Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021 | 3:59 p.m.
CARSON CITY — A Republican healthcare executive and Air Force veteran is running to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate, hoping to unseat first-term Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto.
Bill Hockstedler of Pahrump filed papers to run for the seat on Tuesday, joining a growing list of Republicans contesting the race. Hockstedler will face off against pageant winner Sharelle Mendenhall, Army veteran Sam Brown and former Attorney General Adam Laxalt in then June 2022 Republican primary.
Hockstedler works as a vice president for the Ambient Clinical Analytics, a healthcare company based at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He volunteers with the Nye County Sheriff's Rapid Response Team and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
He said his platform would include supporting law enforcement, defending the Second Amendment, protecting veterans and passing policies to strengthen at-home health care access, particularly in rural areas.
The Nevada race is among the top targets for Republicans hoping to take back the U.S. Senate in the 2022 midterm elections. The GOP establishment, including Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senate Committee, and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton have lined up behind Laxalt's bid to unseat Cortez Masto.
