ICYMI: “No Show Joe” Grilled for Dodging Debates

In a recent article for the Elko Daily Free Press, Republican debate coordinator Paul D. White slammed Joe Lombardo for dodging the upcoming Elko debate and avoiding answering tough questions about his past support for Gov. Steve Sisolak and failures as Clark County Sheriff. “His refusal to be involved will quite likely raise some serious concerns with voters,” wrote White.

White says Lombardo would risk jeopardizing candidacy if faced with debate questions like: “Why did Lombardo donate more money to Democrat candidates than to Republican hopefuls in 2018?” and “Why does Lombardo claim to have reduced crime in Las Vegas, when DOJ statistics show that all categories of violent crime have increased exponentially under his tenure as Clark County Sheriff?”

Desperate for the support of Donald Trump’s far-right base, the Nevada GOP primary candidates have been tearing each other apart. Despite hiding from last week’s debate, Lombardo faced harsh criticism from his opponents — Joey Gilbert called Lombardo out for avoiding questions, and Michele Fiore brought a cardboard cutout of Lombardo labeled “No Show Joe.”

“Joe Lombardo is dodging debates because he can’t defend his horrible record as Clark County Sheriff or his shady political flip-flopping,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “But No Show Joe can’t dodge the far-right litmus test forever. To win the primary, Lombardo will have to woo the Trump base he’s currently scorning, even if the answer he gives will make him unelectable in the Silver State come November.”

Read key excerpts of the commentary below:

Elko Daily Free Press: Commentary: Lombardo dropping out of Elko debate: A missed opportunity

R​​epublican candidate for governor Joe Lombardo’s decision to not participate in the January 21 debate in Elko is disappointing, but not surprising. As the currently top-polling candidate in most surveys, Mr. Lombardo would have risked jeopardizing that lead if he’d had to answer the tough debate questions that candidates can avoid when they limit their public appearances to small, crowd-friendly meet-and-greets.

Every candidate in the January 21 debate will face tough, specific questions about their past record of accomplishments, as well as their current positions and solutions for Nevada’s many challenging problems. Some of the difficult questions the Elko-resident moderators might have asked Lombardo to answer include the following.

• Why is the Republican Lombardo currently trashing Democrat Steve Sisolak, when he endorsed Sisolak for governor in 2018?
• Why did Lombardo donate more money to Democrat candidates than to Republican hopefuls in 2018?
• Why does Lombardo claim to have reduced crime in Las Vegas, when DOJ statistics show that all categories of violent crime have increased exponentially under his tenure as Clark County Sheriff?
• Why has Lombardo never provided a full accounting for how the $31 million donated to the Las Vegas shooting fund in 2017 was spent?

[…]

Mr. Lombardo’s participation in the debate would have given him the opportunity to answer many questions about his candidacy.

His refusal to be involved will quite likely raise some serious concerns with voters.

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