SEPTEMBER 2022
Outlook for the General Election
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HERE HAS BEEN A LONGESTABLISHED SENTIMENT that all politics was local. This was true at the time that Tip O’Neill, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, stated it. This truism has been tested in recent election cycles, and it seems to have been shattered in this primary season. The dominance of money in elections has morphed it into a very expensive proposition to run, and now it seems that the ability of a candidate to self-fund and/or raise money has become more important than qualifications. Many voters have been turned off by negativity; however, more voters have responded to false campaigning than ever. There was a nation-wide movement to fund dark campaigns that encouraged voters to support candidates that the sponsors considered easier to defeat in the general election. Distortions and, at times, outright lying was used to
By Mary Lau, RAN CEO
but not so much now. The various primary elections have left more questions than answers. Candidates and incumbents are taught to play to their base for a primary then shift slightly to a safe middle for a general election. For the voters that was pretty easy to sift through in the days of mailers, TV and media; however, media has corrupted the simplicity of those days. Continued on page 2
Mary Lau skew the results. While “win by any means possible” has created some apparent successes, it is destroying confidence in our elections and will become the very thing that suppresses votes. If we don’t get back to positive messaging and rational position statements, we risk discouraged voters and the loss of debate. Voters are in uncharted territory now with the proliferation of social media, data sets and media hype. Groucho Marks made famous the statement regarding believing your lying eyes. It was funny then,
INSIDE Nevada Supreme Court Rules Employee’s Off-Duty Recreational Marijuana Use Not Protected Under “Lawful Use” Law............. 2 Leading Through Crisis.................................. 3 2022 Ballot Questions......................... 4 2022 RAN-Endorsed Candidates....................... 5 Races to Watch............. 6, 7