Indy Elections is The Nevada Independent’s newsletter devoted to comprehensive and accessible coverage of the 2024 elections, from the race for the White House to the bid to take control of the Legislature.

In today’s edition: Happy (belated) Fourth of July! This week our newsletter is fairly short — a roundup of stories and a few other nuggets, including a fundraiser hosted by Sen. Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) featuring Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s upcoming visit to Las Vegas.

A quick programming note: Though the elections newsletter typically comes out on Tuesday, we’ll push our publishing date to Wednesday next week to bring you the main takeaways from Nevada’s campaign finance reports, which are due July 15.

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We want to hear from you! Send us your questions, comments, observations, jokes or what you think we should be covering or paying attention to. Email your newsletter editor Tabitha Mueller at [email protected].

By the Numbers: 

• 6 days until we can find out who backed a shadow PAC that targeted Sen. Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas) ahead of the primary
• 119 days until the general election (and the national news media can stop talking about whether President Joe Biden will run or not)
• 209 days until the 83rd legislative session begins

The Lightning Round

🤞 Ridin’ with Biden (for the time being) — Prominent members of the Nevada delegation are standing behind President Joe Biden as calls for him to drop out of the presidential race accelerate among Democrats.

In statements from their campaigns, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) affirmed their support for Biden as the Democratic nominee, noting he won the Nevada primary. (His lack of serious competition went unmentioned.)

Horsford’s support, in particular, is notable as the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. The Biden campaign has noted that internal Democratic dissent has been concentrated among mostly white members.

🐘 RNC, Nevada GOP file amended complaint in voter roll lawsuit — The Republican National Committee and Nevada GOP have submitted an amended lawsuit related to allegations that state elections officials are improperly maintaining the state’s voter rolls. A federal judge approved a motion to dismiss the case last month but allowed for an amended complaint related to standing issues. The amended version is largely the same as the initial lawsuit, but provides additional arguments on how both groups’ operations are adversely affected by what they allege are inaccurate voter rolls.

— Gabby Birenbaum and Eric Neugeboren

What we’re reading and writing

Indy Explains: Nevada’s laws on commercial addresses in voter rolls by Eric Neugeboren

Here are the facts about commercial addresses in voter rolls.

Far-right activist’s efforts galvanize Washoe County School Board races by Rocio Hernandez

In which the voters say no to Robert Beadles.

RFK Jr.’s campaign says it has enough signatures to get on NV ballot; validation pending by Eric Neugeboren

If the signatures are validated, only the Democrats stand in RFK Jr.’s way.

Washoe County primary election results remain unchanged after recount by Kelsea Frobes 

Spoiler: Vote totals shifted by at most five votes.

Will Trump's Las Vegas idea to end taxation on tips catch on? by Gabby Birenbaum

Culinary Union leadership call it a “wild-ass campaign promise.”

Controversial recount halted in Reno City Council race by Tabitha Mueller

Reno city officials say there are no take-backsies.

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, July 8: Prominent election denier Jim Marchant and GOP national committeewoman Sigal Chattah are featured attendees of the Save Nevada Save America Conference hosted by anti-vaccine advocate and COVID conspiracist attorney Tom Renz. Marchant unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate this year and lost his bid for secretary of state in 2022 to Democrat Cisco Aguilar.

Friday, July 12: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a keynote speaker at Freedom Fest — an event billed as “the ultimate event for liberty” — at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. Kennedy’s independent presidential campaign said it submitted enough signatures last week to land on Nevada’s ballot.

Tuesday, July 16, and Wednesday, July 17: President Joe Biden is speaking at two conferences in Las Vegas next week: The NAACP’s national convention, where he’ll focus on his administration’s efforts to advance racial equality, and the annual conference for UnidosUS, a Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization.

Wednesday, July 17: Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) is hosting a fundraiser on behalf of her political action committee, the Female Majority PAC. The event will include an appearance by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who is expected to run for president in the future.

— Eric Neugeboren and Tabitha Mueller

And to ease you into the week, a few “posts” to “X” that caught our eye: 

• Here is a post for anyone trying to say that at least Nevada’s heatwave is dry. 
• No one would EVER make sweeping generalizations about Las Vegas … 
• This post is an old one but a good one.

We’ll see you next week on Wednesday.

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