Cards stacked against Democrats in Nevada
US state is one of the key battlegrounds in midterm elections for control of Senate over next two years
A SHORT drive from the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip, around 300 casino workers sit on trellis tables in a crowded union hall bundling flyers into satchels.
They are preparing to canvass for Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada’s embattled Democrat, the first Latina US senator in history.
Before they head out, a young woman offers a reminder of what is at stake in the US midterm elections in two weeks’ time, with rampant inflation weighing heavily among voters in an overwhelmingly working-class state.
She explains she is being evicted from her home of three years, through no fault of her own. “I’m going through a lot right now,” the young worker says.
Everyone present has a similar story, and it is Ms Cortez Masto, 58, who will fight for them.
Nevada’s race is among a handful that will determine control of the 50-50 split Senate chamber for the next two years. If Ms Cortez Masto loses, it could spell disaster for Democrats nationwide.
“We really need to win. This is for our kids, for our families. We have to fight,” she says, to loud cheers.
But they face an uphill battle against a Republican who might in a different political climate, be considered a feeble opponent. Adam Laxalt is a hard-Right Trump loyalist and abortion opponent in a state that is overwhelmingly prochoice. But he is now polling neck-andneck with Ms Cortez Masto in a race that has come to epitomise the Democrats’ midterm woes.
The party saw a summer polling boost amid the Supreme Court’s rollback of nationwide abortion rights and falling petrol prices.
But as the price at the pump crept back up in recent weeks, Democrats’ political fortunes declined.
Along with Nevada, incumbent Democrats in Georgia and Arizona face potential defeat. Republicans could see off challenges in two other battleground states, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Strolling along Las Vegas Boulevard, the raucous energy is a far cry from the ghost-like scenes during the depths of Covid lockdowns.
But while Sin City has rebounded from the pandemic, the scars remain. Thousands remain out of work, and even those with jobs have not been shielded from the pain of inflation.
Mr Laxalt has tapped into that discontent, proving adept at stirring voter outrage over illegal immigration, the ailing economy, and pandemic closures.
Looming over the city skyline is the Trump Hotel, a gold monolith with the former president’s name beaming in block capitals from the top.
At the gold and glass-covered bar inside, some patrons rattle off the statistics as they describe the state’s ailing economy: Nevada ranks among the highest petrol prices in the country, rent prices have steeply increased, while wages have lagged behind.
In a small church tucked between two fast-food restaurants in the Las Vegas suburbs on Friday night, Mr Laxalt predicted to an audience of about 100 supporters that a “massive red wave” was coming.
“You will see the people rise up at the ballot box and send this huge message of rejection to Joe Biden,” he said, to cries of “yes” from the crowd.
Barbara, a 78-year-old former teacher, had tears running down her face as she listened.
“He tells the truth, he’s honest,” she said of Mr Laxalt. For her, the national “importance” of Nevada’s Senate race could not be overstated. She hoped Republican control of Capitol Hill could have an influence on the culture wars riveting the country, citing her opposition to allowing children to choose their own gender.
To fight back, Ms Cortez Masto’s campaign has zeroed in on protecting reproductive rights and labelled Mr Laxalt “an anti-abortion extremist”.
The attacks have resonated with some voters. Martin Payne, a retired 79-year-old, was happy to accept a Democratic flyer from Culinary Union members who appeared on his doorstep in southeastern Las Vegas.
Leaning against his fence, his jaw clenched when asked about Mr Laxalt. “I think he is evil,” he said.
“Abortion, in my opinion, is the key issue this year. Because they [Republicans] took all the women in this country and threw them under a bus.”
‘We [Democrats] really need to win. This is for our kids, for our families. We have to fight’