Indy Elections: Vivek goes to Nevada
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: Don’t look now, but an actual, real-life presidential candidate held a rally in Las Vegas this weekend. We break down what Vivek Ramaswamy’s visit tells us about a GOP primary so far dominated by one man (not Ramaswamy). Plus, presidential primary filing opened on Monday — so what does that mean?
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Days until:
- Presidential candidate filing closes: 13
- Nevada presidential primary: 126
- GOP presidential caucus: 128
- Election Day: 399
Vivek Las Vegas
What a rare (so far) Republican presidential rally tells us about the shape of the race
Vivek Ramaswamy was in Las Vegas on Sunday.
That is the long and short of it.
The biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke crusader did not deviate from his usual stump speech, delivering invectives against woke culture, the new Left, China and the deep state as he sought to cast himself as a fresh voice for the GOP.
Ramaswamy did not mention Nevada-specific issues in his speech, did not pose for pictures with the audience or gaggle with the assembled press — an expeditious exit for a candidate who has made his name in part through a strategy of saying yes to nearly every possible interview opportunity.
But before Ramaswamy ever took the stage, the man-who-wasn’t-there eclipsed all.
“I said [to former President Donald Trump], if you win this thing — when you win this thing — I think Vivek would make a fantastic vice president of the United States and president-in-waiting in 2028,” conservative radio host Wayne Allyn Root said as he introduced Ramaswamy ahead of his remarks.
That was one of 13 times Root — who has often embraced conspiracy theories — mentioned Trump during his five-minute intro.
“Wayne and I, we've got a friendly relationship,” Ramaswamy said as he took the stage. “The only thing we disagree on is the position I'm running for in this role. I'm not running to be your vice president. I'm running to be the president of the United States.”
Still, Ramaswamy’s visit marks just the third stop from a major Republican presidential candidate this calendar year, following a Gov. Ron DeSantis speech during the Basque Fry in June and a Trump event in July. (Larry Elder, the conservative talk radio host who has so far been unable to make the GOP debate stage, has made several stops in Nevada.)
Sunday’s rally presented a natural point of comparison to past GOP campaigns. The venue — Stoney’s Rockin’ Country — is a honky-tonk bar in Town Square, a country-western oasis of unincorporated Clark County still just a stone’s throw from the nearest Whole Foods. Founder and owner Chris Lowden is the son of Sue Lowden, a former state senator and past chair of the Nevada Republican Party.
It hosted former Attorney General Adam Laxalt and DeSantis in 2022 (before DeSantis formally declared for president, but well within his “he’s definitely running” window), and later Donald Trump Jr., also for Laxalt.
Ramaswamy drew a sizable crowd — but not a full one. Enough interested voters to fill a full gamut of folding chairs and a handful of hightops at the edges of the main speaking area, but not anywhere near standing room only.
— Jacob Solis
But speaking of the primary …
Yesterday was Oct. 2, which means presidential candidate filing is officially OPEN until Oct. 16.
The timing overlaps with the filing period for the state GOP’s caucus, which began at the start of September and ends one day earlier on Oct. 15 — potentially giving candidates a one-day opportunity to find out who has filed in the caucus before filing for the primary on the final day of the period.
Candidates can file either in person by appointment with the secretary of state’s office or by mail.
The key point in all this: If at least two candidates file for either party’s primary (and those candidates don’t back out), the state must hold a primary. Will any GOP candidates with an outside shot seek salvation in the potential momentum of a delegate-less primary win?
Stay up to date on who has filed with our presidential candidate tracker. For more on the push to have a caucus and a primary, check out Sean Golonka’s explainer here, plus the latest rules updates here and here.
— Jacob Solis and Sean Golonka
What’s shaking in the legislative election world?
There have been a lot of new names (and endorsements) in legislative races in the last few weeks, including Clark County Fire Chief John Steinbeck receiving the coveted Gov. Joe Lombardo endorsement in the already crowded race to represent Senate District 18.
Re-election bids announced this week include:
- Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy (R-Henderson)
- Assemblyman Greg Hafen II (R-Pahrump)
- Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts (R-Las Vegas)
- Assemblyman David Orentlicher (D-Las Vegas)
- Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva (D-Las Vegas)
- Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas)
- Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas).
In Henderson’s swingy Assembly District 29, Democrat Joe Dalia is running for the seat again after losing to Assemblywoman Lesley Cohen (D-Henderson) in a primary last year. Cohen is not running for re-election in 2024.
