The week that was: Big names woo Nevada, Democratic birds mock Trump

By Megan Messerly

Monday, Oct. 10, 2016 | 2 a.m.

This week was another one for the books: vice presidential candidates Tim Kaine and Mike Pence squared off during a televised debate in Virginia, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appeared at two rallies in Nevada, and Kaine campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the Silver State. There were squabbles about whether Kaine interrupted too much during the debate and whether Pence shook his head too much. Then there were more squabbles over the pronunciation of Nevada. Did any of it make a difference? Maybe not. But we’ll soon find out.

The numbers:

Three recent polls show Hillary Clinton may be pulling slightly ahead of Donald Trump in Nevada. Still, her lead in two of the polls is within the margin of error, and there’s still a month to go.

This week in fact-checking

PolitiFact gave a “mostly false” rating to a mail piece sent to voters in Henderson attacking Republican Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus. Sent by Silberkraus’ Democratic opponent Lesley Cohen, the mailer accuses the assemblyman of appearing in a “fetish film” and stalking women. The fact-checking website found that Silberkraus does appear in an exploitation film briefly, delivering a few lines in a 30-second clip, though Silberkraus said he thought the film would be a serious look at human trafficking. Meanwhile, fact-checkers found the stalking claim originated from Silberkraus’ primary opponent, though no official record exists.

Battle Born Battleground: Political birds of a feather

In one for the annals of silly campaign shenanigans, the infamous Nevada State Democratic Party birds made an appearance outside of Donald Trump’s rally in Henderson. While the birds probably didn’t sway anyone’s votes, at the very least they got a few chuckles from passersby. The coterie included a duck (to go after Trump for “ducking”), a chicken (to call Republican candidates “chicken”) and a parrot (to imply they’re all “parroting” Trump.) The party called the gathering of the birds a “rare sighting for political journalists and ornithologists in Southern Nevada” in a news release, along with a prepared statement apparently “quacked” by the duck. In any other year, a trifecta of political birds might raise some eyebrows, but this is 2016.

On the campaign trail

• Trump: “Ne-VAH-da”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump returned to Nevada for rallies in Henderson and Reno. He came under fire during his Reno rally for mocking politicians for pronouncing “Nevada” incorrectly while mispronouncing it himself. (Many people not from the Silver State often say “Ne-VAH-da” instead of “Ne-VAD-a,” which can irk Ne-VAD-ans.) “Heroin overdoses are surging. In fact, overdoses in Nevada, Ne-VAH-da,” he said, repeating and emphasizing the mispronunciation. “You know what I said? You know what I said? I said when I came out here, I said, ‘Nobody says it the other way, it has to be Ne-VAH-da. But if you don’t say it correctly — it happened to a friend of mine, he was killed.” In Henderson, Trump praised running mate Mike Pence’s debate performance, expounded on his lack of feeling for Russian president Vladimir Putin and called Republican billionaire Sheldon Adelson a “great guy.”

• Warren: “Ne-VAH-da”

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., similarly struggled with the pronunciation of the Silver State’s name during a rally in support of Hillary Clinton. “Coming to Ne-VAH-da is personal,” Warren started, before the crowd laughed and shouted back “Ne-VAD-a!” “You’re so right,” she continued. “I’m so sorry. I am the senator from Massachusetts. But I am delighted to be here in Ne-VAD-a.” At other points in the speech, she repeated the flub before quickly correcting herself. In nonpronunciation news, the rest of the speech focused on drawing distinctions between Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto and her Republican opponent, Rep. Joe Heck. Warren tied Heck and Trump together and questioned why Heck still supported him. “Trump calls women fat pigs and bimbos and tries to shame a former beauty pageant winner on Twitter at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Warren said, “and Joe Heck still sticks with him.”

This story has been updated to reflect the correct rating given by PolitiFact to an ad attacking Republican Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus.