If you participated in “Dry January” you should be very happy. It seems like the month came and went in record speed.
We are seeing a lot of new candidates come out of the woodwork filing for the constitutional, legislative, and local government races throughout the state. Keep an eye on the running metric as we update the races. The formal filing period for all races begins March 7th and runs through March 18th and I expect more candidates to jump in and others to have second thoughts. We shall see.
Leading up to the filing date, those committed candidates and the caucus’ that lead them are busy asking for money with fundraisers, mailing, social media, phone calls and texts coming in daily. Leadership in both houses and both parties are busy interviewing candidates and we expect a flurry of press releases in the coming month announcing their caucus endorsements. That news will be good for many, not so good for others. Imagine working hard as a candidate, raising money, hiring a team, putting together strategy only for your own party to give the nod to someone else.
That was the case recently in Senate District 16. Ben Kieckhefer held the seat but was termed out after the 2021 Legislative Session. He resigned the seat early and accepted a coveted appointment to the Nevada Gaming Commission. Don Tatro was selected to finish out the term largely based on his commitment not to run in 2022.
Assemblywoman Lisa Krasner has been campaigning for the Senate seat for months doggedly raising money and telling everyone that she was the front-runner. Tatro changed his mind and decided to run for the seat. Yesterday he received the endorsement from the Senate Republican Caucus. That’s not good for Krasner but knowing her well, she will still put up a fight and could win the Primary in June.
There will be more changes in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for updates.
Just in case you missed it:
Senator Joe Hardy has been term limited and is leaving the Legislature after a long history of public service. Now, he’s running for Mayor:
twitter.com/electjoehardy/status/1488008714363703305
Sitting Nevada Senator, Pat Spearman, wants to be Mayor too:
twitter.com/Senatorspearman/status/1488233119882829833
The Nevada Resort Association has a new PAC:
nevadaresorts.org/press/articles/013122_PAC_launch_Release.pdf
Former US Senator turned gubernatorial candidate Dean Heller says Biden is an “illegitimate” POTUS:
Congressional Races:
"Democratic Rep. Susie Lee announced more than $620,000 in fourth-quarter fundraising on Monday, raising her cash on hand to nearly $1.79 million as the 2022 midterms draw closer."
"They (Republicans) include April Becker, who narrowly lost a state Senate bid in 2020; construction company owner John Kovacs; Army veteran and attorney Noah Malgeri; UNLV machine shop manager Clark Bossert; and Reinier Prijten, who ran and lost a Republican congressional primary bid in New Jersey in 2020. Lee also faces one primary challenger in Democrat Randell Hynes, an Army veteran and software developer who told The Nevada Independent in an email that he raised $0 during the fourth quarter."
I expect April Becker will prevail in the June Primary Election and will give Lee a real run for her money in November
Full story: thenevadaindependent.com/article/susie-lee-announces-620000-fourth-quarter-fundraising-haul
What we’re doing this Interim:
The 2021 Nevada Legislature passed Assembly Bill 443, Legislation that fundamentally changed the way the Legislature operates between Sessions. The newly formed Interim Standing Committees have begun meeting, hearing overviews of their mission and setting agendas for the next eleven months. They continue to meet via video conference but we’re hopeful that by Spring some will begin to meet in person.
Campaign Contribution and Expense (C&E Reports) are being scrutinized and our friends at The Nevada Independent have great coverage: You can see the stories here: The Nevada Independent - Your state. Your news. Your voice. The NV Indy is a great non-profit news source, and we encourage everyone to register, read daily and support local journalism.
Please see below for an overview of the political landscape in Nevada provided by the Tom Clark Solutions team.
Political News
End-of-Year (2021) Fundraising totals have been reported to the FEC. See below for a breakdown of the fundraising totals for statewide and congressional candidates.
Do we really need two more ballot initiatives? One is focused on voter ID, the other repeals AB321, legislation passed in 2021 that codified the distribution of mail-in ballots. Both were filed last week. Backers must gain 140,777 valid signatures by the end of June for this initiative to be on the 2022 ballot.
NV GOP leaders have been subpoenaed by Congress over their role in a fake elector scheme that during the 2020 election.
Economic News
Nevada tied with Alaska for its average monthly quit rate of 3.8%, according to an analysis by Chamberofcommerce.org.
rgj.com/story/news/money/business/2022/01/31/great-resignation-nevada-unemployment/9259421002/
Reno area startups raise a record $1.4 billion in funding for 2021, 15 times more capital from the previous year, with battery technology companies leading the charge.
2021 Redistricting Maps
The new boundaries would give 14 of the 21 state Senate districts and 27 of the 42 Assembly districts a voter registration advantage for Democrats over Republicans of more than 4.5 percent.
The Nevada Independent
Please see the links below to view the new district lines for Nevada Assembly, Senate and Congressional delegation.
Please see below for an overview of what has been making headlines in the Silver State and for a breakdown of the 2022 Statewide and Congressional races.
NV Gov Republican Primary Debate Hosted in Reno
It was quiet over the holidays in the Nevada political world, with the exception of the Republican primary debate here in Reno at the Atlantis Hotel & Casino. The highest polling Republican and one of the more moderate candidates, Joe Lombardo, did not participate in the debate. - The Nevada Independent
Cortez Masto Fundraising
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto posted a solid fundraising number, with $10.4 million cash on hand going in 2022. - The Nevada Independent
Nevada Gubernatorial Race 'To Watch' in 2022
NBC News has named Nevada as one of the 10 gubernatorial races to watch in 2022.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Confirms Nevada Judicial Nominees
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to recommend full Senate confirmation of Nevada state Judge Cristina Silva and UNLV law professor Anne Traum. - Las Vegas Review Journal
2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
Last week, the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection released their greenhouse gas emission report. The state is in line to fall short 5.5% of its 2025 emission reduction goal, and 21.1% short of the 2030 goal. Our ultimate state goal is net zero emissions by 2050. Please click here to view the full report.
