Socialist looks to challenge establishment in US Senate race

Independent candidate Jarrod Williams said he is the only socialist in the race for the U.S. Senate.

Williams, who is running for the seat being vacated by the retiring Harry Reid, said the main focus of his campaign is climate change and workers’ rights.

“In comparison to my opponents, no one is running as a socialist, or proposing true socialist ideals,” he said. “No one is willing to actually make commitments that will truly affect climate change, such as outlawing the fossil fuel industry, or demanding a mandate that transitions the United States to full green energy production in five years.”

Not affiliated with a party, Williams is a clear underdog to former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, and Joe Heck, a Republican who represents Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District.

Other third-party candidates are Tony Gumina, Tom Jones and Thomas “Tom” Sawyer.

Williams suggested some initiatives, including outlawing fossil fuel use and transitioning to green energy, passing the increased minimum wage law and the maximum wage law, providing free universal health care and six months of paid family leave.

“We are going to pass laws that expand us to a single-payer health care system, as only the first step on the road to a true federal health care system which provides health care to all individuals at no cost,” Williams said. “We are going to pass laws which make higher education free so that all individuals can live up to their full potential. We are going to break down immigration laws, as people should be free to live wherever they wish. All immigrants will be granted citizenship after six months proof of residency.”

Williams said he will also continue protecting public lands in rural Nevada and prevent them from being turned over to private corporations.

“We will protect our wild areas and leave them open to the public for all time. I will also ensure that the postal service is never privatized, thus depriving the lesser-populated areas of Nevada of vital services,” he said.

He called Gov. Sandoval’s tax package “far too friendly to the business elite and to the wealthy.”

“The entire tax code of Nevada and the United States is entirely too elite-friendly and regressive, punishing the working class,” he said.

He said he was in favor of ballot Questions 1 and 2 that would require background checks for private gun sales and would legalize recreational use of marijuana, respectively.

“I will never take away anyone’s guns, but I do believe that we need stronger background checks for gun purchases, that gun owners should be licensed, that they should be required to attend annual mandatory safety training, that they should be required to register all of their guns, and that they should be required to maintain insurance for the ownership of a gun, much like the ownership of a vehicle,” he said.

“I also believe that we need to not only pass Question 2, but we also need to decriminalize marijuana and release all of those presently incarcerated on possession or use charges related to marijuana, provided that was their only crime,” he said.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77