Former Nevada Attorney Adam Laxalt is vying to be the 51st Republican Senator should he flip the U.S. Senate seat this November.
If Laxalt clinches the Republican nomination, he’ll face incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), a vulnerable Democrat, in the general election. As of this writing, Cook Political Report rates the Nevada Senate race as a “Toss-Up.”
The odds are greatly in his favor given the endorsements he’s raked in and his campaign’s sizable war chest.
He has secured endorsements from former President Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
According to newly-released fundraising numbers, his campaign hauled in an impressive $1.35 million in Q4 2021. And a potential Laxalt-Cortez Masto match-up already points to a tight contest. With more Nevada voters switching their party registration from Democrat to Republican, Laxalt, should he become the GOP nominee, seems well-positioned to win.
I recently spoke to Mr. Laxalt at the 44th annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada, to discuss gun rights, energy, and hunting.
A Pro-Second Amendment Track Record
“SHOT Show is one of our biggest conferences,” Laxalt said of the week-long trade show, which generates millions in non-gaming revenue for the Silver State. “And it’s great to invite [people] from all over the world and all over the country—our incredible folks that are the backbone of our gun industry.”
He called the SHOT Show “a big deal for Las Vegas.”
“The contrast couldn't be greater on the Second Amendment,” described Laxalt, contrasting his record against Cortez Masto’s. “She gets a zero from the NRA. She's with us on absolutely nothing.”
“As Attorney General, we stood for the Second Amendment from the beginning to end and we had some really tough battles,” he added. “We were a part of that movement that was pushing back against the Obama administration—pushing back against a lot of the laws and regulations that [were] greatly restricting our rights.”
He supported “gun liberty” in his old job and now wants to work in the Senate “to be able to help be part of the nomination process” to confirm pro-Second Amendment nominees—including judges.
“We need to really drill down because as the last few years have shown, our rights— our gun rights— can be taken away just like that,” the former attorney general stressed.
Cortez Masto Votes For Preservation, Against All-of-the-Above Energy
Cortez Masto, who sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has voted to confirm President Biden’s picks for Interior Secretary, Energy Secretary, EPA Administrator, and Bureau of Land Management Director.
As a result, Laxalt accused her of standing “with the green crowd.”
She supported legislation to create government-subsidized electric vehicle (EVs) programs, voted on party lines regarding energy bills, and lauded the costly “infrastructure” bill’s wasteful climate provisions.
“She stands with the radicals, just like she does with everything,” he emphasized. “This green agenda that she stands with is exactly what's hurting our middle class. It's exactly what's already given us really high gas prices.”
I then asked Laxalt if an all-of-the-above energy policy still works nationally, given the Biden administration’s desire to phase out fossil fuels.
“There's no question that we need to be all-of-the-above,” he responded. “Solar and wind [are] simply not enough.
“As we know, the sun can stop shining. The wind can stop blowing. And these things take energy just to be able to set them up in the first place.”
Hunting is Conservation
Nevada boasts 70,260,000 total acres of land—with nearly 77 percent of it open to public land hunting opportunities.
Laxalt values his state’s hunting heritage and said he’d support legislation to bolster true conservation if elected to the Senate.
“Hunting is a way of life for a lot of people, and certainly Nevadans that are multigenerational,” he remarked. “I have a four-year-old son now. I can't wait to do that with him.”
“It's so outrageous these people [the Left] will not accept this lifestyle,” added the sportsman. “How does it harm the Left that people are choosing to go hunting on their weekends instead of sitting at Starbucks and drinking frappuccinos?”
“I just wish these people would finally learn to just let other people live different lifestyles and things that they care about.”
In 2021, nearly $1.1 billion in conservation funding disbursed to all 50 states was derived from excise taxes largely collected on guns and ammunition. Nevada received over $18 million to boost wildlife conservation efforts and outdoor recreation initiatives.
The former Attorney General concluded our discussion explaining why this funding mechanism matters.
“There's a lot of money,” he stated. “There's no question that [it] comes in from hunting and the conservation efforts, and they always leave that piece off.”
“They're [hunters and anglers] paying their way. And they're taking care of their environment along the way.”
To learn more about Adam Laxalt’s campaign, visit his website and watch the full video interview here.