Currently on a cross-country campaign swing, President Joe Biden is in Nevada for the “first-in-the-West” primary, which feature early and absentee voting. However, the Democrat and his group are also hoping to strengthen support for the November general election with this visit.
On Sunday, Biden arrived in Las Vegas, where he will make engagements through Monday. After events on Saturday in California, he was taking a plane to arrive.
When the president was in Nevada last, in December, he announced that the federal government was providing more than $8 billion for passenger rail projects around the country. In the predominantly Black Historic Westside of the city, Biden will meet with voters on Sunday and discuss infrastructure improvements with local leaders.
A spokesman for Biden’s reelection campaign, Michael Tyler, stated that the president will encourage followers to cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary and contribute to building momentum for the fall election, which is expected to be a replay of the 2020 race against Republican Donald Trump.
Biden will only encounter minimal resistance in Tuesday’s primary from writer Marianne Williamson and a few other somewhat unknown contenders. In November 2020, he lost Nevada by less than 3 percentage points.
Split-ticket, unpredictable results are consistent with the state most recognized for its casinos and hospitality sectors. It contains sizable Latino, Filipino, Chinese American, and Black communities in addition to a nomadic working-class population. There is a clear gap between the rural and urban sections of Nevada. The state’s two most populated counties, which comprise the Las Vegas and Reno metro areas, are home to over 88% of the state’s active registered voters and much of its political influence.
Democrats lost the governorship and successfully defended their U.S. Senate seat in 2022. The six constitutional authorities chosen at the state level are divided equally between Republicans and Democrats.
For the duration of Biden’s current term, Democrats will retain control of the Senate thanks in part to U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s tight victory.
This year, the massive Democratic apparatus established by the late U.S. Senator Harry Reid is favoring Biden. For years, the “Reid Machine” has prepared agents and employed organizers, which helps explain why, in spite of Nevada’s reputation as a purple state, Democrats have prevailed in every state presidential election since 2008.
However, early indications suggest Biden may need to catch up more than in previous contests. Most voters are not happy about the anticipated rematch between Biden and Trump. According to a November New York Times/Siena poll, 36% of Nevadans support Biden.
In an interview, Cortez Masto stated, “I know from my reelection, the issues that matter to Nevadans are still those kitchen table issues.”
The central tenet of Biden’s reelection campaign has been that Trump poses a grave threat to American democracy and its foundational principles. Along with supporting abortion rights, the president recently held his first significant campaign event in Virginia, where the topic inspired Democrats to seize control of the state’s House of Delegates.
Additionally, Biden touts his economic management, claiming that his initiatives have halted global warming, produced millions of jobs, and increased American competitiveness abroad. However, polls indicate that a large number of voters are not giving his government credit.
Last week, the DNC revealed that it had purchased six figures worth of advertisements in South Carolina and Nevada, where Biden emerged victorious in Saturday’s leadoff contest. The advertisements, which include a billboard in Las Vegas’ Chinatown and radio, television, and digital ads in Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog, are aimed at igniting enthusiasm among Black, Asian, and Latino voters throughout the state.
Over the weekend, early voting got underway in Nevada. At a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Trump claimed, without providing any supporting documentation, that he was the victim of the Biden administration’s use of law enforcement as a weapon against him. Trump faces 91 charges and has been indicted four times.
At a get-out-the-vote event a mile away, Harris cautioned union leaders that Trump “made clear his fight is not for the people.” He fights for himself.
Biden, according to Dan Lee, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, “has to hold on to Nevada,” according to the map.
Although the state GOP is hosting caucuses on Thursday to distribute delegates, the Republican primary is scheduled for Tuesday as well. While competitor Nikki Halley chose to remain on the nonbinding primary ballot, Trump is participating in the caucuses.