Nevada features two of the most consequential constituencies who have been drifting away from the Democratic Party in recent years: working-class voters and Hispanics. Seen in this light, the state provides an early stress test of the party’s ability to broaden its appeal beyond its progressive base. It also tests Republicans’ ability to nominate mainstream candidates who can win over a diverse electorate, an issue that has dogged the party in the state for over a decade. From Sharron Angle to Danny Tarkanian, Republican candidates have blown winnable races in this state long before Donald Trump arrived on the political stage.
“Nevada, in many ways, will be ground zero. It’s a microcosm of the challenge the party is facing in the coming years,” said Democratic strategist Dan Sena, who served as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018. “These are people looking to live in the desert, looking to build a better life for their family. It will be incumbent upon the Democratic Party to make sure we can meet those voters where they are on issues of job training, educational opportunity, which are different than these coastal-elite ideas.”
The race between Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and, most likely, Republican former Attorney General Adam Laxalt, is the marquee matchup that may determine which party will hold the Senate majority next year.
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