After losing his congressional seat in a surprising defeat last fall, everyone expected Steven Horsford to run again in 2016.
The argument went that Democrats turned out in very low numbers, which is why Cresent Hardy, a relatively unknown Republican, won that race. And with a presidential vote coming in 2016, more Democrats would turn out to vote.
But, Horsford said last week he will not run for office.
Instead of working for the people, he will be working out of Washington, D.C., for one of Nevada’s largest advertising firms, R&R Partners.
“I don’t regret it. I learned a lot from it. But I decided in this moment in time it was best for me to spend more time with my three children and my wife because the titles that matter most is that of father and husband,” Horsford told KNPR’s State of Nevada.
Horsford said he did a gut check after losing the election in November and decided that he could make an impact on the community whether he was in office or not.
“It’s not about me. So what if I lost? Big deal! Meanwhile there are people struggling to find work, to make sure their kids have decent health care if they’re sick, to keep a roof over their heads,” Horsford said.
Horsford does believe Democrats have a good shot at taking the seat again in the next election cycle but he believes the candidate must be able to connect with all voters with all kinds of backgrounds and political views.
While he wouldn’t comment on specifics about his former colleagues in the Legislature, Horsford was a state senator and Senate Majority Leader before being elected to Congress, he did complement Gov. Brian Sandoval’s effort to increase education funding.
“Now he needs to deliver Republican votes for his budget,” Horsford said.
The former congressman said although the extremes of both parties are getting the attention, leaders need to focus on a middle ground.
“We need more leaders who can govern in the middle who are balanced in their approach who are willing to listen, to actual work to solve problems not stand on some ideology platform that doesn’t really achieve results,” he said.
One of the efforts Horsford is most proud of during his time in Congress is the bipartisan push to create the Tule Springs National Monument, despite the divisive tone in Congress.
Now, he said he is eager to start the next chapter of his life.
In his role with R&R Partners, Horsford said he would focus on marketing, advertising and workforce development.
Steven Horsford, former congressman
