Scott Sonner / Associated Press
At a television studio in Reno, Nevada, Republican Senate hopefuls Sam Brown, right, and Adam Laxalt, second from right, prepare for a debate on Monday, May 9, 2022, taped for broadcast this week on “Nevada Newsmakers.” The show is moderated by host Sam Shad, far left, and Victor Joecks, second from left.
Sunday, June 26, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Since the days when Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas crisscrossed Illinois to make their arguments against each other and to the citizenry for why they were the right candidate to represent the state in the U.S. Senate, debate has been a part of American political campaigns.
In more modern times, that tradition extended to campaigns for the highest office in the land, beginning with the 1960 televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
But with the Republican National Committee laying the groundwork for its candidate participating in the 2024 presidential debate, it’s a tradition that is eroding. Marquee races this year in Nevada also may be affected.
Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on June 17 committed to participating in three debates ahead of the midterm elections, but her Republican opponent, former Attorney General Adam Laxalt, did not return requests for comment on whether he plans to commit to debates.
Cortez Masto’s campaign said in a statement that she intended to participate in debates on local TV stations with Nevada news partners, including Spanish-language television.
Her campaign accused Laxalt of ducking debates, both during the Republican primary and during his run for governor in 2018. In the run-up to this year’s primary, Laxalt agreed to one debate with primary opponent Sam Brown but did not agree to another. And in the 2018 governor’s race, there were some mix-ups when it came to Laxalt and Democratic challenger Steve Sisolak debating, as the sides were unable to reach an agreement about who should host the event.
If Nevada voters are not treated to a debate between Laxalt and Cortez Masto, that will follow a pattern that has emerged since 2016, when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump skipped out on a Republican primary debate hosted by Fox News.
“Why should the networks continue to get rich on the debates?” Trump said at the time. “Why do I have to make Fox rich?”
A debate scheduled for March of that year was canceled after Trump said he would not participate.
In 2020, an Oct. 15 presidential debate was canceled after Trump rejected a decision to change the format so as to guard against the spread of COVID-19.
In the Nevada governor’s race, neither Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the Republican nominee, nor Sisolak’s campaigns have laid out their debate plans. Lombardo’s spokesperson declined to comment and Sisolak’s spokesperson did not respond before deadline.
In previous governor’s races, like in 2010, debates were a big part of the election. Republican Brian Sandoval and Democrat Rory Reid debated three times. They also made one joint appearance that resulted in a debate.
Still, with less than five months to go until Election Day, it is expected that Nevada voters can see at least one debate between the candidates in Nevada’s top races.
Audit sought
State Sen. Scott Hammond, R-Las Vegas, is calling for an audit of state money spent from March 12, 2020, to May 20, 2022, during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
Hammond made the request following a story from ProPublica and the Nevada Independent on Northshore Laboratories, which had contracts in the state to perform COVID-19 testing but reportedly missed 96% of positive cases and did not have the proper licensing. Hammond called it a “significant pay-to-play scheme” when it was revealed that Gov. Sisolak was friends with the father of two men Northshore contracted with when it was expanding to Nevada.
“Nevada’s pandemic policies have significantly impacted Nevadans,” Hammond wrote in a letter making the request to Assemblyman Steve Yeager, who chairs the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee. “These policies have affected livelihoods, access to schools, family, businesses and places of worship.”
Sisolak’s office said in a statement when the story was released that Sisolak didn’t have any conversations with his friend about Northshore or its operations. Sisolak also said Northshore’s “negligence is despicable.”
“The governor was never involved in expediting Northshore’s licensing process and he never directed his staff to expedite their licensing,” the statement said. “Neither the governor nor his staff were involved in any way in Northshore’s independent contracts with local entities.”
In the June 21 letter, Hammond leveled an accusation that the funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act were being “misused, misspent and misappropriated.”
