John Locher / AP
Republican Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt speaks at a news conference Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in Las Vegas.
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022 | 12:19 p.m.
Republican Adam Laxalt conceded his U.S. Senate race to Nevada incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto this morning, marking the end of a long, dogged campaign by the former attorney general who was a central figure behind former President Donald Trump’s attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential campaign.
Laxalt unsuccessfully spent the weeks after the 2020 campaign attempting to change the results in Trump’s favor, but indicated today that he wouldn’t contest his narrow Senate loss, posting on Twitter that he was “confident that any challenge of this election would not alter the ultimate outcome.” The race was called on Saturday in Cortez Masto's favor by the Associated Press.
“Moving forward, we need to better adjust to our new election laws or we need to work to fix them,” Laxalt said. He and other Republicans down-ballot were unable to overcome a barrage of votes cast by mail or during the state’s early voting period, both of which tend to heavily favor Democratic candidates, according to political experts. “That is why this morning I called Catherine Cortez Masto to congratulate her on her win.”
In a separate email to supporters announcing his concession, Laxalt said Democrats were able to capitalize on ballots dropped off at polling places all the way up through Election Day. “This is not a form of voting Republican voters prefer, so as those ballots were tabulated, they skewed heavily towards Democrats up and down the ballot, including our opponent,” the email reads.
As of Tuesday morning, Cortez Masto had bested Laxalt with 491,415 votes compared to his 483,513, about a 0.79% lead, according to preliminary results posted by the Nevada Secretary of State’s office. Cortez Masto was able to ride waves of support from urban Clark and Washoe counties en route to her second term.
Laxalt was co-chair to the former president’s failed re-election campaign in Nevada, and filed several lawsuits in the aftermath of the 2020 race seeking to prematurely stop the counting of mail-in votes, or overturn the result that showed President Joe Biden besting Trump by about 34,000 votes.
Many Republicans have cried foul and touted claims that the election was stolen and that mail-in ballots were submitted fraudulently. Those claims have been proven false in court challenges, and Nevada’s Republican Secretary of State has assured the public the election was free and fair and untainted by meaningful fraud.
Days after officially announcing his candidacy, Laxalt told radio host Wayne Allyn Root he planned to assemble a team to “come up with a full plan, do our best to try to secure this election, get as many observers as we can, and file lawsuits early, if there are lawsuits we can file to try to tighten up the election,” according to the Associated Press.
In March, The New York Times obtained leaked audio of Laxalt telling reporters he was “vetting outside groups to help in establishing election observer teams and map out a litigation strategy.”
Even last week, as election workers in Clark County continued days past the Nov. 8 general election to continue processing a glut of the county’s mail-in votes, Trump took to his Truth Social social media platform to decry the county’s “corrupt” voting system, though officials pushed back, asserting they were adhering to state law as it relates to counting mail-in ballots.
Laxalt said he will return to his private law practice, and enjoy private life with his wife and four children.
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement I have received, and I’ll remain forever committed to our state, our country, and our cause,” Laxalt said. “My biggest concern when entering this race was the toll on my wife and our four young children. I am thankful for their love, support and tremendous sacrifice this year.”
