Republicans aim to put vulnerable Nevada Sen. Cortez Masto on defensive over gas prices
GOP tries to use gas prices against Nevada senator ahead of re-election
University of Louisville economics professor Alexei Izyumov predicts the oil market will bring inflation and interest rates even higher.
The National Republican Senate Committee has released an aggressive ad campaign aimed at Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
The NRSC has put five figures into the local ad buys, attempting to stick the blame for the state's historically high gas prices on the Democratic senator. Nevada currently boasts the steepest gas prices in the nation, with an average of approximately $4.20 per gallon statewide.
"Nevadans don’t need Catherine Cortez Masto’s fake regrets about the outrageous prices at the pump," said NRSC spokeswoman Katharine Cooksey. "Nevadans need a senator who is proud to support American energy independence instead of radical, Green New Deal proposals that destroy America’s energy independence and cause gas prices to skyrocket."
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"Cortez Masto has caused this pain, and her purely political gas tax plan won’t do anything to help struggling families," Cooksey added.
Average prices at Nevada gas pumps sit approximately $0.50 per gallon above the national average.
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Democrat Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in his State of the State address last week welcomed parent involvement in schools and vowed to increase police funding in comments that amounted to a rejection of some of the most progressive voices in his party.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Sisolak faces a tough re-election race in November that's rated a "toss up" by the Cook Political Report. And candidates in the GOP primary are hammering the governor over his COVID-19 response, the economy, the state's schools and more.
The governor pushed back on the criticism against him in his address, arguing that things are looking up for Nevadans.
"Today, our economy is one of the fastest growing in the country," he said. "Tourism is up, unemployment is down. Our students are back – with 100% of our classrooms in person. Gaming revenues are at an all-time high, and, more importantly, wages are up, too."