Incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) defeated Republican challenger Adam Laxalt Saturday, handing control of the Senate back to Democrats, even with Georgia still to be called.
Earlier Saturday, Laxalt admitted his window for victory had narrowed after the numbers placed Masto within striking distance.
The first Latina senator, Cortez Masto was fighting for survival in the countdown to Election Day, struggling to escape voters’ worries about the economy and rising crime.
Efforts to build momentum around abortion rights lost steam as the issue was overtaken nationally by pocketbook and safety issues. In the final days of the race, the contest proved to be the nation’s most competitive.
ADAM LAXALT ADMITS ‘VICTORY WINDOW’ HAS NARROWED IN TIGHT NEVADA SENATE RACE
To counter these political headwinds, Cortez Masto spent the final weeks of the race pitching voters on her legislative accomplishments aimed at bringing down healthcare costs and gas prices. Attempting to put distance between herself and the president, the senator criticized President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness as other Democrats cheered.
Saddled by low approval numbers, Biden stayed away from the contest. Instead, former President Barack Obama stepped in to deliver a speech in North Las Vegas that sought to flip the script on Republicans.
Laxalt and Cortez Masto both focused their attention on the Latino community, a key voting bloc for Democrats.
One GOP outside group spent nearly $2 million on Spanish-language television and radio advertising painting Cortez Masto as soft on crime.
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Laxalt, a former state attorney general and the grandson of popular former Gov. and ex-Sen. Paul Laxalt, began building momentum with Hispanic voters early in the race, courting them directly with his “Latinos con Laxalt” campaign.
Adam Laxalt entered the final week of the race favored to win, according to a forecast by FiveThirtyEight.
