Nevada’s Democratic Incumbent Cortez Masto, Republican Laxalt Tied In New Poll
Topline
Nevada voters are nearly evenly divided on who they will support in a Senate race Democrats view as critical to their bid to maintain control of the chamber, according to a new poll, while the battle for the governorship is also a tie just 19 days before midterm elections.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 6: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) testifies during a Senate Judiciary … [+]
Key Facts
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is trailing her Republican challenger Adam Laxalt by one point–48% to 49%–in her campaign for a second term, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll of 1,057 voters taken between October 14 and 19 (margin of error -/+ 4).
Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak’s re-election bid also hangs in the balance, with voters split on whether they will cast their ballots for the incumbent or Republican Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, with both netting the support of 48% of voters surveyed.
A slim majority of voters approve of the job performances of both Sisolak (53%) and Cortez Masto (52%), though 54% of respondents said the state–where the tourism-reliant economy was hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic–is doing “somewhat” or “very” badly overall.
More voters have confidence that Laxalt’s policies, versus Cortez Masto’s, would improve their financial outlooks and make their communities safer from crime, with respondents divided 41% to 35% in Laxalt’s favor on crime and 40% to 37% on finances.
Background
The results are consistent with other polls in recent weeks that show Cortez Masto has lost the nearly four-point lead she had in late August, according to FiveThirtyEight’s poll tracker. The race is rated a toss-up by RealClearPolitics. Nevada, which has voted for a Democrat for president in the past three elections, is a swing state that typically votes for Democrats, but by slim margins. In addition to the gubernatorial and Senate contests, two Democratic House incumbents–Reps. Susie Lee and Steven Horsford– are in tight competitions to retain their seats in toss-up districts.
Tangent
Former President Barack Obama is set to visit Las Vegas on November 1 to rally for Cortez Masto and Sisolak, both of whom are expected to speak at the event. Obama will reportedly push voters to hit the polls early in a bid to energize their campaigns before election day. The visit comes as polls increasingly show Republicans’ chances of gaining control of Congress are improving.
Further Reading
Nevada Democrats Call In Obama For Campaign Help Amid Fears Of GOP Wave (Forbes)
Republicans Gain Ground With Voters As Economic Concerns Hamstring Democrats, Poll Finds (Forbes)
Nevada looms as question mark in Democrats’ Senate defense (Politico)
Read More: Nevada’s Democratic Incumbent Cortez Masto, Republican Laxalt Tied In New Poll