“Nevadans deserve nothing less than a full investigation and accounting of these funds,” Hammond wrote. “The only responsible thing to do is request a prompt audit of each and every dollar spent under the Governor’s Declaration of Emergency from March 12, 2020, and May 20. Not only will this allow for us to rebuild and regain the trust of the public, but it will also provide answers and closure to Nevadans who have been harmed by Northshore Laboratories and complicit Nevada officials.”
Sisolak’s spokesperson Meghin Delaney said in an email that until the governor’s office sees what Hammond is calling for, it can’t speculate or provide further comment.
Stopping copycat edibles
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares are leading a bipartisan coalition of 23 attorneys general urging Congress to take action on copycat THC edibles. THC is the compound that results in a “high.”
They wrote that the copycat THC products are designed to look like popular snack items like Oreo cookies and Doritos chips and have led to an increase in children accidentally consuming them, according to a statement from Ford’s office.
The federal Food and Drug Administration issued a warning June 16 stating that between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022, poison control centers received almost 10,500 cases involving edible products containing THC. Of those cases, 77% involved patients under the age of 19.
“As states across the country, including my own, take steps to legalize and regulate cannabis, rules have been put in place to protect children from unwitting consumption,” Ford said in a statement. “However, there are those who attempt to work around these rules. Copycat products that mimic snacks and candy trademarks can entice children, leading to situations that can threaten their health and safety. We urge Congress to pass legislation granting these trademark holders the legal tools needed to hold these counterfeiters accountable.”
Attorneys general in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Utah and Washington joined the coalition.
Nevadans in Congress
Cortez Masto introduced legislation last week that aims to improve border security and law enforcement communication.
The Advanced Border Coordination Act would establish more joint operations centers along the southern border, expanding on the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to establish centers along the southern border so multiple agencies can work together.
“When I traveled to the southern border in 2019, I saw a joint operations center firsthand and heard from Border Patrol agents about the center’s effectiveness in detecting crime and securing our border,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “We know the joint operations model works, and I’m proud to introduce this legislation to expand these programs. I will continue to work on fixing our broken immigration system to make it both more secure and more humane.”
The legislation, if passed, would direct the Department of Homeland Security to establish at least two joint operation centers at the border where federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies would work together.
The centers would help detect and deter criminal activity, according to Cortez Masto’s statement, and it would support workforce development and training coordination. It would also require an annual report to Congress on the operational activities and recommendations for further federal actions.
Also last week. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., who is a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, sent a letter with Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., to the Food and Drug Administration commissioner requesting that the FDA develop guidance on alternatives to animal testing.
There are concerns that thousands of dogs are used annually in painful and deadly tests undertaken for FDA approval of drugs and medical devices, the letter says.
“To eliminate unnecessary government-mandated animal testing and facilitate greater use of modern alternative methods,” the letter says, “we request that the FDA develop and release guidance for industry on how alternatives to animal testing can be used to meet regulatory requirements.”
Additionally, Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.; Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced bipartisan legislation that would expand Combat Zone Tax Exclusion eligibility to remotely piloted aircraft crews who are in combat zones.
There are remotely piloted aircraft crews who conduct combat missions and experience many of the stressors of combat, but they are not eligible to earn the same tax-free income as those who are physically in a combat zone, according to a statement from Horsford’s office.
The legislation would benefit airmen in Nevada, according to Horsford’s office, as the majority of the Air Force’s remotely piloted aircraft missions are flown out of Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs.
“As our military technology advances, so must the policy that impacts the men and women who serve in our armed forces,” Horsford said in a statement. “While the remote situations of these combat operations provide greater security and safety for the members of our military, the mental impact and stress remain the same.”
Rosen last week also had a hand in the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act that seeks to recruit, develop and retain highly skilled cybersecurity professionals in the federal workforce. The legislation introduced by Rosen and Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., was signed into law.
“As a former computer programmer, I know how important it is to take action to expand and strengthen our nation’s federal cyber workforce,” Rosen said in a statement.
