Nevada voters have begun casting ballots for the June 14 primary elections in preparation for a general contest that could prove difficult for Democrats—who are already at odds within the state party.
Incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, is likely to face off against former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt, an ally of Donald Trump who alleged wide-scale fraud in the 2020 election. And Governor Steve Sisolak, also a Democrat, will have a challenger of his own — though no Republican gubernatorial candidate has been a clear frontrunner yet. Another key Democrat running this year is State Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is seeking re-election to an office that’s become far more important as Republicans work to undermine the integrity of state electoral systems. (See: Winning Attorney Generals Race: Options for Democratic Donors.)
A Democratic seat in danger
Polling shows Sisolak with a consistent, though narrow, lead over his opponents. But Cortez Masto is in trouble. While some polls show her with a sizable edge over Laxalt — 8 points, according to an early April Nevada Independent poll — most polling suggest he’s closing, even leading. The race is a toss-up.
Nevada’s contests are incredibly important. Cortez Masto holding her seat could determine control of the Senate in an election year that looks dire for Democratic control of Congress. And who is in charge of the state government might be pivotal for the 2024 presidential election.
Cortez Masto has a fundraising edge, at least so far. In the first quarter of 2022, she took in a Nevada-record $4.4 million and reported $11 million cash on hand. Some caution is needed, however. Cortez Masto is running virtually unopposed in the Democratic primary and can focus on the general election. The GOP primary, on the other hand, is ongoing. Republicans will shift to a united front after June 14.
Deep divisions
Compounding the worrying signs is an ongoing, intra-party conflict stemming from the 2016 primary that has divided Democrats. The Bernie Sanders wing of the state party, after that primary, developed a plan to take the entire state apparatus over — and it worked in 2021. Lefty party members upended the established leadership and stepped into their roles, a clean sweep after waiting for over five years.
Establishment Democrats in the state, part of the “Reid Machine” — named after the late former Senator Harry Reid — did not take the change in leadership well. The outgoing party leaders stripped the existing party of its funds and connections, leaving it saddled with debt and no way to pay it off. Then they formed a parallel state party apparatus to fundraise from. The long and the short of it is that those efforts haven’t been enough to stop the new party leadership from asserting control, though it’s been a hindrance.
A state party that needs cash
Donors looking for ways to help Democrats win up and down the ballot in Nevada — this year and also in 2024 — should concentrate their donations to the state party for two main reasons. First, as the official state party for Nevada, Democrats need to have the ability to compete with a surging GOP that has its eyes on any and all states that can have their election results overturned in the next presidential contest (and beyond). Ensuring the state party is well funded and able to get incumbents and first-time candidates alike into office is a paramount concern.
Second, contributing to the state party shows the importance of unity. Much is made of the resistance from left-leaning Bernie Sanders supporters to fully joining in a coalition with liberals. It’s described as immature wish casting and a refusal to see the long game. But the Sanders supporters in Nevada did just that. They played the long game and took over the party — then stayed in the party.
For the more centrist Reid Machine Democrats to pull support and funding from the party because they didn’t have the votes is a level of disunity that needs to be rebuked. Donors have the chance to make that clear, while contributing to the state institution that might be able to keep the Senate in Democratic hands while protecting the vote in 2024.
Blue Tent also recommends giving directly to attorney general Aaron Ford's reelection campaign. In fact, we consider this to be one of the highest priority races for Democratic small donors this year. Read our candidate recommendation for Ford.