address the epidemic of violence and help balance the state budget. Given his independence and respect for all Nevadans, we offer our endorsement.

Walls faces an uphill battle in his campaign for Governor, but one thing is certain: If the Republican party is to return to its place as a positive contributing force in the two-party system, people like Walls are indispensable voices of sanity and dignity.

Lieutenant Governor

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Lisa Cano Burkhead and Debra March (dual endorsement)

We trust the governor’s thought process in choosing Lisa Cano Burkhead as his Lieutenant Governor and believe she has proven herself to be effective and fair-minded. She is also a lifelong educator, which, in our opinion should be among our most important focuses as a state.

We cannot ignore, however, what an outstanding mayor Debra March has been for the city of Henderson. She has successfully guided Nevada’s second-largest city through a period of rapid growth and transformation while masterfully responding to a global pandemic. Both candidates represent the best of the next generation of Democratic leaders and either would make an excellent Lieutenant Governor.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

No Endorsement

Despite campaigning for the second-highest office in the state, three of the seven Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor do not offer any policy proposals on their websites. Among the four remaining, all either actively lied to the public about their experiences or credentials, demonstrated a lack of understanding of even the most basic issues facing our state or have taken affirmative actions to undermine democracy. One particularly noteworthy example is Republican Mack Miller, who was caught inventing a nonexistent organization in order to give himself an endorsement. In a GOP ecosystem of false and misleading statements, we cannot offer an endorsement on the Republican side of the ticket.

Secretary of State

NO DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Kris Dahir

The Nevada Secretary of State race might not be as “sexy” or well-known as races further up the ballot, but it is perhaps the most important position to the preservation of our democracy, because the Secretary of State oversees all elections.

While we believe that Democrat Cisco Aguilar is the best choice for Secretary of State, should Nevada choose to support a Republican candidate, we believe Kris Dahir is the only one who does not pose a direct threat to democracy by advancing the Big Lie. Every candidate outside of Dahir has effectively stated within their materials that they are comfortable with suppressing votes and subverting democracy. Dahir’s campaign website leads with a promise to follow existing election law rather than subvert it and intentionally work to counter disinformation regarding elections.

Attorney General

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Aaron Ford

Attorney General Aaron Ford is an incumbent who served the

state well during the pandemic. We see no reason to abandon his leadership now.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

No Endorsement

For months, Sigal Chattah has been accusing her Republican Primary opponent, Tisha Black, of being a Democratic party plant that the “liberal media” would rally behind. We are obliged to disappoint, as we decline to endorse either candidate in this race.

Chattah’s text message stating that current AG Aaron Ford, a Black man, should be hung from a crane was, at best, joking about violence against a government official, or, at worst, advocating for a public lynching.

Adding insult to injury, both candidates made statements last month on the issue of abortion that call into question whether they have read or understand the state’s constitution. It was a surprising gaff, given that abortion is one of the GOP’s most important wedge issues and the two women are running to be the state’s highest-ranking attorney.

Controller

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Ellen Spiegel

A five-term member of the Nevada Assembly, Ellen Spiegel has proven herself to be an effective leader and advocate for all Nevadans. Her legislative accomplishments include fighting for equal pay and reproductive rights for women, marriage equality for gay and lesbian people and health insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. When combined with her education and experience in economics and commerce, we believe she is among the most highly qualified former legislators to seek the position of Controller.

NO REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

State Senate

Senate District 2, Republican Primary

No endorsement

The statements and positions of the candidates in this race are so confusing and contradictory that even the State Republican Party chose not to endorse any of them.

Senate District 8, Republican Primary

Raja Mourey and Joey Paulos (dual endorsement)

These are the only two candidates in this crowded field who met our criteria. While we might not agree on all of their policy proposals, they are not active insurrectionists or otherwise undermining democracy.

Senate District 10, Democratic Primary

Fabian Donate, Incumbent

Senate District 12, Democratic Primary

Julie Ann Pazina

We endorsed her opponent, Lisa Guzman, for a CCSD board seat in 2020, but that was before the tremendous drama and unprofessional conduct displayed in the ouster and rehiring of Superintendent Jesus Jara. Julie Ann Pazina brings none of that baggage and is deserving of our endorsement.

