U.S. Rep. Cheney issues warning to Nevadans

By Casey Harrison (contact)

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Speaking to the Vegas Chamber and Southern Nevada community leaders in the nation’s capital Thursday, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney urged them to recognize the fragility of democracy and said it is incumbent upon all Americans to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

Cheney, R-Wyo., is vice chair of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the building in an effort to halt the certification of Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

She headlined an interview session moderated by former Nevada Rep. Jon Porter to cap off the business collective’s annual trip to Washington, D.C., where more than 200 Nevadans met with the Silver State’s congressional delegation.

“We have a former president who still today is trying to unravel the foundations of our republic,” Cheney said. “It requires each and every one of us — not just those of us who are elected — but each and every American to stand up and defend our election process fundamentally, stand up and defend our rule of law.”

The local contingent included: UNLV President Keith Whitfield, Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara, Henderson Mayor Debra March and Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, among others, chamber spokeswoman Cara Clarke said.

Trip attendees also advocated for issues relating to travel, transportation funding and workforce development, she said.

Getting Cheney’s perspective on preserving America’s political processes, Clarke said, provided insight few others could offer. Cheney, Wyoming’s only House representative, also discussed issues challenging the American West, like a historic drought plaguing Lake Mead.

“These are really historical times,” Clarke said. “When it comes to democracy, I think she really has a significant voice in that.”

Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has been ostracized by many in the Republican Party for her role in investigating the insurrection, as well as voting in favor of articles of impeachment against Trump following the attack. She was defeated in her primary to Trump ally Harriet Hageman in August, leaving her until her term expires at the end of the year to remain on the Select Committee.

Cheney told attendees she wasn’t sure what she would do after her term ends, and wouldn’t commit to saying she’s mulling a possible presidential run in 2024. But she warned that the country is at a crossroads, and it’s time that the public again demands excellence from elected officials.

“We put up with a lot that we shouldn’t,” she said.

Yucca Mountain update

The Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects filed a legal motion last week to terminate federal licensing efforts for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. The project for the Nye County site — about 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas — was initially approved by Congress in 2002, but funding was stripped in 2011.

Plans for the repository reach as far back as 1982, but Tuesday’s legal filing is aiming to end the project once and for all. It was met with support by Gov. Steve Sisolak, as well as Nevada Democratic U.S. Reps Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford, and Democratic Sens. Jackie Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto.

“For nearly four decades, the state of Nevada has consistently and firmly opposed the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste in Yucca Mountain, Nevada,” the senators wrote in a joint statement. “Our state has long held the position that the license application will not be workable for the Yucca Mountain site due to a host of technical and institutional reasons.”

Haley on the stump for Laxalt

Nikki Haley, the former U.N. Ambassador under Trump, will be in Las Vegas on Wednesday campaigning for Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt, who is looking to unseat Cortez Masto.

It will be the latest in a recent string of campaign stops for GOP contenders as the party looks to retake Congress’ upper chamber in the midterm elections.

In a release from Laxalt’s campaign, the event is described as a “round table discussion” with the Ladies for Laxalt coalition.

The location of the event was only available upon giving an RSVP, according to the release. Campaign spokesman Brian Freimuth, however, said the event would be open to the public.

A Sept. 13 Emerson College poll found Laxalt leading Cortez Masto, 42-41, with 4% of respondents saying they would vote for someone else and 11% stating they’re undecided, making it one of the most competitive midterm races in the country.

Courting the Latino vote

Cortez Masto’s reelection campaign on Tuesday during National Voter Registration Day hosted a phone bank event to register and increase turnout among Latino voters.

Laxalt’s campaign said it is also attempting outreach to Latinos, including staffers “registering voters and raising awareness at Latino supermarkets,” it said in a statement to the Sun. It also did door-to-door outreach.

Cortez Masto is the first and only Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate.

The Emerson College poll says Cortez Masto leads among Latino voters by a 19-point margin and winning the bloc could very well secure victory in November.

Her lead is even greater among Black voters polled, leading by 27 points, though Laxalt leads among white voters with a nine-point margin, the poll found.

While former President Donald Trump was able to make inroads among Latino voters during the 2020 election, Republicans largely have failed to build on the momentum, according to a Sept. 18 New York Times/Siena College poll.

Fifty-six percent of respondents said they would likely support their district’s Democratic candidate, as opposed to 32% stating support for Republicans.

Democrats led Republicans among Latino voters on most major issues, including the economy, crime, immigration, gun laws and climate policy, according to the poll.