Senate 2022: Nevada.

A tight race between two low-key candidates.

The Nevada Senate race may be more about Biden and Trump than the actual candidates. It’s another toss-up contest, though some observers see signs it may be shifting in favor of the Democrats.

Catherine Cortez Masto (D). Cortez Masto’s campaign website calls her “an independent voice for Nevada who works with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to strengthen our economy, create good-paying jobs, lower health care costs, and keep Nevadans safe.”

Her Senate website does address the environment among a half dozen issues.  An avid hiker and nature lover, Cortez Masto is committed to protecting our environment and public lands for future generations to enjoy. She is the cosponsor of the Clean Energy for America Act, a bill that would measurably reduce carbon pollution over the next decade through a series of incentives for clean energy and the promotion of new technologies in the private sector.

She also says that she has cosponsored laws to encourage the use of EVs and geothermal, along with extensions of tax credits for renewables.

Adam Laxalt(R).  Laxalt, the challenger, seems to keep a fairly low profile on the issues. As the state’s attorney general, he joined other Republican AGs in attacking the Clean Power Plan and other climate policies. His website as Attorney General also touts his opposition to the Obama Administration’s WOTUS rule and to the Sage Grouse Plan. He’s also been criticized for his ties to the oil and gas industry.

Laxalt’s campaign isn’t exactly issue-oriented. The front page of his website makes a completely generic case for supporting him. It reads in full:

“From defending our country overseas to serving as Nevada’s top law enforcement official as Attorney General, I’ve committed my life to fighting for what’s right. That’s what Americans do. That’s the legacy we have a duty to protect. And that’s why I’m running for the United States Senate.”

What Senate candidate wouldn’t claim to have committed their life to “fighting for what’s right,” or would say that’s not what Americans do, or that this isn’t why they are running?  Laxalt might just as well have said: “My grandfather was a Senator. I’m a Republican. Vote for me.”

Still, that might be all he needs to win.

2022 Senate race, Climate Politics, environmental politics