Nevada Senate Race Swings from Lean Democrat to Toss Up

Following CNN and University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, the Cook Political Report has shifted its rating for Nevada’s Senate Race from ‘Leans Democrat’ to ‘Toss-up.’

Per The Hill: “The Cook Political Report is shifting three hotly contested 2022 Senate races toward the GOP and into the toss-up column, a move that suggests a more favorable environment for Republicans.

The Senate contests in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada once leaned toward Democrats. That changed on Friday, when the nonpartisan election handicapper reclassified them as toss-up races, meaning that they could go in either direction.”

This shift by Cook follows the Democratic upset in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in New Jersey–a Senate race in the garden state won by a truck driver who spent a mere $10,000 and beat a powerful, 20-year incumbent Democrat.

As Democrats have shifted further left, the electorate is seemingly shifting away–towards the center or center right, as indicated in the latest cratering of Joe Biden’s polling numbers. In the latest Quinnipiac poll, 53 percent who said they disapprove of Biden’s presidency was the lowest number recorded in a throughout his presidency. According to retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin, “Joe Biden’s only good news is that Kamala Harris is polling worse than he is.”

In another poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies (RWS), 44 percent of respondents said they’d vote for Trump, if he is a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, while 39 percent said they’d vote for Biden.  The shift by Cook is good news for Masto’s challengers, Captain Sam Brown and Adam Laxalt. This polling is good news for the Laxalt campaign as Laxalt received President Trump’s endorsement. Furthering Laxalt’s momentum, President Trump announced that he would be campaigning on behalf of Laxalt with a visit to Nevada “very soon”.

Trump spokesman ⁦@TayFromCA⁩ said that President Trump is looking forward to returning to Nevada “very soon to rally the (#MAGA) movement in support of ⁦@AdamLaxalt⁩, who continues to be a champion for the President’s America First agenda.” https://t.co/qRrVYkQmDl

— Courtney Holland 🇺🇸 (@hollandcourtney) November 17, 2021

The shift to Toss Up by Cook and the polls numbers published by Quinnipac and RWS, spells trouble for incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Furthermore, Cortez Masto, has been aligned with Nevada’s most radical organizations, like Battle Born Progress, to whom she referred to as “doing great work” on behalf of Nevadans.  The “great work” is not clear, but Battle Born Progress has publicly called for defunding the police, CRT in schools, and packing the supreme court.  All of these issues are exceedingly unpopular with a majority of voters.

In a statement from John Burke, Communications Director, Laxalt for Senate: 

“The consensus is clear; Catherine Cortez Masto is the most vulnerable Democrat Senator up for re-election in 2022 and Adam Laxalt has the momentum to defeat her. With an unprecedented grassroots campaign powered by Nevada voters and supported by conservative leaders like President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis, Adam is focused on rebuilding our economy, securing our border, and keeping the radical left out of our classrooms. Adam is ready to flip the Senate and restore conservative leadership for our state and country.”