A few (new-ish) faces, too:
- In Assembly District 5, Republicans Kelly Quinn and Alan Bigelow announced bids to run against Assemblywoman Brittney Miller (D-Las Vegas)
- Democrat Val Thomason announced a bid for the vacant Assembly District 10; Assemblywoman Sabra Newby (D-Las Vegas) resigned that seat to take a job as deputy city manager in Las Vegas
- Republican Brandon Davis announced in August that he would run for Assembly District 34 against Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod (D-Las Vegas)
- Republican David Brog is looking to unseat Assemblywoman Shea Backus (D-Las Vegas), who represents Assembly District 37
- Democrat Christian Bishop announced a bid for the Senate District 5 seat, which is held by Sen. Carrie Buck (R-Henderson)
For a complete list of legislative candidate announcements, click here.
— Tabitha Mueller
What we’re reading and writing
Nevada adopts rules for presidential primaries as state GOP continues plans for caucus by Eric Neugeboren and Jacob Solis
Hand counting? In this economy?
Who’s governor when Lombardo’s away? Still Lombardo, says administration by Sean Golonka, Tabitha Mueller and Jacob Solis
Wait a second, if you’re here, then who’s flying this plane?
Lawsuit from A’s stadium supporters seeks to block union’s Nevada ballot measure by Tabitha Mueller and Howard Stutz
Labor unions on one side, a teachers union on the other. Just as we all expected.
Rosen calls on embattled Menendez to resign, joining other Senate Democrats by Gabby Birenbaum
My ‘not (allegedly) bribed by the Egyptian government’ T-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.
Nevada’s powerful Culinary Union is eyeing a strike: Would Biden and Harris join their picket line too? By Adrian Carrasquillo, The Messenger
Paraphrasing the White House: “Good question.”
Former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee to run for Congress, challenge Horsford by Sean Golonka
The one-time Democrat, now Republican, aims for Congress.
Indy Ad Watch
Duty First Nevada PAC (Sam Brown) — Proven Under Fire
In the first major ad buy for Sam Brown’s U.S. Senate bid, a pro-Brown super PAC has reported spending more than $52,000 on new advertising to support Brown, according to FEC filings.
While Brown has faced attacks over his non-embrace of former President Donald Trump (see just below), the ad’s narrator also states Brown will “restore the Trump economy” and describes him as an “America first patriot” — echoing Trump.
Jeff Gunter — NEVER Trump vs. PRO TRUMP
In continuing his attacks against Brown as an anti-Trump candidate, this ad, which aired on Fox News, sees a narrator boost the GOP Senate candidate and former U.S. ambassador to Iceland as “110 percent pro Trump,” while describing Brown as “never Trump.”
Joe Biden — Never Left
If you’re watching local news, the NFL, Dancing with the Stars, or Bachelor in Paradise in Las Vegas this week, keep an eye out for a new minute-long spot from the Biden campaign focusing on the president’s middle-class roots. Highlighting Biden’s upbringing in Scranton, the ad pivots toward cost savings provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, including capping the price of insulin for seniors, empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices, and investing in clean energy. The ad also rolls out what might be a new slogan: “Joe Biden: from the middle class, for the middle class.”
“Never Left” is running in Las Vegas, as well as 11 other cities in battleground states, as part of the campaign’s $25 million, 16-week buy.
Joe Biden — The Way
As yet another spot in the Biden campaign’s $25 million, multistate ad blitz (which includes Nevada), “The Way” rolls a slideshow of Biden as a then-senator alongside such Republican luminaries as President Ronald Reagan, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Sen. John McCain. The ad then switches to touting Biden’s legislative accomplishments, including the bipartisan infrastructure bill and high tech manufacturing.
The Lightning Round
💸Brown’s military fundraising pitch — First reported by Punchbowl News last week, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown was using Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) block against senior military promotions to raise money for his campaign — a move that sparked swift backlash from Democrats who attacked Brown as “anti-choice.” The fundraising page now does not mention Tuberville, but includes a “military readiness assessment” that asks prospective donors if “the Pentagon [should] pay for travel to get abortions” and includes a box for a donation split between Brown and Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy.
🏖️Marchant plans fundraiser in Trump territory — In December, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim Marchant is set to appear at a fundraising reception hosted by Joe Pizza at Mar-a-Lago, a Palm Beach, Florida resort owned by former President Donald Trump. Joining him will be Trump’s former U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who was a key supporter of Marchant’s 2022 bid for secretary of state. Flynn was also at a fundraiser for Marchant last month.
And to ease you into the week, a few “posts” to “X” that caught our eye:
- PSA: Do NOT eat the delicious looking graupel
- Stavros Anthony proving that being LG really is the best statewide job
- No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative
- Next up: free soloing Red Rock
We’ll see you next week.
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