The Human Rights Campaign is upping the ante in Nevada in an effort that the group hopes will pay dividends against Sen. Dean Heller and other GOP candidates in November and ultimately against President Donald Trump in 2020.

The group, which advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights, has identified about 600,000 Nevada “equality voters,” who are those they believe support the HRC’s equality agenda and that the group plans to mobilize.

That’s why Nevada is part of a six-state, $26 million campaign, with Nevada slated to get no less than $1 million of that. Other states include Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“This $26 million investment is our largest ever and our earliest ever investment in a midterm,” said HRC Communications Director Chris Sgro, adding that the group has been organizing in Nevada for almost a year.

Along with the Senate race between Heller and Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, HRC has also weighed in to the governor’s race in favor of Democrat Steve Sisolak and against Republican Adam Laxalt. HRC also backs legislative Democrats Aaron Ford for attorney general and Nelson Araujo for secretary of state.

“Adam Laxalt has a long history of anti-equality positions and defeating him is one of our highest priorities,” said Geoff Wetrosky, HRC’s national campaign director, adding that it was important keep a Democratic, pro-equality legislature and “put people like Aaron Ford and Nelson Araujo in office so they can advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ community and all fair-minded people in Nevada.” 

Laxalt’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry seeking comment.

The group is also looking to 2020, when Nevada will be a crucial swing state that could help defeat President Donald Trump. One of HRC’s top legislative goals is to pass a bill known as the Equality Act that would extend certain civil-rights protections to LGBTQ persons. The group believes that it stands a better chance of enacting the bill with Trump out of office.

HRC sees the LGBTQ vote as a critical one that could determine the makeup of Congress as well as state governments.

“We really do believe that this is a historic moment that is unique to the LGBTQ movement,” said Geoff Wetrosky, HRC’s national campaign director.

Acceptance of the issue of LGBTQ rights is at an all-time high and the group is looking to capitalize on that by reaching out to a larger swath of the population for support.

Wetrosky cites a Gallup poll released in May that found 67 percent of adults say gay marriages should be legally valid, a 3 percent increase over the previous year and nine percent over 2015.

“We are now at a point where we can be a real force and make a difference in elections,” Wetrosky said.

HRC used polling and election data to identify its equality voters, which according to the group total 52 million across the nation. Its data show that such voters are younger, more likely to be people of color, and more likely to be women than the general population

“Those are all turn out targets,” Wetrosky said.

But getting these voters to the polls may be a challenge given that turnout among young voters has been lower in the past two midterm elections than during presidential election years.

Among the current top issues for HRC is defeating the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which they see as a threat to LGBTQ rights, health care and abortion access.

“We are very concerned that he will grant a sweeping license to discriminate,” Sgro said.

Heller has said he supports Kavanaugh, while Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, said she is waiting to meet the judge before making up her mind on how to vote.

HRC’s latest effort was last month when it ran a newspaper ad in Reno urging Heller to oppose Kavanaugh.