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Republicans Chose Radical Nativists in Nevada Primaries

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Read the newest analysis from America’s Voice here

Washington, DC – In a new political analysis titled “Republicans Chose Radical Nativists in Nevada Primaries,” America’s Voice Political Director Zachary Mueller examines the political landscape in Nevada following this week’s primaries. Supported by information found in our GOP Ad Tracker, the report outlines the many ways Republicans have confirmed that they will field a slate of radical nativists across the top of the ticket in November.

The full analysis can be found here and it is also excerpted below:

“The Nevada primaries on June 14 did not offer election night surprises, but Republicans confirmed they will field a slate of radical nativists across the top of the ticket in November. Adam Laxalt (Senate), Joe Lombardo (Governor), April Becker (NV-03), and Sam Peters (NV-04) all ran on xenophobic fear-mongering in the primary and now hope to flip seats held by Democrats.

…We have seen the deadly consequences of these lies, but we fully expect leading Nevada Republicans to continue to make xenophobic dog-whistling a cornerstone of their midterm message.

…Laxalt framed his campaign in the stark terms of “good versus evil,” claiming his supporters are the “good guys” with evil needing to be defeated. However, Laxalt has repeatedly embraced versions of racist “replacement theory” while on the campaign trail, according to audio obtained by Current – echoing the racist lies that have motivated several deadly terrorists over the last few years, including mass murderers in Buffalo, El Paso and Pittsburgh.

…Before his gubernatorial bid, Joe Lombardo was the Sheriff of Clark County, including Las Vegas and about 74 percent of the state’s population. He is challenging incumbent Democrat Governor Steve Sisolak. Unsurprisingly, this Republican former Sheriff made “law and order” dog-whistling the centerpiece of his campaign. Beyond the strategic racist attacks around “defund the police,” Lombardo touted his efforts at mass deportation as one of his main qualifications for governor.

…For her part, Becker ran numerous ads that employed false, racist, and xenophobic tropes to boost her campaign. On her campaign website, Becker pushed several debunked lies about migrants. She claims Trump’s wall will “slow the unprecedented migration.” It won’t, nor are the numbers “unprecedented” but inflated because of policies that lead to recidivism and multiple counting. Becker also looks to make the non-existent link between fentanyl and migration – the facts do not support this widely used and inaccurate GOP talking point. Becker also falsely claims that “mass immigration drives down wages.” The long-held consensus by economists again disproves this lie.

…Peters made repeated fundraising pitches throughout the primary, echoing the language of several white nationalist terrorists about an alleged “invasion” at the southern border; rhetoric that is inexorably tied to the vile lies around “replacement theory.” Peters sent a get-out-the-vote email just two weeks after the horrific terror attack in Buffalo, New York, warning of a “southern border invasion” in spite of the fact the gunman’s racist screed used similar language 10 separate times.

…As Democrats, including now Senator Cortez Masto herself, square off against another round of Republican nativists in Nevada, they should remember their well-deserved confidence on the issue. They shouldn’t run from – or to the right – on immigration issues when the inevitable anti-immigrant attacks come, but learning from their past, they should lean into values-based pro-immigrant messaging and build a multi-racial coalition of Latinos, Asian, immigrant, faith, labor and Democratic base voters.”