Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt (R) is preparing to ask for a statewide recount as his race against incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) goes down to the wire, the Daily Mail reports.
Lindsey Graham Declares Fraud in Nevada
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) went so far as to suggest fraud in Nevada if Adam Laxalt (R) isn’t declared the winner of the U.S. Senate race, Politico reports.
Said Graham: “There is no mathematical way Laxalt loses. If he does, then it’s a lie.”
“No evidence of election fraud has emerged and independent analysts have been expecting Cortez Masto to take the lead for days based on the number of outstanding mail votes in the most Democratic part of the state.”
Catherine Cortez Masto Closes the Gap
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) continues to gain on challenger Adam Laxalt (R) as the remaining votes are counted.
Laxalt now leads by less than 9,000 votes.
The AP reports officials are counting votes “as quickly as we can,” but still have 50,000 ballots outstanding in critical Clark County.
Catherine Cortez Masto Has Path to Victory in Nevada
Playbook: “According to the latest numbers from Jon Ralston and Sean Golonka of the Nevada Independent, there are about 110,000 mail ballots left to be counted from the two big urban counties, Clark (Las Vegas) and Washoe (Reno).”
“Even if Cortez Masto and Laxalt split those ballots well below her current rate of 65%-30%, Ralston notes, she will overtake Laxalt. There are also some outstanding rural ballots that will help Laxalt, and there are things like provisional ballots and cured ballots that all have to be tabulated by Saturday.”
“But according to the data nerds here, based on the known universe of outstanding ballots, Cortez Masto has a path to victory. And with Sen. Mark Kelly leading Blake Masters in Arizona by five points with 76% of the vote in, the Democrats could keep the Senate even without winning the Dec. 6 Georgia runoff.”
Jon Ralston: “Here’s what we know on the Nevada Senate race, if we assume the rurals are all but spent, will only add a couple thousand at most to Laxalt’s lead: If CCM continues to win urban mail at current clip, taking 65%, she will easily overtake Laxalt with 110,000 mail (at least) left.”
Nevada Senate Race Remains Very Close
“The Nevada Senate race is still really close, with Republican candidate Adam Laxalt holding between a 2- and 3-point lead over Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto,” FiveThirtyEight reports.
“But it looks like there are more Democratic votes left to be counted than Republican ones — especially regarding mail-in ballots, which Nevada accepts as long as they were postmarked by Election Day and arrive by Nov. 12.”
Jon Ralston does the math and concludes Cortez Masto has a shot at winning.
Nevada Democrats Count on the Reid Machine
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) has trailed her challenger, Adam Laxalt (R), in recent polls and Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) is also trailing his challenger, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“But in Las Vegas, the Democrats may have an ace up their sleeve: They have the backing of the highly motivated and influential Culinary Workers Union Local 226, a 60,000-member organization of Las Vegas hotel staff that has a strong history of canvassing and turning elections in their favor.”
Jon Ralston Sees Cortez Masto Pulling Out Narrow Win
Jon Ralston predicts Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) will hang on to win re-election.
“Red wave or not, candidates and campaigns matter. Adam Laxalt is an abysmal candidate who has lived on his last name for credibility and fundraising since he moved here a decade ago. Anyone with an R after his or her name would be competitive this cycle, and his automaton-like performance, where he can disgorge puerile talking points to thrill the faithful and avoid any serious questioning (a candidate for governor and Senate who never debated!) has been something to behold.”
However, Ralston is not so sure about Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) and thinks challenger Joe Lombardo (R) can pull out a narrow victory.
Democrats Hold Edge in Nevada
A new Nevada Independent/OH Predictive Insights poll finds Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) leading challenger Adam Laxalt (R) by two points, 43% to 41%.
In the governor’s race, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) leads Joe Lombardo (R) by four points, 45% to 41%.
Down ballot, Democratic candidates for several statewide offices — attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer — also led their respective Republican opponents by slim margins.
The ‘Reid Machine’ Staring Down Tough Test
“Democrats in Nevada hold both U.S. Senate seats, the governor’s mansion and three of its four U.S. House seats. The state hasn’t backed a Republican presidential candidate since 2004,” the AP reports.
