OPINION: Strange Bedfellows Will Flip the Senate

It’s no secret the GOP has had difficulty winning over women voters. For years, the GOP has relied on winning elections through straight men.

Not anymore and certainly not in Nevada. As the sun rises over the primary campaign events now occurring across the Silver State, so has the creation of a broader coalition within the Republican Party. This coalition includes seemingly the strangest of bedfellows: Republican women and LGBT conservatives.

The Log Cabin Republicans, the largest LGBT conservative political organization in the United States, is gaining traction in Clark County. Our organization has recruited staff on the ground to mobilize LGBT conservatives and target vulnerable Democrats in a state which very well could decide the balance of power in Congress come November.

Meanwhile, Republican women’s groups in Clark County are plentiful…and Log Cabin considers this an opportunity.

Internal research conducted by Log Cabin Republicans has revealed that the GOP’s golden tickets to the hearts of suburban housewives are in fact gay Republicans. Data analytics clearly suggest that the demographics of those consuming Log Cabin content are suburban women who are supportive of LGBT inclusion within the Republican party. Whether it is the Southern Hills Republican Women, Battle Born Republicans, the Active Republican Women of Las Vegas, or one of the many others, women are a part of the Nevada GOP’s diverse and eclectic voter base, and LGBT conservatives are helping them get there.

At the recent Clark County GOP Convention, the Republican women in attendance shared how much they loved our organization. At least 100 women thanked us for taking our shared conservative message and values to the LGBT community and broadening our ‘big tent.’ They wanted to learn from our successes and even expressed interest in attending and co-hosting events with us. Ed Williams, Log Cabin Republicans of Nevada’s President was the only non-candidate speaker at the convention which offered a clear indicator that the GOP is growing its tent.

Denise Cashman, a life-long Nevada resident and ardent Republican involved in various campaigns and women’s associations, praised the Log Cabin Republicans for their part in turning Nevada red. “We want everyone in Nevada to get behind common sense principles – enforcing the laws that keep us safe, minimizing taxes and limiting the power and size of government,” she told us. “The Log Cabin Republicans support these policies, so we support their place in the Republican Party.”

This alliance will prove formidable as the GOP seeks to wrestle back control of Nevada’s House, Senate, and governor’s seats this year, and Republicans are already taking full advantage. Republican Senate candidate and former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt has been more than welcoming to both the Log Cabin Republicans and various Republican women’s groups. The Trump-endorsed Laxalt has personally invited Log Cabin Republicans to his campaign events and will be one of our event speakers later this year.

“Our campaign is building a broad movement of Nevadans who have been forgotten by the Democrats in power by uniting those who want lower taxes, secure borders, safer communities, and to fight back against far-left wokeism,” said Laxalt Communications Director John Burke. Other Nevada Republican candidates such as April Becker, Guy Nohra and Drew Johnson—as well as officials with the Nevada Republican Party—have also expressed interest in Log Cabin and their desire to bring women and other minority groups into their voter outreach strategies.

It’s not a secret that the road to a GOP majority in the Senate runs through Nevada. The New York Times wrote a less than flattering piece describing the uphill battle Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is facing this fall. It does not help her in a state where President Biden’s approval rating is hovering below 40%, that Cortez votes with the Biden Administration over 95% of the time. The same vulnerability holds true for Democrat House incumbents Susie Lee, Dina Titus and Steven Horsford.

In Nevada and across the country, many elections this year will be decided by how pragmatic the GOP chooses to be. If the 2020 election taught the GOP anything, having a diverse, balanced and inclusive list of nominees is the winning formula. For a true ‘red tsunami’ to fully capitalize on the extraordinary tailwinds the GOP is benefiting from, they must double-down on lifting up this emerging new generation of Republican voters and candidates. Should they need further advice on how to capitalize on this once-in-a-century opportunity, they need look no further than what the Log Cabin Republicans are accomplishing in Nevada.