So much has happened over the last two weeks, it’s almost hard to remember that candidate Donald Trump was shot at a rally just 11 days ago.
Of course, the news that took over was President Joe Biden stepping down, and Vice President Kamala Harris is now presumed to be Trump’s opponent in November.
But will Harris win over independent voters, people who aren’t yet committed to anyone? And what about the 40 million 18- to 30-year-olds who had been turned off by the fact that both Trump and Biden are generations older than they?
At the same time, Harris is just 59. And while Donald Trump is 78, his vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, is 39.
So who’s suited to tackle our enormous housing shortage, global warming, and create a lasting immigration policy? In the last four years, we’ve had the lowest unemployment since World War II, but inflation increased prices. Who do Nevadans trust more with the economy?
Hugh Jackson, editor of the Nevada Current, and KNPR producer Paul Boger, who covers politics, got into that with listeners who wrote and called in.
And listeners had a lot to say.
Emailing, listener Garrett said he was pulling for Harris.
“I'm an independent voter and don't always agree with Biden's policies, but at least Biden and now Kamala Harris are good decent people,” he wrote. “Remember, Benjamin Franklin said after the constitutional convention when he was asked "What have you given us, a monarchy or a republic?" Franklin responded, "a Republic if you can keep it."
Jackson said he was “relieved” when Biden pulled out of the race.
“He’s done an incredible job, as everyone has noted … in that first two years of his presidency, he achieved more and more consequential legislation than most presidents achieve over two terms.”
That said, he added, “the debate freaked everybody out.”
During the June debate with Trump, Biden had several gaffes. Less than two weeks later during a NATO summit, he referred to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin," and he referred to his “Vice President Trump.”
As for Harris, who raised more than $100 million in under three days since Biden made his announcement, Jackson said, “There has been a tremendous outpouring of excitement and enthusiasm and relief.”
Other callers referenced U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas and the thousands of civilians killed as a rationale for not supporting Trump or Harris.
“The only difference between who’s dropping bombs is a convicted criminal and our first woman president,” said caller R.J.
Lee was another listener who said he was “fed up” with disparaging remarks from both campaigns and the heavy influence of money in politics.
“Whether it’s the MAGA faction of the Republican Party, or the progressive faction of the Democrats … I’m so done with the demonizing and vilification of someone who disagrees with them,” he said, adding that he disagrees with a U.S. Supreme Court with a majority of conservative justices, some of whom were approved during Republican control of the U.S. Senate.
Boger was asked if extremists ever do well in Nevada political arenas.
“We have seen extremists do well,” he said.
In 2022, “very conservative, very MAGA, pro-Trump Republicans won nominations — of course, they didn’t win (the general election),” he said, adding that an expected “red wave” of GOP victories never materialized.
What could add a moderating force to Nevada elections, he also said, was a ballot question that would allow for open primaries and ranked-choice voting.
He added that much of the results will depend on voter turnout.
“Lower voter turnout often means more extreme Republican candidates win; higher turnout usually means Democratic candidates win.”
Guests: Hugh Jackson, editor, Nevada Current; Paul Boger, reporter and producer, Nevada Public Radio
