Eight Republicans, six Democrats battling for Nevada’s Congressional District 4 nomination
The race for Congressional District 4 has a very large pool of contenders, including eight Republicans and six Democrats, all hoping to secure their party’s nomination this primary election. Those nominees will then head to the general election where they will battle it out with each other and two third-party candidates, Libertarian Jonathan Esteban and Independent American Party candidate Barry Rubinson.
Rosalie Bingham
Republican
“I’m a third-generation native Nevadan and I just could no longer sit back and watch all the craziness that was happening. I come from a family of politicians but I never wanted to be a politician myself. But I couldn’t sit by and watch the dysfunction without saying anything,” Bingham told the Pahrump Valley Times.
An investor and entrepreneur, Bingham said she has a bevy of ideas that she wants to bring to the forefront, first and foremost of which is the creation of a “citizens’ assembly” that would help resolve the disconnect that seems to exist between federal representatives and the constituents they are supposed to represent.
“I’ve been working on many projects that have to do with solutions that would actually have solved some of these problems from the get-go, if we had implemented them already,” Bingham stated. “I believe we have to form some type of citizens’ assembly, if you will, that is more of a watchdog… It’s important that we have a safety net between the problems and our politicians because sometimes they are making decisions for us that just don’t make sense.”
Her vision is to bring together people from various sectors of society, such as academia, business and investment, who have no special interests to bind their decision making.
Bingham then segued into another of her ideas that focuses on providing people with education on how to better their lives so they are no longer in a position of need.
“I would love to see a mentoring program and I am working on that,” Bingham said, noting that she already has a team that has been doing self-reliant workshops for many years. “Every program that provides some kind of subsidy or help should come with a hand-up as to what to do with that help, how to sustain it and best utilize those resources to make a person’s situation more stable and self-reliant. I believe in a hand-up, not hand-outs. Hand-ups are sustainable but hand-outs are not.”
The exact nature of how that mentoring program would be enacted would be determined through a process Bingham strongly believes in, beta testing.
“I’m a beta-tester. I say let’s beta test ideas and programs in certain pockets and see the results, and if there are good results then we can implement it. It’s a longer process to do things but it prevents a lot of suffering,” she detailed.
As for her campaign, Bingham said she was proud to be primarily self-funded, as she believes the money involved in elections is a major concern.
“I believe that we have trained our politicians from the get-go to spend other people’s money, by raising it and then spending it, and we wonder why we still have that problem,” Bingham stated, adding, “I’m self-funding to see how far we’ve gone, if we can elect a candidate who is as viable as I am. I’m not putting my name on billboards, I’m not playing by the old-school politician rules. If I can’t get elected, so be it. I am not so desperate to go to Washington, D.C. that I will play by those old-school rules. I would rather show people that we can do this differently, but it’s going to take the people voting for someone like me who is willing to do it differently.”
Bingham said she also plans on donating 40 percent of her congressional salary back to education and veterans, two areas she feels are under-served. In addition, she noted, “I have signed an agreement that says if I am elected, I will do certain things, so I will be accountable to the people.”
Voters can learn more about Bingham by calling 775-863-2848 or scheduling a meeting with her through her website www.rosaliebingham.com
Leo Blundo
Republican
Blundo is a longtime Pahrump resident and though he is currently in the second year of his four-year term as Nye County commissioner, he has set his sights on another public office, Congress.
“I’m a product of the American dream. My parents immigrated to this country and I’ve been in Nevada for over 25 years,” Blundo told the Pahrump Valley Times. “Half my time was in urban Las Vegas, where I graduated high school. Then my parents retired to Pahrump and we moved here, I opened a restaurant, I’ve been in business for roughly 13 years.”
Blundo said he feels as if he is perfectly positioned to hold the congressional seat, remarking that he has just enough experience with government operations to head to Washington, D.C. with a grasp of the task at hand but without the entanglements and altered viewpoints that often come with a lengthier political tenure.
“These politicians are not working for the people, that’s what I think is missing up in Congress,” Blundo contended. “It’s not supposed to be about those things, it’s supposed to be about you, the people. And that’s why I am running.”
As for specific items he would like to bring to the federal table, Blundo said Second Amendment rights, health care and immigration were all high on his list.
“We don’t have national concealed carry weapons permit reciprocity. I can drive across the country with my driver’s license, no matter what state it’s issued from, and it’s honored. Why is my CCW not honored?” Blundo questioned. “Why do we infringe on people’s rights to defend themselves across states? I think that needs to be addressed.”
