Monday, September 22, 2014

NEVADA NEWS AND VIEWS 09/22/2014

GOP Nevada Senate race strategy: Don’t debate

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
In the three competitive Nevada Senate races that will determine whether Republicans retake control of the upper house, the GOP candidates have refused to debate their Democratic opponents.

In response, the Nevada Democratic Party has been saying Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas, one of the candidates, is afraid of public scrutiny. The party dusted off its chicken suit to mock him, as well.


Roberson, who’s running for re-election to Senate District 20, said last week he and his two hand-picked candidates in those key races decided it’s better to focus on face-to-face voter contacts and calls to sway the Nov. 4 electorate.

“We’re winning these races,” Roberson told the Review-Journal editorial board Thursday. “We’re not going to debate Senate Democrats who take their advice from an intern dressed in a chicken outfit.”

“I think very few voters watch these debates,” he added, saying he’s busy knocking on “thousands of doors.”

Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, sent out an email to supporters last week saying the Republicans “went back on their word” and canceled plans to debate their Democratic opponents.

“Their refusal to debate our candidates makes us ponder one question: What are they afraid of?” Denis said.

Now, Democrats control the Senate by an 11-10 margin.

Democrat Teresa Lowry, a Clark County assistant district attorney, is challenging Roberson.

In the other two key races, Sen. Justin Jones, D-Las Vegas, is facing GOP challenger Becky Harris, a foreclosure mediation specialist, in Senate District 9; and Assemblywoman Marilyn Dondero Loop, D-Las Vegas, and Republican Patricia Farley, a construction business owner, are competing for the open Senate District 8 seat now held by Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas. Cegavske is running for secretary of state.

— Laura Myers


No comments:

Post a Comment