Congress is in recess, and Nevada Democrats are back in the state and facing some of their harshest critics — their own voters.

For many, this week was supposed to be about calling attention to various Donald Trump policies and their potential impacts in Nevada. But in the aftermath of a government funding vote that left the base furious at senators who voted in favor of Republicans’ funding bill (attn: Catherine Cortez Masto), Democratic voters are instead discussing if their elected officials are meeting the moment.

Members had different strategies for tackling their recess week, from town halls to roundtables to a massive Las Vegas rally with the two most famous people in left-wing politics: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Here, their strategies are broken down:

Horsford: Stage left

There are few politicians with enough name recognition to be known simply by their first name or initials.

But at Bernie and AOC’s North Las Vegas stop — the first Western date of their national “Fight Oligarchy” tour — the progressive energy for self-described fighters was on full display. 

Their opening act, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), represents a battleground district and isn’t quite a member of the Squad — he’s a member of both the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

But while Sanders — who won the Nevada presidential caucus in 2020 — gave a variation of the anti-billionaire speech he’s been delivering consistently for decades, Horsford and Ocasio-Cortez made clear that any divisions among Democrats should be on the basis of willingness to fight rather than ideology.

“I want you to look at every level of office around, and support brawlers who fight,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Because those are the ones who can actually win against Republicans.”

Ocasio-Cortez thanked Horsford by name for his vote against the Republican spending bill — which all House Democrats but one voted against — and contrasted it with the Senate Democrats who voted “yes,” saying the party needed more representatives like those in Nevada. 

“Last week, when other Democrats caved, your representatives, Steven Horsford and Sen. Jacky Rosen, stood strong against the pressure in D.C. and voted against a Republican spending bill that cuts billions in programs for the working class and for our veterans exposed to burn pits,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Rep. Susie Lee and every Nevada House Democrat voted no too, so I want to thank you. Your state is pulling its weight out here.”

Left unmentioned? Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), who voted “yes.” 

In his own speech, Horsford criticized Republican plans for Medicaid, education and tax cuts. And while other Democrats have shied away from their party’s most famous democratic socialists — and the energy they generate — Horsford leaned in. (Unsurprisingly, the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) is already using his appearance to message against him.)

“When Sen. Bernie Sanders and AOC contacted me and said ‘I want to come to your district,’ I said, ‘I welcome you,’” Horsford said. “I welcome you because my constituents deserve to have their voices heard.”

Titus: Go where the base is

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) attended two town halls Thursday — one of her own, and one hosted by progressive group Indivisible — and also met with unionized federal workers and Boulder City Democrats throughout the week.

At the Indivisible town hall in Las Vegas, organizers placed four empty chairs in the front, adorned with signs naming the four Nevada Democrats who did not show up. And they gave Titus a gift of a small plastic backbone — a spine — for attending. (Horsford’s staff also attended.)

At both events, Titus took questions from audience members, ripped the Trump administration and Elon Musk and encouraged attendees to stay engaged in the political moment.

Though still on the NRCC’s target list, Titus represents the Nevada district that is safest for Democrats and won her last election by 7.5 percentage points — proving that it’s politically easier for her to be in lockstep with the Democratic base.

Senators: Roundtables and meetings around the state

Both senators kept a busy recess schedule meeting with various groups — nonprofit workers, federal workers, construction workers and Medicaid recipients among them. 

Cortez Masto also gave an address at the Legislature and took questions from the media, including my colleague Eric Neugeboren, who asked if she’d received pushback from voters who feel that Democrats are not sufficiently standing up to the Trump administration. 

Cortez Masto defended her vote and her strategy.

“There's this misnomer out there that Democrats aren't standing up, when in actuality, we're doing an incredible job of shining a light on what is happening in Washington to get them outraged and to get them to understand what is happening,” she said.

Cortez Masto was one of 10 Senate Democrats to vote to end debate — which requires 60 votes — on the GOP’s spending bill, before ultimately voting against it at the 50-vote threshold.

Neither Cortez Masto nor Rosen is up for re-election in 2024, but that hasn’t stopped calls for a primary challenge.

Amodei: Dems are mad

Even though it’s a safe red district, Democrats in Northern Nevada are still making their displeasure known. Members of National Nurses United protesting outside of Rep. Mark Amodei’s office were denied access Thursday.

Meanwhile, trying to capitalize on voters’ anger, independent Greg Kidd, who unsuccessfully challenged Amodei in 2024, held a town hall this week in Reno — portending a potential 2026 rematch. Amodei told The Nevada Independent in early March that he isn’t planning to hold a town hall.

Around the Capitol

⛏️Trump turbocharges mining — Trump is using emergency authority — designated to presidents during wartime — to boost critical mineral production, including for lithium and nickel. 

The order, based on the notion that relying on critical minerals from other countries is a national security concern, directs the federal government to quickly identify and permit mines and identify federal lands with critical mineral potential. It also elevates mining above other uses on federal land. 

The move was celebrated by the National Mining Association and could speed up the permitting of mines across Nevada.

☹️Nervous nonprofits — In a Las Vegas roundtable with Cortez Masto, numerous nonprofit directors expressed trepidation about their futures given the uncertainty of continued federal grant funding. Many nonprofits saw their federal drawdown ability frozen during the duration of the Trump administration’s funding freeze — which judges blocked in early March.

Leaders of groups including the Southern Nevada Senior Law Program and mobile food pantry The Just One Project noted they may need to seek more local funding to offset potential federal losses. Read more from Eric Neugeboren here.

🌎Tariff tracker  — The New York Times published an analysis of where tariffs will hit the hardest, based on various regions’ share of jobs in industries targeted by tariffs. In Nevada, Storey County has by far the most to fear from tariffs — 66 percent of jobs are in those industries. Meanwhile, population centers in Clark and Washoe counties are less susceptible. 

What I’m Reading

Reno Gazette-Journal: Social Security cuts phone services — in-person appointments are required yet hard to make

The latest DOGE impacts.

The Nevada Independent: As Trump dismantles Department of Education, Nevada educational leaders ‘very nervous’

Lombardo: into it. Education budget makers? Not so much.

Reuters: Trump invokes emergency powers to boost US critical minerals production

A potentially exciting development for prospective lithium mining in Nevada — if it holds up to court scrutiny.

Notable and Quotable

“None of this happens without you, without organizing. That’s what Sen. Bernie Sanders has always understood. That’s why he built the most powerful grassroots movement in modern history.”

— Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), feeling the Bern

Daniel Clark contributed reporting.