Colorado River Negotiations
There are ongoing negotiations about the Colorado River and its’ allocations across the West:
Water authority manager says Colorado River out of easy solutions
Las Vegas Review Journal
Record December snow in West brings major drought relief, hope for 2022
The Washington Post
California is suddenly snow-capped and very wet. But how long will the water rush last?
Los Angeles Times
Housing Continues to Boom
Housing prices all across the state continued to break records, with median home prices hitting record highs in the two large urban areas. - The Nevada Independent
The new boundaries would give 14 of the 21 state Senate districts and 27 of the 42 Assembly districts a voter registration advantage for Democrats over Republicans of more than 4.5 percent.
The Nevada Independent
Please see the links below to view the new district lines for Nevada Assembly, Senate and Congressional delegation.
As expected, Governor Sisolak has called for a Special Session of the Nevada Legislature that began today, November 12th, at 1:00pm. The primary purpose of the session is to address reapportionment but they will also address the date that judges can file for office.
Below is a link to the Governor's Proclamation and to the proposed maps.
The Tom Clark Solutions team is in Carson City and will be here each day until the end. We expect to be here until at least Tuesday.
Governor's Proclamation: www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/33rd2021Special/Docs/Proclamation.pdf
Proposed maps: www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Districts/Reapp/2021/
Nevada became a state on October 31st, 1864 and up until a few years ago, we celebrated on that day. Now we observe the last weekend of the month as Nevada Day Weekend, marking the state holiday as a three day celebration of Silver Statehood. The Nevada Independent published a great story on history of Nevada's birthday. You can read that story here. Below is some other news about the Battle Born State that's caught our attention.
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As part of NBC News and Meet The Press County To County series, Washoe County has been selected as one of the seven counties telling "the story of America's shifting political landscape" and will be highlighting the community's hyper-local issues ahead of the 2022 election. Watch NBC News correspondent Guad Venegas report on the Latino community, the evenly split electorate and the local economy in the videos below, all with the Space Whale and Truckee River in the background.
Watch County to County: Meet the counties to watch in the 2022 midterms
Watch Shifting demographics turn Nevada's Washoe County into key battleground
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As we get closer and closer to the presumed November Special Session, The Interim Committee to Conduct an Investigation into Matters Relating to Reapportionment and Redistricting in Nevada is meeting more often, as seen by them hosting nearly all of their meetings within the last six days, each at a different physical location. The list of their meetings and meeting materials can be found here. In general, these meetings provide the public and Committee members with the history, legal considerations and technical components of the process. Other topics of discussion have included the impact the process has on Nevada's tribal communities, how inmate populations will be reflected in the new maps and the 2020 demographic trends we are seeing in the state.
The City of Reno released their final proposed maps to the public this past Tuesday. You can find these maps and more on the City's redistricting homepage. The final maps will be presented to the Reno City Council at their regular meeting on November 10th.
The Board of Regents have also released their final proposed maps and provided a presentation on these maps at the Interim Committee's October 23rd meeting.
Washoe County School District unanimously voted this week to move the entire Sun Valley area into District B. They will be turning in their final maps to the county registrar's office on November 1st.
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The October issue of Nevada Lawyer, a publication of the State Bar of Nevada, focused on Nevada's public lands and the role it has in the country's renewable energy future.
Simply put, to achieve the clean every future articulated by the new administration, the U.S. must have access to more minerals through reliable domestic supply chains, outside the control of its adversaries.
The Green Energy Domestic Mineral Supply Chain Paradox
You can read the full article here.
Other articles worth reading from the October issue:
Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands in Nevada: The Fight Goes On
Nevada's Public Lands: Who Owns and Controls Nevada?
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In the video below, Tom discusses upcoming deadlines facing the Legislature and when lobbyists can expect to register for the 81st Session.
Austin Daly is a former Staff Assistant for U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and has been hired as a Staff Assistant for Tom Clark Solutions. He will help the team and our clients as we follow committee hearings, track bills, research issues during the 81st Legislative Session, and will lead TCS's video department. You can reach him at austin@tomclarkolutions.com.
He has also worked for federal and state campaigns in the 2018 and 2020 cycles, and was the President of the Young Democrats at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Tom Clark Solutions is excited to announce that our website has undergone a revamp and is now live! We will be updating the website throughout the session with relevant documents, announcements, and pertinent information on the 81st Session. We hope it will become a valuable resource for you all. Please let us know if you have any feedback!
It's still early in the Session but there is plenty that has happened, albeit virtually. In the video below, Tom reflects on the first month of the 81st Session and discuses the policy efforts we've seen in the healthcare industry, namely telehealth, mining taxes and what we can expect in the remaining 88 days.
Tom Clark Solutions is excited to announce that Paul Young, formerly Deputy Director of Government Affairs at R&R Partners, has joined the firm as Partner.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Paul for many years on complicated issues at the Nevada Legislature” said Tom Clark. “I look forward to having him on the team as we represent and advocate on behalf of our clients at all levels of government.”
Tom Clark Solutions is preparing for an unprecedented 2021 Nevada Legislature. The prolonged Pandemic is forcing lobbyists to re-think how they approach representing their clients. Our office space and conference center in Carson City is located at 111 W. Proctor St. We are prepared to participate in the process whether we are allowed access to the Legislative and Capitol buildings or not. The office space and conference center will easily accommodate large, safely distanced meetings/gatherings with video conference capabilities.
In addition to Paul’s joining the team, Zoë Houghton has joined the firm as Associate to provide legislative bill tracking, to attend hearings and to manage the operations of the Firm.
