Democrats see Nevada as the "model" for a blue wave: NPR

Steve Sisolak, Nevada's Democratic governor candidate, reacts as he steps out of the scene at an election night in Las Vegas after winning the primary.

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Steve Sisolak, Nevada's Democratic governor candidate, reacts as he steps out of the scene at an election night in Las Vegas after winning the primary.

John Locher / AP

Nevada, a revolving state, resisted the trend in 2016. It was then that Nevada chose Hillary Clinton as president, as the Democrats shifted the state's legislature from red to blue and that the government of New York was in power. State introduced Latina's first senator in Washington DC

This year, state democrats hope to take advantage of these gains. Here, the Democratic candidate Steve Sisolak is in a close race with the Attorney General of the Republican State, Adam Laxalt, as governor. If Sisolak can win a victory, he will be the first elected democratic governor of the state in two decades.

And his race is one of many state races, with Democrats striving to demolish Republicans who control more than half of the country's legislative chambers and about two-thirds of governors.

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez, calls Nevada "the model".

"At the national level, the Democratic Party must emulate what Nevada has been doing since the beginning of 2015: organize early, organize everywhere," he said. "Make sure we have a 12-month party where we talk to people."

Perez says he thinks the Democrats will overthrow eight to a dozen governor seats in this election and that they have their eyes riveted on the races of Georgia, where voters could elect the first governor Black Country, Democrat Stacey Abrams, Kansas. well-known Republicans support the Democratic candidate.

On a recent Sunday, Sisolak and Perez shook hands at the Seafood City supermarket in Las Vegas before the advance vote that began this Saturday.

For this visit, Sisolak focuses on the American-Asian and Oceanic vote. They represent about ten percent of the state and, like the country, their population is growing fastest. But in this community, the participation rate is historically low and at the halfway point, the participation rate is generally low, especially in communities with low democratic density: young people and minorities. So far, with early voting in the state, the turnout has been exceptionally high.

"We have to send voters, and if we eliminate the voters we've identified, we're going to win," Sisolak says to pose for photos and talk to voters. "If we do not do it, we will suffer the consequences."

This year, Democrats should retain a majority in the legislature and the government could become the majority. It would be a first for the country.

Perez shows tractors at every cash desk in this Asian grocery store, an early voting site. He says that attention to detail is what is important.

"The old DNC had a confessional approach towards the midterm elections.We pray that the candidates will win.But we have not done much of it. other, "said Perez.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Nevada Republican candidate for governorship Adam Laxalt at a campaign rally in Elko, Nevada.

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President Donald Trump shakes hands with Nevada Republican candidate for governorship Adam Laxalt at a campaign rally in Elko, Nevada.

Alex Goodlett / AP

At the moment, the race for governors is a real headache, according to polls. Adam Laxalt, Republican candidate and attorney general of the state, is from a Nevada historical political family. His grandfather, Paul Laxalt, was the national president of the presidential campaign of President Reagan, US Senator and Governor of Nevada.

But Laxalt faces many challenges. Brian Sandoval, the popular time-limited Republican governor, refused to support him. Some members of Laxalt's family endorsed his opponent, Sisolak, and attacked his positions. His aunt and several cousins ​​accused him in a newspaper editorial Reno Gazette Journal to use the last name to pursue his political career.

They wrote: "He moved to Nevada in 2013 in order to be able to rely on the reputation of a family that he barely knew, while appealing to the support of donors who did not know what he was doing. had no interest in our state or its inhabitants. "

A spokesperson for the Laxalt campaign told the Washington Post that the gubernotorial candidate "has a large family and that some distant relatives are liberal activists, donors and long-standing agents".

E-mails and phone calls to the campaign to request an interview for this story have not been answered.

Meanwhile, Sisolak faces its own challenges. He is recognized in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located because he is chairman of the county commissioners' council, but outside of Las Vegas he is less known. And analysts say being a city politician will hurt him in rural areas where he is perceived as a Las Vegas Liberal who will raise taxes.

"The Nevada electorate is the very polarized national electorate," says Jon Ralston, editor of Nevada Independent and an expert on Nevada politics. "Republicans will vote for Republicans, Democrats will vote for Democrats".

Like the country, Nevada has an overwhelmingly democratic vote in urban areas where the majority of the population lives and where state diversity is found. And he votes Republican in rural areas. So, says Ralston, whoever can present his constituents will win the governorship.

"That's how Adam Laxalt won the Attorney General four years ago," said Ralston. "He is the only candidate in Nevada's modern history to have lost both urban areas and to win a state-wide race.He will use the same calculation again."

Back in the grocery store, the group of people met by Democratic candidate Steve Sisolak reflects the transience of Las Vegas. Some are recent visitors or visitors who can not vote in Nevada. Others are conservatives shaking Sisolak's hand and telling me later that they do not vote for him.

Laurie Latta still does not know who she is going to vote for. Sisolak hands her her card and she stops her basket next to him.

"I have a question," she says. "What percentage of marijuana sales go to schools?"

She said she will be registered in 2016 to vote in favor of the legalization of marijuana. She thought the money would go to her children's schools. Until now, she says, this has not happened. She will now vote for anyone who will improve the education of her three children.