Nevada Republican gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo and Republican Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt shake hands during the America First rally at Treasure Island Friday, July 8, 2022.
Published Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 | 12:08 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 | 4:13 p.m.
A debate between candidates for two of Nevada’s highest-profile political races have been scrapped after U.S. Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt and gubernatorial contender Joe Lombardo — both Republicans — declined to participate.
The top-of-ticket debates between Laxalt and incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, as well as between Lombardo and Gov. Steve Sisolak were supposed to be held either Oct. 13 or Oct. 27 but were canceled after both GOP candidates did not respond to the debate’s invitation, said Matt Vaughan, news director at KOLO-TV Channel 8.
The Reno-based ABC affiliate was the sponsor of the debate, along with the Reno Gazette Journal and the League of Women Voters.
Debates will still take place between hopefuls running for Reno City Council, mayor, Washoe County Commission, and a slew of other statewide and legislative races, Vaughan said.
In a statement, Cortez Masto campaign spokesman Josh Marcus-Blank blasted Laxalt for the move and said Laxalt’s campaign opted to not participate in three debates to which Cortez Masto committed. That includes a debate on Spanish-language television.
“It’s clear Adam Laxalt cannot defend his record of cashing in with a longtime D.C. lobbyist, trying to overturn the 2020 election and attacking a woman’s right to choose,” Marcus-Blank said in the statement. “Laxalt is ducking debates, just like he did during his failed run for governor.”
"We have accepted televised, statewide debate offers with two respected, neutral Nevada media outlets. We hope that Catherine Cortez Masto will stop hiding and agree to at least one of them," campaign spokesman Brian Freimuth said in a statement. "Voters deserve to hear Cortez Masto’s defense of the disastrous Biden agenda that she has become a rubber stamp for in the U.S. Senate.”
The two outlets would be Sinclair Broadcast Group (KSNV-TV) and Nevada Newsmakers, Freimuth said.
Sisolak for Governor spokesperson Natalie Gould said in a statement that the governor had accepted debate invitations from KOLO-TV and KLAS-TV (Las Vegas Channel 8). The Las Vegas debate was canceled last week after Lombardo’s camp did not respond in time.
“It’s been over a month and Joe Lombardo has yet to announce any details about the debates he’s ‘agreed to’ — leading two Nevada TV stations to cancel their debates,” Gould said in the statement. “This is yet another example of Joe Lombardo running from his record, hiding his out of touch stances and keeping Nevadans in the dark at all costs.”
“While Gov. Sisolak believes Nevadans deserve multiple opportunities to hear from their candidates, he looks forward to holding Lombardo accountable on October 2nd,” Gould said.
In a statement, Lombardo for Governor spokesperson Elizabeth Ray said his campaign announced in August it would commit to debates in Elko, Las Vegas and Reno. Ray noted that Lombardo — also the Clark County Sheriff — accepted an invitation to a business roundtable hosted by the Reno Chamber of Commerce set for October, but Sisolak’s campaign declined.
Lombardo is “committed to debating in Elko,” though plans for that have not been finalized, Ray said.
“Steve Sisolak’s whining about debates is a desperate attempt to change the subject from his Northshore scandal,” Ray said in the statement. The spokesperson was referencing Northshore Clinical Laboratories, a company the state contracted early in the COVID-19 pandemic to process coronavirus tests that missed 96% of positive cases, according to a report by ProPublica and The Nevada Independent.
That same report also found Northshore used “political connections, including contracting with the sons of a close friend to the governor, to fast track its state laboratory license application” and secure other testing agreements throughout the state.
“While Sheriff Lombardo looks forward to holding Steve Sisolak accountable for his corruption and cronyism on the debate stage, it’s clear Steve Sisolak (and his campaign team) are absolutely terrified.”
Sisolak and Lombardo have, however, agreed to an additional debate to be hosted by The Nevada Independent scheduled for Oct. 2 that will also air on KSNV-TV (Las Vegas Channel 3) and KRNV-TV the next day.