On health care, Blundo stated, “We need to protect people with pre-existing conditions, they should have access to health care, 100 percent. We need health care to work for the patient. I want patient-oriented results, the patient needs to have control of their health care, not the providers.”
As for immigration, Blundo said he is tired of hearing about the need for reform without ever seeing any forward movement.
“We need to come up with a solution that is fair and equitable to American citizens first. Let’s secure the wall, secure our borders, because that is how we protect our nation. I have no problem with immigration but we need these people to be paying taxes and being citizens of this country, we need to give a path to that.”
On another controversial topic, Blundo said he wants the licensing process for Yucca Mountain to move forward, so the science can be heard and the project’s safety or lack thereof be determined once and for all. While that process proceeds, Blundo said he believed a dividend could be paid to each Nevadan as well, just as Alaskans receive from the presence of the pipeline in their state.
“At the end of the day it’s a Republican primary. All of the positions are very much the same,” Blundo said in closing. “So I invite people to look at the candidates and ask, who’s a fighter? Who’s actually doing the job, who has the voting records that’s going to work for you? Who can you actually call and get a hold of? Who has the passion, the drive, the go-get-it-done attitude? Who is going to step up to the plate and buck the establishment, buck the staff and buck the norms, because he’s fighting for you, he’s fighting for the people? And that’s what I do. I have an excellent track record of doing that, working for you.”
Voters can learn more about Blundo by calling 702-595-2269, emailing leonardoblundo@hotmail.com or visiting www.blundofornevada.com
Jim Marchant
Republican
Marchant is a former Nevada assemblyman with extensive experience in technological fields, having started and run a variety of businesses both large and small.
“I have been an entrepreneur my life,” Marchant stated. “After college I started working with my father in a convenience food store chain and one of my projects was computerized operation. That got me interested in computers and after than I went out on my own and started a computer software company, selling computers and software all over the country.”
By 1994 Marchant had the chance to take advantage of the budding internet industry and opened an internet service provider company.
“I think this is important for giving people an idea of my instincts of small and limited government. The Florida Department of Revenue wanted me to collect sales tax on my customers. I did not agree with that because first, it’s a service and second, back then you had to dial in using a land line and people were already paying all sorts of ridiculous taxes on their phone lines,” Marchant detailed
He started a crusade against such taxation and ultimately triumphed, securing a special executive order from the governor of Florida exempting internet service providers from collecting sales tax while simultaneously working with the Florida Legislature to get a bill passed that made that exemption permanent.
This experience led to other avenues of lobbying as well, with Marchant helping to found the Federation of Internet Service Providers Association.
In 1997, Marchant started a voice-over company, from which he retired in 2003. By 2005 he had moved to Las Vegas and immediately got involved with local Republican organizations.
In 2016, irate over the Republican majority Legislature’s approval of the largest tax increase in Nevada history just two years before, he made the leap into politics, running for and winning the Nevada Assembly District 37 seat, although he lost his bid for re-election two years later.
“I was ranked number one by the American Conservative Union as the most conservative voting legislator in the Assembly and Nevada Policy Research Institute rated me number two as the most conservative voting legislator in the entire Legislature, both the Assembly and state Senate,” Marchant said with evident pride.
Issues that are important for Marchant include gun rights, land issues, including water, and Yucca Mountain.
“I have been working for years to provide a solution to the issue once and for all. We as taxpayers pay a $2.2 million a day fine because Yucca Mountain is not open. We could solve that problem by opening up Yucca Mountain but not the original way it was intended,” Marchant stated. “What I want to do is bring in the material temporarily and recycle it, and use the money sitting in the fund to build a recycling facility at Mercury and build a world-class, Livermore-type national lab that can research and develop all carbon-free energy solutions.”
This would bring in many new jobs, both initial and long term, which would be a great economic boost for Nye County, he said, adding that a dividend could be paid to every Nevada resident using the money made by reselling the used, recycled nuclear fuel.
Marchant said he is also a small business advocate who would seek to cut taxes and increase economic opportunities by reducing burdensome government regulations. He is a pro-life candidate as well and would advocate for defunding Planned Parenthood.
As for who will win the Republican nomination this June, Marchant said he is confident that he has what it will take and that voters will recognize him as the best candidate in the race. “Is now the time to take a chance on unproven, inexperienced legislators to send to Congress? I’d say no,” Marchant concluded.
