Former President Barack Obama had a simple message for Nevadans when he was in Las Vegas Tuesday: vote.
“This election requires every one of us to do our part,” said Obama, who happened to be Cheyenne High School’s rally’s main attraction. The rally itself was meant to invigorate supporters ahead of the midterms coming up next week.
“I get why you might be worried about the course of our country. But I’m here to tell you, Nevada, that tuning out is not an option. Moping and feeling cynical is not an option.”
Obama cautioned the crowd regarding the future elections’ integrity, and also how abortion access and social security would hinge on Democrats maintaining control of Congress. Nevada, a battleground state, is now seeing Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of the Democratic party in a close contest with onetime AG Adam Laxalt to decide the US Senate’s majority.
As of now the senate is split equally between the two parties, the majority swinging to the Democrats because of Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote. That means if the Republicans manage to pick up another seat in the upcoming midterms, they would control the chamber.
“If someone needs a ride, drive them,” said Nevada House Rep. Susie Lee, a politician running for reelection. “We’re running against people who are going to line up and ban abortion nationwide. We need everyone to get everyone out there because there is so much on the line. This election is about progress over chaos.”
Nevada Democrats will likely be in close races all along the ballot, and that includes the governor showdown between incumbent Steve Sisolak — a Democrat—and rival Joe Lombardo. Also being heavily watched is the contest for Secretary of State between Republican Jim Marchant and Democrat Cisco Aguilar.
Obama shared the stage in Cheyenne High gymnasium with reinforcements such as singer John Legend, who called on people to embrace candidates advocating “inclusion and hope.”
“We have a lot of power if we use it,” Legend said. “We’re at a real inflection point in this country. What happens in this election will affect what happens long after this election.
“Let’s break every voter turnout record in Nevada,” he continued.
Sisolak admitted that Democrats in the state are facing an uphill battle when it comes to thwarting challenges laid out by their republican counterparts. Numerous polls show that Sisolak is in close races with Cortez Masto.
The governor depicted Republican rival Joe Lombardo as “bought-and-paid-for”, saying the latter would restrict abortion access and remove funding from public schools.
“My opponent is trying to keep you in the dark the whole time on where he stands,” Sisolak said. “He doesn’t care about working families. He cares about his rich billionaire friends and major corporations that he wants to give a tax break to, and raise your taxes. He’s proved he’ll say and do anything to get elected, and he thinks you’re not smart enough to see the truth.”
In one statement, Lombardo’s campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Ray condemned Sisolak’s campaign with celebrities, as opposed to working for Nevadans.
“The sad reality is that Steve Sisolak would rather campaign with Californians and out-of-state politicians than fix the pressing issues facing Nevada,” she said.
Aguilar, who happens to be Democratic nominee for the office of Secretary of State for Nevada, agitated the crowd, calling Jim Marchant—his Republican opponent— “the most dangerous candidate in America” because the latter echoed Trump’s false claim about the election in 2020 being rigged. Those claims have been disproven repeatedly, and according to Aguilar, continued perpetuation of them casts doubt on Marchant’s fitness for office.
“He is an extremist, a failed business owner … and a Trump-loving election denier,” Aguilar said. “You deserve a secretary of state who will be honest with you, and will respect the decisions you made at the ballot box.”
Rally attendee John Reece stated before the event that what was at stake was the democracy’s future, thanks to candidates such as Marchant. The 47-year-old is a Texan who recently moved to Vegas. He said he got his voter registration card via mail on Monday.
“What’s at stake is our democracy itself,” Reece said. “That’s what’s at stake. None of the issues, none of them matter. Because if we don’t have a democracy, if we don’t have a country, if we don’t have a constitution, we don’t do anything else. You can’t build a house if you don’t have a secure foundation.”
Donna Smith, 59, of Las Vegas, who also attended the rally, said that she concurs with Aguilar’s platforms, stressing that voting should be made more accessible.
“I’m concerned about people not being able to come out and vote, or not being able to vote because of the roadblocks by others to get out and vote,” Smith said. “A lot of people don’t feel like their vote matters. So they don’t vote.”
Tuesday was the first time that Smith, a Californian before 2020, saw Obama talk. She said this was among the reasons she even showed up.
“I’ve always been a big supporter of President Obama,” Smith said. “He’s just a good, kind, decent person. He just stands for what’s right.”
