Is Nevada joining California as a reliably blue state?
Could be. I’ve written previously that California and Nevada belong together.
The Nevada governor’s race is a test of that premise. And the Republican nominee Adam Laxalt—a son of one of his state’s most important political families – is explicitly running against California.
Here’s how he framed it in a recent appearance:
“Are we going to slide inevitably toward the California way — more taxes, more spending, more regulation, sanctuary states? This race is as important for that future as any in this generation….We could wake up in a few years and be trending to a deep blue state.”
Nevada shouldn’t want to be California – a sanctuary state is a good thing to be, in the face of Trump’s lawless and unconstitutional raids. But California level taxes – and especially regulations that stop way too much housing and infrastructure – are to be avoided.
Laxalt has been running well in polls, and is essentially pitching himself as an extension of the current Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, a moderate.
But the trouble with keeping Nevada from becoming California is all the Californians who live in Nevada.