Voters can learn more about Marchant by calling 702-706-1815, emailing jim@jimmarchant.com or visiting www.jimmarchant.com
Charles Navarro
Republican
Navarro is a U.S. Navy veteran and member of the Naval Reserve with a vast array of experiences that he believes have given him a unique set of tools he can translate into work as an elected official.
After retiring from active duty, Navarro became a reserve deputy in Ventura County which was followed by time with the U.N. Refugee Agency, working and advocating for refugees that were fleeing Syria.
This was something of a stepping stone for Navarro getting into politics, eventually leading him to a veterans and military affairs liaison position with Congressman Buck Mckeon. “That really helped me understand the inner workings of a congressional office and the politics of everything,” Navarro stated.
From there, Navarro came to Nevada as a veterans and military affairs liaison and deputy district director for Congressman Cresent Hardy which exposed him to the issues that the rural communities are facing, problems he feels aren’t being dealt with adequately.
When Hardy lost his re-election bid, Navarro moved on to a new venture, working as a re-entry manager for Hope For Prisoners. Through that program, Navarro said the recidivism rate in Clark County dropped to just nine percent versus that national average of 64 percent, something he of which he is very proud.
With his knowledge that many issues in Congressional District 4 were going unrecognized, coupled with the realization that the far-flung areas of the district were not receiving the same attention as Clark County, Navarro said he decided he wanted to enter politics as a representative and he has a number of goals for his time in office.
Navarro has been eyeing the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes formula, which is thinks is unfairly applied, providing more funding to areas with denser populations. “It’s going to be a heavy lift but if no one is talking about it, it’s never going to get done,” Navarro asserted.
Freeing up funding for Nevada is central to his mission, with Navarro stating, “If the federal government is going to end up leasing the land out, for minerals or oil or whatever, to me, that doesn’t fall under the management of the federal government. The state can manage that instead because then, if the state leases those lands out, the state will directly receive those funds rather than them going directly to the federal government and trickling back down to the state.”
This lends itself to the ability to increase infrastructure, another topic he would like to focus on.
“Infrastructure. Once those funds get freed up, the local communities will have the financial backing to pay for their infrastructure needs… Some of the things we’re talking about are the school systems, the community buildings that have damages that are too costly to repair. Some funds could be sent to local law enforcement agencies as well, so those who want to enter that career path do not have to pay out of pocket to begin their training.”
Access to health care, specifically specialty care, immigration reform, criminal justice reform and the problem of homelessness are all subjects Navarro said he would like the chance to undertake as well.
Central to his run, however, is the idea that he will be working for the people of Nevada, not himself. “If ever I go to D.C. and go with a mentality of, what can I do that’s best going to suit me and keep me in office longer, then I am there for the wrong reasons. That’s not what the people in this district deserve and that’s what I feel that the current representative is doing,” Navarro concluded.
Voters can learn more about Navarro by calling 702-518-0307, emailing charles@navarrofornevada or visiting www.navarrofornevada.com
Sam Peters
Republican
Peters is a family man with his children’s future squarely in his sights and he said he wants to bring all of his vast experiences to bear at the federal level in order to ensure they have a thriving and free country when they grow up.
“I joined the Air Force right out of high school and was a K-9 handler for 10 years,” Peters detailed of his background. “I earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, a master’s degree in administration and a graduate certificate in organizational finance. I also decided to apply for officer training school and I became a second lieutenant. I spent a total of 20 years in military service. I have deployed four times to the Middle East, where I earned a bronze star and then I retired from the service at the rank of major.”
His two decades of military duty were then followed by his entrance into the corporate world, where he started by working for Allstate Insurance before venturing into the insurance business on his own, opening Peters Family Insurance, which now has two storefronts in Las Vegas.
On the reasons behind his bid for Congress, Peters stated, “I tell people, I did 20 years in the Air Force and four tours to the Middle East and I didn’t think I was coming home to fight open borders and socialism, but look at us go.
“My vision is to get back to our constitutional roots and actually have a representative who understands what the people want out of their country,” Peters continued. “We have swayed so far from that, it’s almost unrecognizable at this point. In reality, a lot of people put their Congress members and senators on a pedestal and the people in Washington, D.C. have forgotten who is supposed to be serving who.”
