Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak speaks in front of a Biden-Harris campaign bus near an early voting site at the Boulevard mall Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 | 10:14 a.m.
Gov. Steve Sisolak is eager to work with President-elect Joe Biden and his administration as Nevada navigates its recovery from the economic and health crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement issued today after the Associated Press called the election for Biden over incumbent President Donald Trump, Sisolak said, “I look forward to working closely with their administration to help Nevada — the state hit hardest by both COVID-19 and climate change.”
Sisolak has been vocal in his displeasure in how the Trump administration has handled the pandemic, including when Trump exceeded building capacities for campaign rallies here and his campaign filed lawsuits aimed at limiting voting access that would have forced residents to risk their health to vote.
The first-term Democrat said the president’s behavior was an insult to Nevadans who have sacrificed major events like graduation ceremonies and weddings in the name of public health.
“I am beyond frustrated at the lack of clear, concise and consistent messaging from the president on how to behave during this public health crisis,” Sisolak previously said.
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus,a Democrat and the dean of the Nevada congressional delegation, called Biden’s win one for “science, compassion and democracy itself.”
Trump has repeatedly attempted to impede the election process with voter fraud lawsuits, despite no evidence of such fraud. His supporters, some carrying guns, have flocked to vote counting centers in swing states, including in North Las Vegas, to intimidate workers.
“The last several days have provided even more evidence that our country cannot afford four more years of Donald Trump’s recklessness and lies,” Titus said. “We will soon have a president who cares more about our country than he does about himself, who listens to medical experts instead of fighting with them, and who will seek to expand access to affordable health care rather than restrict it.”
The AP also declared Biden the winner in Nevada on Saturday, as the state’s ballot count continued. With 88% of the expected vote in, the AP reported, Biden led Trump 49.9% to 47.9%.
“Nevada proved again we are a critical state — we are a state of diverse voices, union families and caring neighbors. It’s no surprise we helped make history in electing the first Black woman vice president,” said William McCurdy II, the chairman of the state Democratic Party, who was elected to the Clark County Commission.
The election also saw Nevada become the first state to include protections for same-sex marriage in its state constitution. The ballot question overwhelmingly passed to remove the phrasing “only a marriage between a male and a female person shall be recognized and given effect in this state,” which was added to the constitution in 2002 through another ballot question.
“The LGBTQ+ community has much to celebrate today,” said André Wade, state director of Silver State Equality, an LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. “As a nation, we chose hope over hate to elect longtime LGBTQ+ allies Joe Biden president of the United States and Kamala Harris, the nation’s first woman of color, as vice president.”
Biden’s win continues a 16-year trend of Nevada going to the Democratic candidate for president.
One of Democrats’ biggest on-the-ground-advantages is the heavily Latino casino workers’ Culinary Union. While the Democratic Party and Biden campaign didn’t resume in-person efforts until October because of the coronavirus, instead relying on virtual organizing, the union has been knocking on doors since August. The organization had more than 400 members working to get out the vote in Las Vegas and Reno.
“The unprecedented turnout in Nevada, which was led by those most directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, is a mandate on Donald Trump’s failed leadership,” Geoconda Argüello-Kline, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, said in a statement.
Trump made three trips to the state in the past two months, including last week when he stayed overnight at his hotel in Las Vegas before staging a rally in Bullhead City, Ariz., just across the Nevada state line.
Biden had made one trip to Nevada since the Democratic presidential caucuses this year, stopping in Las Vegas in early October for an event with Latinos and a drive-in rally.
Biden’s plans to address the climate crisis of moving America to 100% clean energy by 2035 and investing $2 trillion in clean energy, including 40% of the investment to disadvantaged communities, resonated with voters, said Jamal Raad of Evergreen Action.
“The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris represents the biggest mandate for bold climate action in American history. President-elect Biden ran on the boldest presidential climate plan ever, and received the most votes ever,” Raad said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
