In Nevada, Harris and Trump make one last pitch – Deseret News

HENDERSON, Nev. – Donald Trump doesn’t want to make the same mistake again.

In 2020, when he narrowly lost Nevada to President Joe Biden, his campaign filed a lawsuit to declare him the winner. There was fraud involving the state’s mail-in ballots and early voting, the lawsuit allegedand Trump was the rightful winner. The process was later CASTand the Nevada Supreme Court declared Biden the winner of the state, effectively securing his status as president-elect.

Four years later, Nevada is once again one of the states that could decide the election. This time, Trump is taking no chances.

Instead of casting doubt on mail-in ballots and early voting, the Trump campaign — and Trump himself — are promoting a total approach to voting. In Nevada, turnout on the first day of early voting crushed grade in 2020, thanks to a wave of new early Republican voters. By Friday night, when early voting ended in Nevada, almost half of all early votes cast were cast by registered Republicans, compared to less than 30% by Democrats. And even mail-in ballots — sent to every Nevada voter but vilified by Trump both before and after the 2020 election as a fraudulent practice — saw a huge increase in Republican turnout: More than 140,000 Republicans had sent by mail ballots by Friday.

“In 2020, they blamed the game. Now, they’re playing the game,” Zachary Moyle, a Las Vegas Republican consultant and former GOP executive director, said of the Trump campaign.

At Trump’s rally in Henderson, Nevada, on Thursday, Trump himself joined in. “We’ve set records in early voting, but we can’t let up,” he said.

With four days until Election Day, the outcome of the Nevada race — as it is in swing states across the country — is impossible to predict. Of all the battleground states, Nevada may be the strangest: its tourism-based economy makes the population transient and therefore hard to predict exactly. His voters tend to split ticket vote. And while the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the state’s economy, it’s also bolstered its population: Nevada has seen year-over-year population growth since 2020, thanks in part to a flock of Californians who arrived during the pandemic.

At present, POLLS show Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The latest Noble Predictive Insights POLL shows Harris ahead by two percentage points; when “underdogs” are considered, Harris leads by one. “It’s the kind of advantage that could be reversed by changing voting patterns, delayed decisions or numerous other events,” Mike Noble, the group’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. “But at this point, there’s a distinct advantage to Harris.”

On Thursday, both Harris and Trump stormed Las Vegas, making what will likely be their last visit to Nevada before Tuesday’s election. In back-to-back rallies, the candidates made their closing arguments to Nevadans, offering voters who could decide the election.

Trump preaches the economy

No matter how close the polls are, Trump supporters are confident he will win the state. “I don’t see how he can’t win, really,” said Ariel, a Clark County resident who attended Trump’s rally at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson. (She declined to share her last name.) Allan Talley, a 37-year-old Las Vegas resident, agreed. “I feel like if (Harris) somehow pulls this off, it should be a scam,” he said. “I don’t see how it could work out for Kamala.”

Both Ariel and Talley work in real estate, and both noted that the economy is the main issue for them — as it is for the majority of Nevada voters. “Our housing market is number one for me,” Ariel said. As the Las Vegas metropolitan area has grown in recent years, housing supply has not kept pace with demand. The median home price in Las Vegas has risen more than 50% over the past five years, and interest rates continue to be well above pre-pandemic levels.

In Nevada, the unemployment rate is above the national average and wages have not kept up with inflation.

For those affected by the housing market, Trump’s opening line at the rally seemed particularly poignant. “I’d like to start by asking a very simple question,” he said. “Are you better now than you were four years ago?”

Much of Trump’s speech focused on his promise to “bring back” the American economy. “Quite simply, I’m going to make America affordable again, because it’s not affordable anymore,” he said.

Some experts warn that Trump’s plans are continuing CHARGES and mass deportations will pass the costs on to American consumers. But to Harris economic plan — which includes down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and a tax credit for developers — gives Ariel pause. “This money has to come from somewhere,” she said. She credits government spending for causing the current high levels of inflation. “We see it affecting your everyday shoppers,” she said. “It’s preventing people from being able to achieve the American dream.”

Another important factor that could change the state is the Latter-day Saint vote. Both Harris and Trump have CONCERNED members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nevada, a historic Republican voting bloc that has shown some resistance to Trump in recent elections. Latter-day Saints make up nearly six percent of the state’s population.

Harold Erbacher, a Las Vegas resident who attended Trump’s rally with his 84-year-old mother, said he tells his religious friends to look beyond Trump’s character. “Some of them, quite a few, don’t like Trump’s personality,” said Erbacher, who recently converted to Christianity. “I tell them it’s not a personality contest.”

Harris proposes abortion, unity

A few hours later, when Harris took the stage at the Craig Ranch Amphitheater in North Los Vegas, her speech closely mirrored the themes she discussed during her time. address “closing argument”. in Washington on Tuesday.

She spoke of joy and unity. She touched on her plans to build an “opportunity economy” and cut costs (her top priority, she said, is “lowering the cost of living”). She spoke about protecting abortion rights. And she said it’s time to “turn the page” on Trump.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m done with the idea that the measure of a leader’s strength is based on who you knock down, when we know that the real measure of a leader’s strength is based on who you are. stand up,” she said.

The rally was a show of contrasts with Trump’s. Jennifer Lopez, who introduced Harris, said that “no candidate in the history of the presidency is more qualified” than Harris; earlier, Trump called Harris “low IQ” and “very incompetent.”

For William Moore, a veteran who lives in Clark County, Harris’ speech struck the right note. “She’s very genuine,” he said. “She has very specific things she wants to do when she’s elected.”

In Nevada, Harris has the advantage of running on the same ballot as an abortion measure. If passed, the measure would legalize the “fundamental right” to abortion up to “fetal viability.” Democrats expect the measure to boost turnout and bolster support for Harris, who has made abortion rights a centerpiece of her candidacy.

Republicans, however, project calm. “It hasn’t had as much of an impact as Democrats had hoped,” said Zach Guymon, a Republican strategist based in Las Vegas. “I’ve seen very little publicity on the measure itself. … Abortion was a big issue in 2022, but that’s gone.”

For Harris’s rally attendees, however, the issue was most important. “First and foremost, a woman’s right to choose (is the main issue for me),” Vee Tabor said. “It’s between a woman and her doctor.”

Harris is also running on the same ballot as Sen. Jacky Rosen, the Democratic incumbent facing a challenge from Republican Sam Brown. For months, the race seemed out of reach for Brown; in recent weeks, the polls have narrowed as Brown has relied on his closeness to Trump.

While Nevada voters have split tickets in key races before, a Harris victory likely can’t happen without Rosen’s success. And Rosen’s 2018 Senate run came in the wings record turnout from young voters — a demographic targeted by Harris in Nevada.

“I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are here and voting for the first time,” Harris said Thursday. “I love Generation Z, I love you guys.”

Imer Cespedes, a 21-year-old student at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, said Gen Z can “turn this election around.”

“This is my first time voting for president,” Cespedes said. “This speech encouraged me to continue to make sure my friends and other students get out and vote.”

The top issues for Cespedes are affordable college and preventing gun violence. He was on campus during shooting at UNLV last year.

Voters at the Harris rally also projected confidence. “She’s not just going to win Nevada,” Cespedes said. “He’s going to win every election.”

Just a few more days and it will be clear whose trust was well placed.