For Peters, there are three major issues he wants to confront and he feels that with his leadership background in the military and his business acumen, he will be the best choice to handle those concerns going forward.
“The economy. Up until a few months ago, we had the best economy ever, the lowest unemployment. That’s something that we will have to continue to work on for the next few months and years,” Peters stated.
Peters then turned to public lands, explaining that he has uncovered a number of economic development opportunities throughout the district, coupled with the local desire to see those opportunities become a reality. One thing standing in the way, however, is the various federal agencies that control huge swathes of Nevada’s lands. “As a congressman, returning some of those lands to the people of Nevada is top of the list,” Peters stated. “I am doing this because there is an incredible amount of injustice in public lands.”
Immigration is another area that captures Peters’ focus.
“Illegal immigration ties heavily into the budget,” Peters said. “The amount of money that is not going to education, is not going to pay off our deficit, is not going to our seniors, all of these things, and at the same time we’re spending $116 billion per year on services for illegal immigrants. Build the wall, fix our immigration problem. Ronald Reagan said it a long time ago. A nation without borders is no nation at all.”
Randi Reed
Republican
Raised in California and a graduate of Cal State Northridge, Reed said she fled California in her early 20s and came to Las Vegas, a move she has never regretted as she loves the community in which she lives.
Reed holds a degree in environmental science and has done major course work in geology, knowledge that led her to a stint of working on the Kern River gas line, time that really solidified her love of the desert and the state.
“I was literally in the middle of the wide-open desert and got to see this beautiful pipeline being constructed, it kind of heightened my appetite for construction. So for the past 20 years I have been involved in development, construction, commercial real estate,” Reed detailed of her career experience. “I have worked in businesses development for various firms within that realm and what I like to highlight is the fact that in business development, all you have is your reputation. If you turn and burn that real fast, your longevity in the industry is not going to be there.”
She and her husband now own their own custom furniture company and she said her family is absolutely her reason “why” when it comes to seeking a congressional seat.
“You see this corruption that happens on this level of corporate business and the red tape that small businesses face, that just irritated me,” Reed detailed. “I am trying to make a difference. I have no intention of being famous or building my ‘brand’. My intent has always been about the people.”
As an example of her dedication to the people, she remarked that she completely halted all fundraising on March 15 in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, because she did not feel it was appropriate to ask for contributions at a time when people are struggling with unemployment. She said she finds it disgraceful that others have continued to fundraise, believing they should seek other ways to connect with voters.
This ties back into another subject Reed wants to take on, that of campaign finance reform. Regardless of whether she wins the election this year, Reed proclaimed that she is going to continue to work to change the campaign finance laws. “It makes it such an unfair playing field,” she said, noting that money’s involvement in politics has become distasteful to many.
For Reed, who has suffered from pre-existing conditions since 2005, health care is another main platform. She noted that she currently owes the IRS $4,500 because she couldn’t afford the mandated health care in 2016, adding, “And that’s just wrong. Things like that, it’s just common sense in my opinion but again, you’re dealing with career politicians, they don’t have common sense. They don’t even have business sense.”
As for the incumbent, Reed said she’s none too pleased with Steven Horsford, remarking, “Horsford has been so caught up in himself… what is he doing for the residents in Pahrump, for the residents in Sun City Summerlin, for our district? It’s so frustrating… There is just no way to relate.”
Half the battle when it comes to government is educating representatives about real life and regular people’s needs, she asserted.
“I have been involved with charities most of my life, it’s always been my drive to give back,” Reed stated. “What better way to give back than on a federal level to help as many people as possible?”
Voters can learn more about Reed by emailing randi@randireednv.com or visiting www.randireednv.com
Lisa Song Sutton
Republican
Song Sutton is a small business owner with plenty of experience in community service and she wants to take that background and apply it to a new endeavor, serving as an elected representative.
“I have built four companies here in Nevada, so I know what it takes to build from the ground up. I am very involved in the community as well, I’ve served on multiple boards over the years with various nonprofits and during my time as Miss Nevada United States I did hundreds of community appearances, volunteering in schools, reading in hospitals and working with our nonprofits,” Song Sutton said in an interview.
She explained that President Donald Trump has been a great inspiration to her and she thinks it is high time for those in the private sector to come off the sidelines and take the wheel of government.
“President Trump left his businesses from the private sector and got into government and is taking the same very action-oriented approach that we do in business every single day. It just makes sense that we also should be doing that in government and you’re only going to get that from private sector individuals, not from these career politicians,” Song Sutton asserted.
