LAS VEGAS — Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate, will retain her seat in Nevada after enduring a murderous campaign against Republican Adam Laxalt, who failed to oust the Democrat despite severe midterm headwinds. according to NBC News projects.
The result follows days of extended counting of mail-in ballots, with the results largely resting on the state’s most populous county, Clark County, which released updates once a day. since Tuesday. A race long predicted to be within the margin of error was indeed close until the end.
“Thank you Nevada! Cortez Mastro tweeted Saturday night shortly after NBC News and other outlets projected his win.
Latino voters here helped propel the results after both candidates invested heavily in wooing them. Latinos were expected to make up 1 in 5 midterm voters, but NBC News’ exit poll in the state suggests those expectations fell short, with Latinos making up just 12 % of Nevada voters. Last month, both parties saw signs of a disgruntled electorate threatening to stay home.
NBC News’ exit poll also showed those who showed up were supportive of her. Despite her opponent’s predictions that she would struggle with Latinos, 62% said they voted for Cortez Masto and 33% backed Laxalt, according to NBC News’ exit poll.
Cortez Masto’s campaign leaned heavily on the issue of abortion and vigorously attacked Laxalt in English and Spanish ads. After the primary, she immediately went on the offensive on rising gas prices, hit Laxalt on links with major oil companies, which made record profits.
Laxalt linked Cortez Masto to President Joe Biden’s economic policies, blaming them for both rising inflation and rising gas prices. The problem is particularly significant in Nevada, where the average price of a gallon of gasoline is among the highest in the country.
At a recent rally in Reno, Laxalt said voters he spoke to were “fed up.”
“This is the most upset electorate we have ever known in our lifetime,” he said.
Laxalt also sought to link Cortez Masto to rising crime and what Republicans said was the failure of Biden’s border policies — themes that have permeated many Republican campaigns.
In the final days of the campaign, Laxalt hammered home a tough partisan message, vowing not to work with the left and promising to hold Senate hearings to vet Biden’s top medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, and Biden’s son, Hunter.
Cortez Masto, however, has sought to woo Republican voters in places like Washoe County, touting his work with the likes of Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. She painted Laxalt as an extremist.
Laxalt, a MAGA loyalist who lured Donald Trump as well as Donald Trump Jr. to the state to replace him, had questioned the 2020 election results, even saying the results were “rigged”.
“There should be consequences for people who undermine our democracy, who peddle the ‘big lie’ and conspiracy theories,” Cortez Masto said at an event in Reno in October.
Laxalt easily won all 15 rural counties in the state, winning in some counties 80% of the vote, while Cortez Masto consistently led the way. Reliable Blue of Clark County, Las Vegas Headquarters.
The two candidates fought in Washoe County, a purple county that is the second largest in the state.