“But as this year’s midterm elections approach, the party’s grip on power is under threat. Catherine Cortez Masto has been called the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate. Gov. Steve Sisolak is facing a spirited reelection challenge from Republican Joe Lombardo. And the GOP could pick up two House seats in Nevada, which would put the party well on its way to regaining the majority in Washington.”
“The dynamics pose a severe test for the sophisticated organization that the late Sen. Harry Reid spent years building to give Democrats an edge in the swing state.”
Nevada Is Only Battleground Without a Senate Debate
“The two candidates in one of the country’s most competitive Senate races have no plans to debate before Election Day, making the contest an anomaly among battleground states this year,” NBC News reports.
“With less than four weeks until the Nov. 8 election, neither Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto nor her Republican challenger, Adam Laxalt, have given any sign of breaking a stalemate over whether they would meet face to face on stage.”
Adam Laxalt’s Family Members Endorse His Opponent
Fourteen members of Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt’s (R) family announced that they would collectively endorse his opponent, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D), the Nevada Independent reports.
New York Times: “The race is tight, with most of the latest polls showing Mr. Laxalt up by a sliver. Without mentioning him by name, Mr. Laxalt’s family members argued that Ms. Cortez Masto would serve Nevada far better than their relative, who has emerged in recent years as a die-hard Trump loyalist eager to push the former president’s stolen-election lies.”
Catherine Cortez Masto Just Ahead in Nevada
A new USA Today/Suffolk poll in Nevada shows Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) holds the smallest of leads over challenger Adam Laxalt (R), 46% to 44%.
Nevada Senate Race Tests Potency of Abortion Focus
“Democrats predicted abortion would be Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s saving grace,” the AP reports.
“But inside Nevada’s crowded union halls, across its sun-scorched desert towns and on the buzzing Las Vegas strip, there are signs that outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle abortion rights may not be enough to overcome intensifying economic concerns.”
“That’s leaving Cortez Masto as the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrat in the final month of a volatile midterm election year. Her predicament is the starkest example of the challenge facing Democrats nationwide as they try to capitalize on anger over the abortion ruling while Republicans focus on crime and stubborn inflation. If Cortez Masto can’t turn things around, the GOP would be well on its way to netting the one seat they need to retake the Senate and blunt the final two years of President Joe Biden’s term.”
Republicans See Nevada as Best Flip Opportunity
“In a volatile midterm election where Democrats have unexpectedly taken the lead in crucial battleground states, Republicans have found a glimmer of hope in their quest to seize control of the Senate,” NBC News reports.
“Eight weeks before Election Day, they’re within striking distance of capturing the seat long held by the late Democratic titan Harry Reid before Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won it in 2016.”
“Cortez Masto may be the most endangered Democratic incumbent in this cycle, even though her party hasn’t lost a Senate race here in a decade. While Democrats still project confidence, polls show a dead heat despite massive spending by Cortez Masto and an early assault of negative ads designed to tarnish rival Adam Laxalt.”
The FiveThirtyEight polling average has Cortez Masto ahead by four points.
Democrats Hold Slim Leads In Nevada
A new AARP-commissioned poll shared with the Nevada Independent finds Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) leading challenger Adam Laxalt (R), 44% to 40%.
In the gubernatorial race, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) leads Joe Lombardo (R), 41% to 38%.
Cortez Masto Holds Solid Lead In Nevada
A new Reno Gazette-Journal/Suffolk poll in Nevada finds Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) leads her opponent, Adam Laxalt (R), by seven percentage points, 45% to 38%.
Aide to Nevada Republican Marched with Oath Keepers
“The new communications director for the Republican Senate nominee in Nevada — a key state that could determine control in Washington — marched to the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, with two members of the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers including one who was later charged with sedition,” CNN reports.
Tim Scott Runs Ads In Nevada and Georgia
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), up for reelection this year and considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, is running direct-to-camera television ads in Nevada and in Georgia at a cost of nearly $2 million to boost his party’s candidates for Senate in those closely-watched races, Politico reports.