She said politics was not in her plans but there came a point when, hearing from the community that they were disgruntled with the current office holder, Congressman Steven Horsford, she decided she had to step up.
“He’s gone D.C. on them and isn’t an engaged part of the community anymore and I didn’t think that was right,” Song Sutton stated. “We shouldn’t be taking taxpayer dollars to pay his salary when he is not working for us.”
First and foremost on the list of issues Song Sutton wants to deal with is the economy. “We’re going to have to rebuild this economy after what has happened with COVID-19. I mean, we have almost 500,000 Nevadans on unemployment right now. As a small business owner, I know what it’s like to build from the ground up, so I look forward to helping President Trump rebuild this economy,” Song Sutton said.
She added that focusing on the “America First” agenda is also key. “We’ve seen firsthand how dangerous it is for us to rely on overseas manufacturing when we as Americans and we as business owners are totally equipped to provide what we need. We need to give American companies a fighting chance and not allow all of this outsourcing to go on,” she declared.
In that same vein, Song Sutton said she wants to see more of America’s financial resources being put to use right here in the U.S., rather than having so much expended to the benefit of other countries around the world.
“We should be concerned for humanity, absolutely, but we have to note that we have infrastructure spending that we need right here and we are sending millions and millions of dollars to foreign countries to help them with their infrastructure… and that’s wonderful and great but meanwhile we are struggling to find two pennies to rub together to fix the roads in Pahrump. That’s crazy!” Song Sutton said.
Song Sutton finished by stating that she is a genuinely compassionate and caring person who just wants to put her skills to use for the people. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity to serve our community, serve our state and our district. I just hope and pray that I will emerge as the nominee because I believe I am the best equipped to stand by President Trump, rebuild this economy and build the American First agenda,” Song Sutton concluded.
Voters can learn more about Song Sutton by calling 702-718-9775, emailing lisa@lisa4nevada.com or visiting www.lisa4nevada.com
Rebecca Wood
Republican
Wood grew up in a military family and lived all over the country during her youth, experiencing the many and varied aspects of America. She attended Oklahoma State University and eventually wound up in Las Vegas as a result of her husband’s assignment to Nellis Air Force Base.
“I like to say the military brought us here and Clark County Fire Department kept us here,” Wood said.
Wood is currently a small business owner but she now wants to take her perspective on life and put it to good use as the representative of Congressional District 4.
“The reason I feel like I am the best candidate is because I have that longevity in the community,” Wood told the Pahrump Valley Times. “I know what it’s like to raise your children in this community. Las Vegas, Clark County, Nye County, we’re not like typical areas, we are very different.”
She said the core of her reason for running is her two grandchildren and her concern for the world they and all young people are growing up in.
“I am a constitutionalist, I believe we need to protect our constitutional rights. That is vital to me, I want to make sure they are protected so that our grandchildren, our nieces, our nephews, can all have those same rights. It’s getting scary now,” Wood said. She noted that small infringements lead to larger and larger infringements until a person’s rights are no longer secure and she simply cannot stay silent while that happens.
Wood said she has a fairly strong familiarity with the rural communities of the district as well as where she lives and that is very important for anyone wishing to represent the people of those areas.
“I understand that our rural areas struggle with health care and water and veterans’ issues. I may live in Las Vegas but we’ve gone to the rural communities, we’ve explored them.” Wood detailed.
When it comes to subjects that she wants to concentrate on, Wood said the economy would be first in line, followed closely by health care.
“That wasn’t an issue a few months ago but with the coronavirus, that’s changed. We need to work on getting our economy back on track,” Wood said.
“Health care is absolutely overlooked, especially in the rural parts of our district. Pahrump is lucky enough to have a small medical facility but many of them don’t even have that,” Wood continued. She said mental health in particular was in need of dire attention, underscoring Nevada’s high rate of suicide as an example of why that is so key.
“If we had more facilities, if it was included in our health care, we could get those numbers to drop, I am sure of it,” Wood contended. “And we need to take away the stigma. People struggle. You go to the doctor when you have a cold and it should be the same for those who need some help when they are going through tough situations.”
Wood remarked that she has a solid plan to address that issue but she did not want to disclose the details so her opponents would not be able to take them for their own. Similarly, she said she is already actively working on bills she would present to Congress, remarking, “We need to have a plan because if you don’t, when you get to Congress you’ll be scurrying and we don’t want to have to do that.”
