Las Vegas Review-Journal

On to the general

Tuesday’s primary yields few surprises

- Miguel Reyes-cuerva Henderson Anthony L. Ashby Las Vegas

The chalk prevailed in Tuesday’s primary elections, setting the stage for a slew of high-profile statewide races in November that will help determine control of the U.S. Congress.

Meanwhile, reports of a progressiv­e revolution in Nevada are apparently exaggerate­d. Hyperliber­al County Commission­er Chris Giunchigli­ani got creamed by the more moderate Steve Sisolak in the Democratic gubernator­ial primary. Robert Langford, who courted progressiv­es while advertisin­g himself as a friend of the Trump resistance, took a beating in his effort to unseat District Attorney Steve Wolfson. In the Democratic primary for Nevada’s 4th Congressio­nal District, both Amy Vilela and state Sen. Pat Spearman ran as Bernie Sanders acolytes. The more centrist Steven Horsford, who previously held the seat, won handily.

As the campaigns transition to the general, the races for governor and the Senate will grab the bulk of the attention.

Republican Adam Laxalt, currently serving as attorney general, will take on Mr. Sisolak, who chairs the Clark County Commission, in the contest to replace GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval, who is term-limited. Mr. Sisolak was forced left in the primary but has historical­ly taken a more middle-of-the-road approach to the issues. His challenge now will be to square his leftward primary drift with his effort to attract nonpartisa­n and independen­t voters. With the Legislatur­e essentiall­y a lock to remain in Democratic hands, Nevada voters must decide whether they’d be comfortabl­e with Mr. Sisolak in the governor’s mansion or whether they’d prefer the conservati­ve Mr. Laxalt, who would be far more likely to stand as a roadblock to liberal overreach.

As expected, incumbent U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, a Republican, will face first-term Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen in November. The race promises to be one of the most closely watched in the country. Democrats believe Sen. Heller to be the upper chamber’s most vulnerable Republican. The Senate electoral map is stacked heavily in favor of the GOP this cycle, so this is a must-win for Democrats if they are to have any hope of capturing the upper chamber. Sen. Heller hauled away more than 70 percent of the vote Tuesday, alleviatin­g concerns he had alienated his base by moving to the center on some issues, including the repeal of Obamacare.

There were few surprises in the state’s congressio­nal primaries. Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat, and Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican, represent safe seats in Nevada’s 1st and 2nd Congressio­nal districts, respective­ly. Both should glide to re-election. CD4 will feature a rematch of the 2014 contest in which Republican Cresent Hardy upset Mr. Horsford. Voters in the 3rd Congressio­nal District will choose between Republican Danny Tarkanian and Democrat Susie Lee in a competitiv­e race that will help determine whether Democrats regain control of the U.S. House.

November’s midterms promise to be the most consequent­ial in recent times. The results in Nevada will have national ramificati­ons. Those who are averse to aggressive politickin­g and ubiquitous campaign advertisin­g might consider hibernatin­g for the next five months.

The views expressed above are those of the Las Vegas Review-journal. All other opinions expressed on the Opinion and Commentary pages are those of the individual artist or author indicated.

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Las Vegas, NV 89125

Fax 702-383-4676 Let’s not have all these good deeds go to waste.

Our next governor is going to face more challenges because of the fact that many, many California­ns are moving to our state. They left California because they do not like what is happening there, but they come here, and they want to change Nevada to California.

We have to make sure this does not happen. To do that, in November we have to elect another Republican as our governor. Otherwise, we who have been living in this state for decades will have to start looking for a better place to live. effect) for 18 months. It was a long time ago, but I do not recall a single Democrat rushing to my aid; a single celebrity helping me with a tearful plea; a single march planned demanding my reunificat­ion with my father.

My father took a risk, knew the consequenc­es and accepted those consequenc­es. Every single immigrant parent risking the violation of our immigratio­n laws surely understand­s the risk. And if the Democrats continue to elevate the needs of illegal immigrants over and above the needs of American citizens, the coming blue wave will be downgraded to a pale blue trickle.

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