Senate District 21, Democratic Primary

James Ohrenschall, Incumbent

State Assembly

Assembly District 2, Republican Primary

Heidi Kasama, Incumbent

Assembly District 3, Democratic Primary

Selena Torres, Incumbent

Assembly District 5, Republican Primary

Alan Hedrick

Assembly District 12, Democratic Primary

Max E. Carter II

Assembly District 12, Republican Primary

Flemming Larsen

Assembly District 13, Democratic Primary

Will Rucker

Assembly District 13, Republican Primary

Brian Hibbetts

Assembly District 14, Democratic Primary

Erica Mosca

Assembly District 15, Democratic Primary

Howard Watts, Incumbent

Assembly District 16, Democratic Primary

Cecelia Gonzalez, Incumbent

Assembly District 20, Democratic Primary

David Orentlicher, Incumbent

Assembly District 28, Democratic Primary

Cindi Rivera

Aaron Bautista and Antonio Bowen both bring solid experiences and excellent ideas to the table and would make excellent legislators. Cindi Rivera’s experience in education, however, makes her voice invaluable in a state that desperately needs to get its educational system back on track.

Assembly District 29, Democratic Primary

Lesley Cohen, Incumbent

Assembly District 29, Republican Primary

Rhonda Knightly

Assembly District 35, Republican Primary

Tiffany Jones

Assembly District 42, Democratic Primary

Tracy Brown-May, Incumbent

Assembly District 42, Republican Primary

Edward “Eddie” Facey

Board of Regents (Nonpartisan)

DISTRICT 6

Heather Brown

As the President and co-founder of StartUp Vegas, Heather Brown is a proven innovator with a demonstrated ability to get things done. With that said, voters with an appetite for a lesser-known but extremely exciting candidate should look into Karl Catarata. A current student at UNLV and among the youngest candidates ever to seek office in Nevada, Catarata possesses an impressive grasp of the issues plaguing higher education in Nevada.

DISTRICT 7

Susan Brager

With 12 years of experience on the Clark County School Board and 12 years on the Clark County Commission, Susan Brager has proven her commitment to crafting good policy for the benefit of our students. She also supports allowing university Presidents to be largely free of interference and meddling by the Regents-—an essential step that Nevada must take.

DISTRICT 8

Michelee "Shelly" Crawford and John Patrick Rice (dual endorsement)

With a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from UNLV and experience as a school principal and officer in the Air Force National Guard, Shelly Crawford immediately caught our eye. However, with a Fine Arts degree from UW-Milwaukee, a PhD from Capella University and experience as a faculty member and administrator at Great Basin College, John Patrick Rice brings his own impressive and valuable set of credentials. While these candidates come from radically different backgrounds and experiences, both possess attributes that would make them outstanding additions to the Board of Regents. Our only hope is that they can find a way to work together and learn from one another, regardless of whom ultimately wins the seat.

DISTRICT 13

John Moran, Incumbent

Through years of crisis and turmoil caused by COVID and the drama surrounding Chancellor Melody Rose, John Moran has demonstrated strong, reliable, steadfast leadership. We offer him our endorsement without reservation.

Clark County Commission

District E, Democratic Primary: Richard “Tick” Segerblom, Incumbent

District F, Republican Primary: Jenna Waltho

Clark County Partisan Offices

District Attorney, Democratic Primary: Steve Wolfson, Incumbent

County Recorder, Democratic Primary: Debbie Conway, Incumbent

County Recorder, Republican Primary: John Evans

Treasurer, Democratic Primary: J. Ken Diaz

Clark County Sheriff (Nonpartisan)

Kevin McMahill

Clark County School District (Nonpartisan)

Much like Nevada’s educational system, the board of the Clark County School District is in need of an overhaul. Too often, the current board has been marred by conflict, turmoil, and a lack of professionalism that is unacceptable and unjustified—even during a pandemic. The endorsements below reflect our desire to return to a functioning school board with greater competence, professionalism and empathy.

District D: Irene Cepeda, Incumbent

District F: Irene Bustamante Adams

District G: Greg Wieman

Las Vegas City Council (Nonpartisan)

Ward 2: Mike Tomko

Ward 4: No Endorsement

Ward 6: No Endorsement

Henderson City Council (Nonpartisan)

Mayor: Michelle Romero

Ward 3: Steve Rice and Jodi Tyson (dual endorsement)

North Las Vegas City Council (Nonpartisan)

Mayor: Pamela Goynes-Brown and Pat Spearman (dual endorsement)

Ward 1: Isaac E. Barron, Incumbent

Ward 3: Scott Black, Incumbent

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