As her interview drew to a close, Wood added, “My life is really good without this. I love being a grandma… and I understand that this will change all that. But I am willing to give that up to do what’s right.”
Voters can learn more about Wood by calling 702-381-4033, emailing rebecca@rebeccawood.us or visiting www.rebeccawood.us
George Brucato
Democrat
Brucato grew up in Lombard, Illinois, and spent much of his youth involved in hockey, an experience he said not only kept him active and out of trouble but also gave him self-discipline and the stamina to tackle just about anything that has come his way.
A husband and a father, Brucato lived in Las Vegas from 1987 until 2010 when he relocated the family to Pahrump. He attended the College of DuPage and throughout his life, Brucato has worked at Nellis Air Force Base as a civilian, with Las Vegas Paving and even published a book, titled “Domestic Surge 2012.”
“I got tired of watching gasoline prices going up and up, along with everything else,” Brucato stated of his desire to run for Congress. “I knew that was stripping Americans, particularly Nevadans, of their ability to accumulate enough wealth to, for instance, have a second home or have some regular vacation time, because of the high cost of living.”
Brucato said he has no personal grudge against the incumbent, Steven Horsford, he simply feels that Horsford is not living up to his duty as a representative.
“We have a serious shortage on cash… I think Horsford’s done a bad job as a representative, relative to the amount of money or federally funded projects here in Nevada, I think he’s done a terrible job,” Brucato declared, noting that he feels that Horsford’s absentee rate is abysmal while Brucato would devote himself to the position.
As for what Brucato said he wants to see here in the Silver State, he touched on a number of topics, including education, child safety and health care.
“With education, it’s top down, not bottom up. Having come from a top three school district in the U.S., compared to what I see here, I never saw the need for huge office staff like I’ve seen in the Clark County schools,” Brucato detailed. “If you walk into a school and there is more than one assistant principal or dean, that’s too many. Then they wonder why they don’t have any money.”
He said throwing money at the school system is not going to provide a solution to the problem and he would look to other districts in the top rankings of education to help remodel the system in Nevada.
On child safety, Brucato honed in on two aspects, gun violence and sexual molestation.
“When somebody asks me what I am going to do about guns if I wind up elected, I tell them no, I am not going to get in the way of the Second Amendment but child safety is number one. There is no reason we can’t have a couple of trained German shepherds in each school,” Brucato asserted. “We also have to look into the churches too. We can’t have 1,800 young boys sexually abused and leave it up to the churches. When abuse occurs, the FBI should be sent in to investigate and if putting priests behind bars is what it’s going to take, then put them in jail.”
Brucato also spoke to health care, noting that he believe expanded Medicare could be paid for by incentivizing pharmaceutical companies to create cures, which in turn would reduce health care costs and that money then could be used to provide health care for all.
“The primary objective for me will be to get out there, show up every day and make deals,” Brucato concluded. “If the lobbyists are the guys that we’re going to be making deals with to get to the hundreds of millions or billions of dollars, so be it. Just don’t do anything criminally offensive or wrong, don’t cross that line.”
Voters can learn more about Brucato by calling 702-738-9900.
Gabrielle “Brie” d’Ayr
Democrat
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, d’Ayr describes herself as an advocate and activist who has spent plenty of time in recent years lobbying at both the state and federal level and now she wants to try her hand as a representative of the people.
“If I were elected, my job would be to deliver what Nevadans want, particularly those in Congressional District 4 and that hasn’t been happening. Which is at least one of the reasons I am in this race,” d’Ayr said in an interview. “I guess I have been watching the political scene with considerably more focus and interest since about 2010, when it seemed as if the political class decided to wage war against women. I was watching more legislation and court cases come to the floor that seemed to think that women shouldn’t have bodily autonomy.
“I was getting super alarmed. Then we had an election in 2016 which highlighted, to me, how bad the problems really were,” d’Ayr stated. “
Her first foray in politics was in 2018 when she ran for Nevada State Assembly District 12, a bid she lost but that result did not put a damper on her desire to get involved. Regardless of her loss, she spent the 2019 legislative session lobbying for the issues she had incorporated in her platform and her vision for the future has remained the same.
“If you look at what Americans want, what Nevadans want, it’s a lot more progressive than what politicians seem to be willing to do. I’m not a big fan of labels myself, I look at things in the manner of, is this the right thing to do? Will it help a lot of people? Is this what people want?”
