Governor's Race
By Michael Graham
Adam Paul Laxalt
Adam Paul Laxalt, 40, is the current Nevada Attorney General. He is the Republican nominee for Governor of Nevada. Laxalt is the son of the late Pete Domenici, a Republican U.S. Senator from New Mexico, and Michelle Laxalt. He is the grandson of former Nevada Governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt. He is a supporter of educational vouchers which he says will give parents school choice; including better access to Charter Schools, Career and Technical Education, Opportunity Scholarships and Education Savings Accounts. He is against tax increases and says he will also look for ways to reduce taxes. His approach to energy issues is to support more choice and competition in energy sectors. During the 2014 campaign, Laxalt said he opposed the Affordable Care Act.
He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, a professional graduate school of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, with a Juris Doctor degree in 2005. Laxalt served in the U. S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps from July 2005 to August 2010. His assignments included instructing law courses at the United States Naval Academy, and a posting to Camp Victory, Iraq, during the Iraq War. He attained the rank of Lieutenant (equivalent to an U.S. Army Captain) and his awards include the Iraq Campaign Medal and Joint Service Commendation Medal. Laxalt worked for the law firm Lewis-Roca-Rothgerber-Christie at its Reno office until 2014, when he left the firm to concentrate on his bid for Attorney General. Laxalt, a Catholic, is married, with one child. He is a Trustee of the Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, Advisory Board member for the Center for Basque Studies, UNR, and the Co-Founder, Saint Thomas More Society.
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​Campaign Email: kristin@adamlaxalt.com
Campaign Website: https://www.adamlaxalt.com/
Steve Sisolak
Stephen F. Sisolak, 64, the chair of the seven-member Clark County Commission, is the Democratic candidate for Governor of Nevada. As governor, Sisolak says he would “bring together educators, school board members, parents, and elected officials from southern, northern, and rural Nevada to modernize” the state’s 50-year-old education funding formula to address the needs of students, educators, and parents. He says he would work to attract new, diverse industries to Nevada, such as clean energy, technology, manufacturing, and medical research; and he would support Nevada’s small businesses with incentives and grants. On health care, Sisolak said “all Nevadans deserve quality, affordable health care, and that nobody should ever be denied coverage or charged more for being sick, elderly, or a woman.” As governor, he would support Nevada’s health care exchange; fight any attempts to roll back Medicaid expansion; and according to his website “stand up to the Trump Administration’s efforts to reverse pre-existing conditions protections.”
Sisolak earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He later received his master's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is single with two daughters. He is a member of the Saint Joseph Husband of Mary Catholic Church; a member of the University of Nevada, Vegas Alumni Association; a member of the American Red Cross; a member of the Founders' Board of the Boys & Girls Club and a former Member of the Nevada Board of Regents.
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​Campaign Email: info@stevesisolak.com)
Campaign Website: https://stevesisolak.com/
Jared Lord
Jared Lord, 43, who was born in Fall River, MA and currently lives in Las Vegas, is the Libertarian candidate for Governor. Lord said he believes “in the natural rights of the individual, so all groups are included, and all are equal.” In this election, he has focused on the rights of transgender students, stating that “they are a part of our community and should be treated as such,” according to his website. He noted that transgender students are often targets for bullying and violence and recommends providing trans-locker rooms and restrooms.
Lord has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. He also studied acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at the New England School of Acupuncture, and Music at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He is single with one child. He is currently a Production Assistant at Mahal Empire Productions, a Las Vegas company which makes feature films; and a Reservations and Web Agent for Maverick Aviation Group, which provides helicopter tours of Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Hoover Dam. Lord is a volunteer for Our America Initiative, a political advocacy committee formed by Gary Johnson, the governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. He was the Executive Committee Secretary for the Libertarian Party of Nevada from 2012 to 2013.
Campaign Email: jaredlord4gov@gmail.com
Campaign Website: https://jaredlord4gov.com/
Ryan Bundy
Ryan Bundy, 45, is the son of Cliven Bundy, the man who led an armed standoff with federal authorities at Bundy Ranch near Bunkerville in 2014. Bunkerville is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada. The population, according to the 2010 census was 1,303. Ryan Bundy spent two years in jail awaiting trial on charges connected with that standoff. The trial ended with Bundy being freed because of what the judge said was “misconduct” by federal prosecutors.
Bundy’s key issues include The Right of The Family Unit which he defines as the right of a parent to make all decisions for their children; The Right to Property where he says, “the state forces private property owners to apply for permission to do what needs to be done to maintain or improve their property”; for example, zoning laws and the need to apply for a building permit. A major issue for Bundy is The Right of Self Defense. According to his website, “It is We The People, most particularly the men, who are inherently responsible for the protection, freedom and welfare of their wives and children. Our founding fathers recognized this and knew that these men, the militia and the people, must have the necessary right to keep and bear arms to provide proper security for themselves, their families and their State.”
Bundy was born in St. George, UT, and now lives in Mesquite, NV, with his wife Angela and eight children. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bundy is running for governor as an Independent candidate with no party affiliation.
He previously ran for the Utah House of Representatives, District 72, in 2012 and 2008.
Campaign Email: governorbundy@gmail.com
Campaign Website: https://www.governorbundy.com/issues/honoring-rights
Russ Best
Russell 'Russ' Best, 58, is running for governor as a member of the Independent American Party. Best, a veteran, is concerned about the lack of consistency among the VA Centers here in Nevada. He said that each veteran’s hospital “seems to have a different idea as to what services they are authorized to offer.” While acknowledging that, as governor, he would not have control over how the Veteran’s Administration chooses to manage their facilities, he said that he could work with the various state medical boards to guarantee veterans received the “best possible care” in Nevada. He also wants to stop the “senseless slaughter of the wild horses that symbolize the free and pioneering spirit” of Nevada, according to his website. He is against any property tax increases and he would like to bring more businesses to Nevada, as well as help those already here expand.
Best was born in Texas and now lives in Stagecoach, NV. He is single with two children and has a bachelor’s degree from Moorpark College, a California state community college located in Ventura County, CA. He served in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Naval Reserves. Best, a Catholic, is a volunteer for the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and the Boy Scouts of America. He is the owner of an independent Mortgage Office and a property developer. Best was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 4, in 2014; and the House of Representatives, District 2, in 2012 and 2010.
Campaign Email: best4governor@gmail.com
Campaign Website: https://www.best4governor.com/
By Michael Graham
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