With Harris in race, Southern Nevada experts see ‘cloud of uncertainty’ lifting, new energy among would-be voters

Kamala Harris is “breathing new life” into the presidential election, Las Vegas election experts said, and could help enhance voter participation with a younger generation that was disillusioned with what until this week had been shaping up as a race between the two oldest major-party candidates in American history.

The change arrived Sunday when President Joe Biden, 81, the presumptive Democratic nominee, dropped his reelection bid against Republican nominee Donald Trump, 78. Instead, Biden tossed his support behind Harris, the 59-year-old vice president, who looks to be the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

“There was a lot of low-grade, consistent worry every time that Joe Biden was taking the stairs or speaking in public,” said Rebecca Gill, an associate professor of political science at UNLV. “Harris presents a much more robust persona, and I think that is really going to change the emotional field — particularly for those who lean toward the Democratic Party but don’t have that much experience being partisan.”

Harris, within minutes of Biden’s announcement, received endorsements from many key party leaders, including all five of Nevada’s Democratic lawmakers in Congress. More important: The announcement brought in $81 million in contributions to Harris’ campaign in the first 24 hours after Biden’s announcement and $100 million in the two days since, the campaign said.

All 49 of the Nevada delegates to the Democratic National Convention agreed Monday night to support Harris’ nomination, the state party said. Biden, who won the Nevada primary in February, released his delegates when he dropped out of the race.

The convention, when she can officially become the nominee, starts Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Daniele Monroe-Moreno, chairwoman of the Nevada Democrats, said in a statement that the vice president “understands Nevada” and pointed to Harris’ many visits here in recent months. “Nevada Democrats know Vice President Harris has been instrumental to the Biden administration’s historic progress,” Monroe-Moreno added.

For Christian Solomon, a Democratic Party activist in Las Vegas, the “cloud of uncertainty is changing.” He observed buzz around early endorsements for Harris and a sense of direction that was lacking while questions of Biden’s capabilities dominated national conversations.

Solomon said he would like to see the Harris campaign continue to reach out to underrepresented communities, like Las Vegas’ “Ninth Island,” community — the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders who moved to the city. Harris kicked off what then was the Biden-Harris campaign’s outreach effort with Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island voters with a July 9 rally in Las Vegas.

Solomon said he believed the Biden campaign established a good foundation for Harris to complete, including with the accomplishments of his presidency that Harris had a hand in securing — for instance, the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that provides $110 billion for roads, bridges and major projects over the next five years.

Solomon said Harris can galvanize youth spaces and speak on issues pertinent to younger generations, citing her college visits as an example. In September, the vice president visited the College of Southern Nevada in a seven-stop tour of colleges across the country “to mobilize young people in the ongoing fight for fundamental freedoms and rights,” as they began school.

In April, she stopped at the Southwest Career and Technical Academy to discuss legislation that addressed mental health, school safety programs and gun control.

“Her outreach has already been focused on young people, and I think she has connected with them in ways that Joe Biden would never be able to do,” Gill added.

In Nevada, voters ages 18-24 account for about 10% of the active registered population — with the majority being nonpartisan, according to the Nevada secretary of state. In a battleground state like Nevada, where Biden defeated Trump by about 33,000 votes in 2020, attracting those nonpartisan votes could determine the outcome of the election.

Sondra Cosgrove, executive director of Vote Nevada and a history professor at CSN, said there many questions needed to be answered regarding Harris’ candidacy. For Cosgrove, more polling geared at capturing the leanings of young voters can help navigate a time filled with uncertainties.

“(In Nevada) there’s such a large group of nonpartisans who have been kind of just sitting on the fence or saying they don’t want to vote — how do they feel now? Do they have any concerns? Do they want a certain VP or not?” Cosgrove said.

Cosgrove also pointed to Harris’ presidential run in 2020, when some first-time voters in this election may have been as young as 14 at the time.

“They don’t have any context for her,” she added.

Gill said Biden’s age and competency weren’t the only deterrents for young voters who weren’t interested in supporting him, highlighting concerns about the response to the war between Israel and Hamas. She said Harris was quicker than Biden to call for more aid to Gaza.

The Nevada GOP isn’t buying the notion that Harris being elevated to the top of the Democratic ticket carries lasting momentum.

“We had Democrats signing letters, putting up press releases about — even our elected officials here in Nevada — how much they stand with Joe Biden, he’s strong, he’s great, he’s wonderful, he’s going to go the distance,” said Michael McDonald, chairman of the Nevada GOP. “Then, the (social media post on X) comes out and they turn on him like a pack of wild dogs.”

Once young voters are educated, McDonald said, “they come to the Republican side.” He mentioned Harris’ role in major talking points from last week’s Republican National Convention, including the economy and the state of the southern border.

“We’re definitely reaching out to the youth. Their future is at stake,” he added.

Gill said Harris’ race and gender may resonate more with young voters, but how much of that conversation plays into the race depends on both her and Trump’s campaigns. Harris could tap into her experience as a Black and South Asian woman or choose to keep her identity out of the conversation.

“I think a lot of voters, who are the ones that didn’t like Biden, they’re wanting to know is she just going to be the same? Or will she be different?” Cosgrove said.

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