Honing in on entrance polls from the 2020 caucuses, d’Ayr said the results showed that health care is a number one priority for the citizens and therefore, it would be a top priority for her.
“I know Congressman Horsford has done some work on reducing the price of prescriptions, which is great, but if you can’t even get to a doctor, you’re not going to have a prescription to even buy,” d’Ayr explained. “And we can’t continue tying health care to employment. We’re supposed to be granted certain inalienable rights, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and I feel that health care comes squarely under the ‘life’ part.”
Another issue that unites Nevadans, d’Ayr said, is public lands.
“We need to preserve our public lands. It’s a big contributing factor in why people live here and stay here. We need to protect our public lands, have a sustainable plan for our future and diversify our economy. And I think eco-tourism is a way of doing that.”
She noted that she is a supporter of the Green New Deal as well, remarking, “We need a better higher education system in the rurals. If we are developing renewable energy, we can have green energy universities in the rurals. And we can have universities that focus on all sorts of other industries, like forestry and wildlife husbandry, that can give our kids some place to go for their future education. If we did that, not only would we give our kids a future to develop but we’d also diversify our economy, improve our education and become leaders in renewable energy, particularly solar.”
Voters can learn more about d’Ayr by emailing contact@briefornevada.com or visiting www.briefornevada.com
Jennifer Eason
Democrat
Eason is a mother and strong LGBTQ advocate who has called Las Vegas home since 2005. Her background is in human resources benefits and client management but she, like hundreds of thousands of others right now, is currently unemployed and struggling with the faulty unemployment system.
Politics has always attracted her interest, with Eason remarking, “I’ve studied political strategy for some 20 years. I have always been a political junkie, it’s always been a sort of fire that courses through me.”
Eason said she had been encouraged to enter the political ring several times before but she never felt as if the time was quite right. That all changed this year, however.
“After the caucuses here and it being very clear on what voters really want to see, given those results, I thought, what a perfect storm. Everyone wants progressive policies, Bernie Sanders was the clear winner, I am a progressive candidate, people are yearning for change, this is the right time,” Eason stated.
Characterizing herself as a health care candidate, Eason explained that as a mother with a son who has mental health issues, she knows firsthand how difficult it is to access health care services within Congressional District 4.
“I have been trying to navigate an incredibly broken health care system for a kid who is unable to advocate for himself as it pertains to getting any kind of quality mental health care in this town,”
“I am not an establishment person, I am not a career politician, hell, I’m not a politician at all. I am just a mom who knows what the struggle is like, to have to worry about paying rent or my son’s co-pays or for his exorbitantly expensive medicine. I know what that’s like. I am also a local leader in the LGBTQ community here in town, so I figured I have a voice, I should use it to be an elected representative,” Eason concluded.
Voters can learn more about Eason by emailing jennifer@easonforcongress.com or visiting www.easonforcongress.com
Steven Horsford
Democrat
Horsford in the incumbent in the Congressional District 4 race and is hoping voters will give him the opportunity for two more years in that federal office.
“I’m a product of the public school system in Clark County and attended and graduated from UNR later in life,” Horsford detailed. “I lost my father to gun violence when I was 19 and helped to raise my younger siblings when my mom was overcoming some challenges with drug dependency. So my upbringing was one of working to overcome challenges while staying focused on achieving my goals of getting my education, starting a family and giving back to the community that was there for me when I needed them the most.”
Horsford began his political career in 2004 as a Nevada state senator, serving for eight years in that capacity, four years of which were as majority leader of the state Senate. In 2012, Horsford then ran for Congressional District 4 and served for two years, losing his re-election bid in 2014. He started his own small business and by 2018, decided it was time for another try in politics. He ran for the congressional seat once more and ultimately won.
“My focus for the last two years has been on health care and protecting health care for all Nevadans. That is the number one issue that my district is faced with, particularly in Pahrump. Lack of doctors, lack of available health care resources,” Horsford explained.
“In my view, communities like Pahrump are too often forgotten in the discussions. And part of my job is making sure I am listening to the people of my district and bringing their issues forward,” Horsford continued. “I am running for Congress again because too many people still face the rising cost of health care, the cost of prescription drugs remains very high, the issues right now around joblessness, obviously Nevada is one of the hardest hit states economically from this pandemic… These are the stories I hear every single day and the crisis of the moment requires us to have strong leaders who know how to deliver for our state.”
