The New Ad Highlights How Police Groups Have Switched Support from Cortez Masto to Laxalt, and How 95% of Law Enforcement Support Laxalt Over Incumbent Cortez Masto
RENO, NV - Today, Adam Laxalt's campaign released a new ad, "Dangerous," which highlights how Nevada police groups have switched their endorsement from incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto to Adam Laxalt. After receiving endorsements from these groups in 2016, Cortez Masto spent her Senate term confirming pro-BLM radicals to federal positions, calling law enforcement groups "systemically racist," and refusing to acknowledge the open border crisis that has brought violent criminals, drug trafficking, and human trafficking into Nevada.
That’s why the clear majority of Nevada law enforcement has flipped their support from Cortez Masto to Laxalt. Laxalt is endorsed by the Nevada Fraternal Order of Police and the Public Safety Alliance of Nevada (PSAN), which represents over 10,000 law Enforcement Officers throughout over 100 state and local organizations. The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), which represents more than 1,000 police units and associations and over 241,000 law enforcement officers across the country have also endorsed Laxalt along with the National Border Patrol Council, which represents roughly 18,000 Border Patrol Agents, have endorsed Laxalt
The new ad features:
Steve Grammas - Las Vegas Police Protective Association President
Chuck Allen - Former Washoe County Sheriff
Jason Lesher - Washoe County Deputies Association President
Susan Schilling - Former Washoe County Undersheriff
David Moody - Nevada Fraternal Order of Police President
Myron Hamm - Las Vegas Police Protective Association Board Member
John Abel - Las Vegas Police Protective Association Director of Governmental Affairs
Brandon Judd - National Border Patrol Council President
Given the anti-police sentiment in this country and the surging crime rates in our communities, we need leaders who will stand up and fight for the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect us. In her six years in office, Cortez Masto has sided with the Democrat party over Nevada's law enforcement community. She has voted to confirm anti-police radicals, she has encouraged rioting in our cities led by the far-left, and she has called police officers racist," said Laxalt.
"I will always support Nevada law enforcement, and, unlike Cortez Masto, I will stand up to the Biden-Harris Administration and the radical leftists that support them. That is why the Fraternal Order of Police, the Public Safety Alliance of Nevada, and 95% of all Nevada's Law Enforcement Officers have come out against her reelection."
SCRIPT:
Adam Laxalt: "I’m Adam Laxalt and I approve this message." Steve Grammas: "Catherine Cortez Masto pretends to support law enforcement..." Chuck Allen: "...but voted to rubber-stamp radical officials..." Jason Lesher: "...including activists who refused to prosecute drug dealers..." Susan Schilling: "...and supported defunding police." David Moody: "Cortez Masto called police racist." Lesher, Schilling, Allen: "And when a local officer was shot in the head during riots she encouraged, she didn’t say a word." Steve Grammas: "We retract our endorsement..." Myron Hamm: "We retract our endorsement..." John Abel: "We retract our endorsement of Catherine Cortez Masto." Brandon Judd: "Catherine Cortez Masto is dangerous for police..." Myron Hamm: "...and dangerous for Nevada."
Background: Here are 13 reasons why Nevada voters do not trust Cortez Masto to handle rising crime or back the blue:
Cortez Masto voted twice in 2021 to give $1,400 stimulus checks to prison inmates, costing taxpayers more than $1.3 billion dollars and driving inflation sky high (Roll Call Votes #37, #103). Asked this year if she regretted her vote, Cortez Masto declined to say.
Cortez Masto voted three times in 2021 against a measure to stop the Small Business Administration from providing taxpayer-funded assistance to anyone convicted of a riot-related misdemeanor or felony (Roll Call Votes #38, #99, #137).
Cortez Masto voted in 2022 against increasing funding for prosecutors to ensure violent criminals stay in jail while they await trial (Roll Call Vote #304).
Cortez Masto in 2021 cosponsored and voted for Senate Bill 1, legislation to force states to allow convicted felons – including rapists, murderers, and sex offenders – to vote in elections (Roll Call Vote #246).
In 2020, Cortez Masto supported the anti-police BLM movement and attacked law enforcement, alleging that there is “systemic racism” in Nevada police departments “that we see every day.”
Cortez Masto voted in 2021 to confirm Biden’s nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Rachel Rollins, a Soros-backed, soft-on-crime activist (Roll Call Vote #486). While running for Suffolk County District Attorney in 2018, Rollins released a long list of criminal offenses that she would automatically decline to prosecute if elected, including threats, trespassing, shoplifting, larceny under $250, drug possession with intent to distribute, wanton or malicious destruction of property, and receiving stolen property. After being elected, Rollins instructed prosecutors not to bring “intent to distribute” charges against certain heroin and fentanyl dealers.
Cortez Masto voted in 2021 to confirm Biden’s nominee for associate attorney general, Vanita Gupta (Roll Call Vote #160). Just a few months before, Gupta supported defunding the police, saying, “it is also critical for state and local leaders to heed calls from Black Lives Matter and Movement for Black Lives activists to decrease police budgets.” Gupta also called for ending qualified immunity for police officers, and in 2012 called for states to decriminalize possession of small amounts of “all drugs,” including fentanyl, heroin, and meth.
Cortez Masto has refused to oppose Biden’s nominee for Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Gigi Sohn, despite requests from law enforcement groups like the Fraternal Order of Police. Sohn has demonstrated deep animus towards law enforcement and supported calls for defunding the police and ending qualified immunity.
In 2018, Cortez Masto opposed a proposal to use the death penalty against illegal drug traffickers who cause opioid overdose deaths.
As attorney general, Cortez Masto did nothing to address Nevada’s rape kit backlog. In 2015, the year Cortez Masto left office as Nevada attorney general, 7,500 sexual assault evidence kits remained untested. PolitiFact reported, “the charge that nothing was done to reduce the backlog during her time as attorney general is accurate.”
As Nevada grapples with crime, drug overdoses, and an influx of illegal immigrants due to Biden’s open border policies, Cortez Masto denies there is a problem. Cortez Masto says, “there’s no open borders.”
Cortez Masto’s current campaign digital director, Austin Dean, promoted and donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, an activist organization that uses donated funds to bail violent rapists and murderers out of jail. At the time of his donation, Dean was a content manager at the DSCC and Masto was the chair.
Cortez Masto praised and held events with the anti-police group Battle Born Progress. The group has called for defunding police, tweeted that “‘Blue Lives Matter’ is … racist,” and supported the pro-criminal Minnesota Freedom Fund.
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