Nevada GOP Civil War Just Keeps Getting Messier

Las Vegas Review-Journal: “For Republicans, It’s the Nightmare Scenario.”

The Nevada GOP primary has descended into chaos as the unpopular, extreme candidates race to the right in a battle for the conservative base. The five Republicans continue to butt heads over extreme litmus tests, from the ‘Big Lie’ to restricting abortion.

The already crowded race just got messier with spineless Dean Heller joining the field. Heller and Sheriff Joe Lombardo have been duking it out for Trump’s far-right base by one-upping each other on the ‘Big Lie.’

After Lombardo dodged questions on the fairness of the 2020 election and alleged “fraud on both sides,” Heller repeatedly refused to acknowledge Biden’s win or even say the president’s name out loud. And now Lombardo’s super PAC has released a new ad hitting Heller as a “wishy-washy politician.”

“For Republicans, it’s the nightmare scenario: a brutal, crowded, expensive gubernatorial primary fight that saps resources and weakens candidates before a tough general election,” wrote Steve Sebelius in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

All five Republicans have shown they’re willing to go to extremes to kiss up to Trump and his far-right base. The end of this race is still “a long, bruising way … away,” and whoever emerges as the winner will struggle to reconcile their extremist dog whistles with the general electorate.

“Each time a new candidate joins the race, they echo the same dangerous Trump rhetoric instead of focusing on the issues Nevadans actually care about,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Silver State voters who watch this primary unfold will see that the GOP offers more conflicts than solutions, whereas Gov. Steve Sisolak has consistently put Nevadans first.”  

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