Nevadans will have some interesting choices in less than a year when they pick their candidates for president.
Former President Donald Trump is facing federal criminal charges for keeping classified government documents after he left office. He faces other legal issues, too, including allegations of falsifying business records and payments to a porn star for her silence before the 2016 election.
So far, his main foe for the Republican nomination is Ron DeSantis, Florida's governor. DeSantis just signed a ban on abortions after six weeks, one of the strictest abortion laws in the country.
Is this what Nevada Republicans want? Is this what registered Independents, who have outnumbered Republicans and Democrats in Nevada, want? And speaking of Democrats, that state party is also divided and similar questions about voter preference arise about President Joe Biden given that his approval ratings are at an all time low.
HOW REPUBLICANS AND INDEPENDENTS WILL VOTE
With the face of the party, Trump, facing a handful of legal woes, many Republicans and Independents are looking for someone else to represent them. But, can anyone else take on the political influence of Trump? Political analyst and former government and politics editor for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Steve Sebelius, gave this thoughts on the party and its voters.
"There are republicans who are looking for someone else. They don't want the drama," said Sebelius. "They think Trump against Biden will result the same as it did in 2020, so they're looking for another candidate. Ron DeSantis seems to be the front runner among that group so far, but there's a number of other candidates who are less the Trump base and more of what you would probably define as a traditional republican. Those people I think, as time goes on, may get a little a little bit more traction, but none of them as far as I can see have devised a way to go after Donald Trump. Chris Christie is taking him on 100%. Others are, vaguely hinting about, his disappointing behavior and how he's disqualified himself by his actions, but nothing has worked so far."
Former Nevada GOP chairwoman, now Republican strategist, Amy Tarkanian, has supported Trump in the past. However, she's now denounced her support for the former president. To her, it was the Jan. 6 insurrection that changed her mind. When it comes to DeSantis, she has reservations with him, too. This past April, the Florida governor signed a six week abortion ban into law — Tarkanian was not a fan. She also thinks Independent Nevada voters will have a hard time finding reasons to vote for DeSantis.
"[100%] that will hurt him. I've had four pregnancies, and you don't even announce that until you're like 10-12 weeks in," said Tarkanian. "I'm pro-life, I get it. I would want and wish for every child to have a home. But if you're somebody who's pro-choice, and you're hearing that you're going to be breaking a law after six weeks? You may not even know you're pregnant. I don't agree with that, so I'm stuck in a weird situation, but I just don't think it's going to bode well for him. I think this is going to really scare off a lot of voters."
Former Nevada State Senator Warren Hardy considers himself a Ronald Reagan Republican, a traditional conservative. He's been outspoken about his disapproval of Trump in the past, but he thinks both the left and the right have done a bad job at being relevant to Independent and nonpartisan voters.
"Traditionally, candidates go left or right to win the primary and they come back to the center in the general election," said Hardy. "This last cycle, neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden made any attempt to come back to the center. What we're doing in America right now is voting against people instead of voting for people, and we got to find some way to fix and change that."
Hardy emphasized the importance of compromise and he thinks today's political culture is losing touch of that.
"My experience after thirty-some-odd years in the legislature is that it's less important what your philosophy is," said Hardy. "I was put there by people who agreed with me. Then I looked at the more left leaning candidates, and they got there exactly the same way I did; by people who agreed with them. That's the beauty of the system that the founders set up. We've got candidates that go in, regardless of their political philosophy, that say, it's either my way or I'm not voting; that is unhealthy, that doesn't work in our process. I'm not somebody who says we need all moderate candidates, I think candidates of all political persuasions are very important to the process; but if you're into the process of the United States of America, you got to be willing to compromise."
WHAT DEMOCRATS THINK OF THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN
Nevada Democratic Assemblyman and law professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Boyd School of Law, David Orentlicher, holds a lot of admiration for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' work in the White House so far, despite what approval ratings thus far may show. Biden is still way ahead in early Democratic polls, so Orentlicher may not be alone in his views.
"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have just done a terrific job," said Orentlicher. "Our economy has recovered very well. They're addressing climate change and other issues that are important. They're also not diverting us into social issues that divide us like people's sexual orientation, and people's ability to make reproductive decisions. That's not where the public wants us, and they're being very good about keeping us on the issues that really matter to people."
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO TRUMP IF FOUND GUILTY
Trump's legal woes mark the first time a former president has ever been indicted on criminal charges. What's even more unprecedented is what happens next. Can he continue to run for president during trial? If he's found guilty, can he still run? What if he's guilty, goes to jail, but wins the election? Will he be transferred to house arrest punishment for the remainder of his sentence? So many questions, but Orentlicher answered some.
"Trump could still run and he could still serve if he's elected," said Orentlicher. "Having been convicted is not a disqualification for serving. The Constitution establishes only three requirements, you have to be 35, a natural born citizen, and have lived in the United States for 14 years. Trump satisfies all three of those. He could be presumably on house arrest, but his duties as president would take precedence and he would have to be able to serve appropriately. Having him in house arrest or in prison would prevent him from carrying out the duties of the presidency. My guess is, if we ever got to that, they would have to suspend his sentence so he could serve."
NPR: 2024 Republican presidential candidates: A list of who is or may be running
New York Times: Who’s Running for President in 2024?
Guests: Steve Sebelius, political analyst, former politics and government editor at the Las Vegas Review-Journal; Warren Hardy, former Republican state senator turned lobbyist and president, Warren Hardy Strategies; David Orentlicher, health law and constitutional law professor, UNLV Boyd School of Law; Amy Tarkanian, former Nevada State GOP chairwoman and Republican strategist