Following phase one of America’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Horsford said he wants to ensure communities in his district are getting what they need.
“My focus in recovery for Nevada is three areas. One, broadband infrastructure. A lot of our communities, including in Pahrump, don’t have adequate internet service and that effects everything from their quality of life to businesses, individuals, students,” Horsford stated. “Two, health care infrastructure, more community health centers, more resources for the VA clinics. Third, is infrastructure that leads to job creation. Not just roads and bridges, that’s good, but looking at what other ways that we can create jobs, especially in Nevada where we need to recover from what is very high unemployment right now. ”
Horsford’s re-election campaign recently experienced a stumbling block but he openly admitted to his fault and has issued an apology to the public and his family.
“It is true that I had a consensual relationship with another adult outside of my marriage, over the course of several years. I’m deeply sorry to all those who have been impacted by this very poor decision, most importantly my wife and family. Out of concern for my family during this challenging time, I ask that our privacy is respected,” Horsford said in a statement.
During his campaign interview, Horsford remarked, “I’m not perfect, people may not always agree with every position I take but they will always know that I am fighting for them and I have never forgotten where I come from, what I am fighting for or who I am fighting for, and that’s the people in my district.”
Voters can learn more about Horsford by emailing info@stevenhorsford.com or visiting www.stevenhorsford.com
Gregory Kempton
Democrat
Kempton is a husband and expectant father who has spent the past eight years working in the Clark County School District, educating young minds.
Kempton is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana and in his senior year of high school, hurricane Katrina hit the city, giving rise to his direction following high school, disaster relief.
However, he eventually decided that kind of work was not his forte, so he changed gears, attending Northern Michigan University where he obtained his degree in elementary and secondary education. This was followed by a move to Las Vegas, where he became a teacher and worked to earn his master’s degree in educational administration.
“I enjoy the classroom, I love teaching. That’s truly my passion,” Kempton stated. “Whether or not I get elected, I am going to stay in the classroom and when I am done with the political world, I want to return to the classroom.”
This statement naturally led to a discussion on term limits, with Kempton remarking that it all starts with him. “Term limits aren’t in place yet but as of right now, if I were elected, I am only going to be in the congressional seat for four years, no more. I look at that position as, we need more everyday people who are not living in the private bubble of a world that most of us don’t even get to see,” Kempton asserted.
Kempton said what prompted him to throw his hat in the ring for the congressional seat was a medical episode his wife experienced, which came with some surprise bills that he found extraordinarily frustrating. As a teacher, he thought his insurance would cover much of the costs but that proved not to be the case and he realized that his family was far from the only one experiencing such troubles.
“I never planned on this, I am school teacher by heart but it was just, a switch was flipped in my head,” Kempton remarked.
Moving on to the issues, Kempton highlighted several, including education, immigration and Second Amendment rights.
“One issue that is going on across the entire country is teacher shortage. Addressing that fundamental issue is key because we can’t make any other changes in the education system if we don’t have the people willing to go into the public education system,” Kempton stated.
He said he’d like to see the teacher loan forgiveness program overhauled and turned into a grant system so that those who follow through with the requirements do not have to pay back the funds used to launch their education career.
“Our immigration system. One of the big hot topics is building the wall,” Kempton continued. “Well, why don’t we take this money and fund our immigration system? It’s completely underfunded and we need more people, more workers, in that area.”
Tying immigration to education, Kempton noted that the cost of housing ICE detainees in many cases exceeds the salary of a first-year teacher and he felt redirecting that funding to education would benefit the entire country.
When it comes to gun rights, Kempton’s thoughts do not run completely in line with the typical Democratic view.
“I personally don’t own a weapon but my wife is from Michigan and her family introduced me to hunting and shooting rifles,” Kempton detailed. “If people are more educated on these matters, it’s going to create less fear. This world we live in, there are some scary, dangerous places. If we want to be a country with these rights, let’s educate more people on gun safety. I’m not trying to take away anyone’s guns, I am pro-gun, I just believe our education system should teach a little more about gun safety.”
Voters can learn more about Kempton by emailing kemptonforcongress.nv@gmail.com or visiting www.gregorykemptonforcongress.com
Chris Colley
Democrat
Colley is also seeking the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 4. However, Colley failed to respond to multiple requests for an interview from the Pahrump Valley Times.
