CARSON CITY, Nev.: Republican Dean Heller announced plans to run for governor in Nevada on Monday, announcing he would oppose government mandates on masks and vaccines and if elected to lead the battlefield Voting laws will be tightened.
The one-time Nevada Secretary of State and US Senator has historically positioned himself as a moderate and attracted attention for high-profile clashes with former President Donald Trump. His Monday remarks in support of voter ID laws and a new Texas law prohibiting abortion indicate his readiness to pursue issues that bolster the Republican base.
In a converted warehouse where he worked during his youth, which now serves as an office for the Carson City Republican Party, Heller railed against Democratic Governor Steve Sisolx’s coronavirus policies and called him Nevada’s nation-top unemployment rate. , blamed for rising crime and suicide rates.
Republicans and Democrats had for months hoped that Heller would enter the race as the most famous in a crowded field of challengers hoping to oust Sisolak in next year’s election. The Associated Press confirmed his plans to enter the race last week.
The pandemic has thrown governors into the limelight as the public debates the merits of state-level executive actions they are able to enact. Up for re-election next year 36 times, the 2022 midterm will serve as a referendum on his performance and state-based policies to contain the virus.
Republicans see Nevada, where President Joe Biden won by 2.4 percentage points, as a pick-up opportunity in 2022 as a Democrat takes over the White House and historically midterm voters turn toward the opposition, along with governors. He has also come to Congress as well.
Heller, who lost by five percentage points to Democrat Jackie Rosen in the Nevada’s 2018 Senate race, said mandates and shutdowns burden businesses and hurt schoolchildren. As governor, he said he allows private businesses to issue whatever mandates they choose.
Other Republican challengers include Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, attorney Joy Gilbert, surgeon Fred Simon and businessman Guy Nohra. Primary elections will be held in June 2022, five months before the midterm.
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Sam Metz is a core member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on secret issues.
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
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