Who knows how long it’ll last, but I don’t see it getting better for Democrats,” said one GOP strategist working in Nevada. “I think you just see nationally, for the first time in a long time, Republicans have a little bit of a tailwind. It’s still unclear if Biden can right the ship in Washington, but frustrations over a slew of issues, including the coronavirus, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and a sluggish economic recovery, have Republicans chomping at the bit to send voters to the polls. Plunging approval ratings for the White House are expected to energize Republicans, at least early in the midterm cycle, and are expected to impact candidates across the country, including Cortez Masto and Sisolak. The polling results come amid preparations for a cycle that is already expected to favor Republicans, given that the party out of the White House typically performs well in the first midterms of a new administration. “Same is true with Catherine Cortez Masto … that race is also close.” So that’s not what you want to see even, though it might be expected,” Jon Ralston, editor of The Nevada Independent, said of Sisolak’s showing in the Mellman poll. “What that poll shows is that against the two leading candidates, it’s essentially a toss-up, and he’s the governor. Meanwhile, an internal poll conducted last month by the Laxalt campaign shows Laxalt with a 2-point edge over Cortez Masto. In a poll conducted by Democratic pollster Mark Mellman and released earlier this month by The Nevada Independent, Cortez Masto has just a 4-point lead over Laxalt, while Sisolak leads Heller by 2 points, within the survey’s margin of error, and is virtually tied with Lombardo. President Biden beat former President Trump there by about 2.5 points in November. Both Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Cortez Masto won there in 2016 by about 2.5 points, and Sisolak fended off Laxalt by just 4 points in 2018, when Democrats enjoyed a wave election cycle. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) or Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo (R).īoth races are anticipated to be tight given Nevada’s proven status as a battleground. And Sisolak, another first-termer, is expected to run against either former Sen. “It’s a state where we consistently over the past few cycles have had a narrow edge, but it’s a really closely divided state, and it’s gonna take a lot of work to come out on top in these big races,” said one Democratic strategist who has worked extensively in Nevada.Ĭortez Masto, who won her seat in 2016, is likely facing off against former state attorney general and 2018 GOP gubernatorial nominee Adam Laxalt, who is running in a primary field against other challengers with significantly lower profiles. Democrats say that despite their success there, Nevada is a bona fide swing state and that an all-out effort is needed by the party to defend the two lawmakers, particularly as polls show tight contests in a cycle that is already expected to favor the GOP. Steve Sisolak (D) are running to keep their seats in a state that Democrats have won statewide consistently since 2016 but by stubbornly narrow margins.
Democrats are clinging on to Nevada’s senior Senate seat and governor’s mansion heading into the midterm elections as early signs point to a bare-knuckle brawl in the two marquee contests.