LAS VEGAS — Former President Donald Trump has won Nevada in the 2024 election. It's something no Republican has been able to accomplish in the last 20 years.
In the battleground state, with 84% of votes counted, Trump leads his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, by 660,980 votes (51.5%) to 601,118 votes (46.8%).
Turning a silver state with six electoral votes from blue to red was no easy task.
But the Democratic machine proved unable to compete with the “no tax on tips” proposal that President Trump announced at a rally here in June.
It was the first of several promised tax deals that energized Nevada voters, and Harris also signed on.
As it turns out, the political mantra espoused by Bill Clinton's close aide James Carville in 1992, “It's the economy, you idiot,” likely played a key role in the outcome.
The pandemic-era closure of Las Vegas casinos and resorts has put tens of thousands of people out of work and left a bad taste in voters' mouths.
Even as hotspots reopened, workers and their families faced massive inflation, largely due to spending by the Biden-Harris administration, observers said.
The average Nevada household will have to spend just under $1,200 a month to cover the cost of inflation starting in 2021, the Congressional Joint Economic Committee said in August.
The state, which has a population of 3.2 million people, just over a third of New York City's total population, has attracted some attention this year, making it a common sight for candidates and their surrogates. .
Starting with the sweltering outdoor Trump rally on June 9, both candidates have often included Sin City on their itineraries.
Harris stumbled in the Silver State 10 times during the year, including several appearances before President Biden withdrew from the race.
Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, have also prioritized campaigning in Nevada.
Vance spoke at a large rally in the Henderson High School gymnasium on July 30, then returned to rally with supporters in mid-October.
The former prez of the 64-story Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which towers over the Las Vegas Strip, has hosted many Hispanics from large gatherings at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. From business roundtables in North Las Vegas to campaign rallies in Reno.
Representatives supporting each candidate also stopped in Nevada.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with first lady Jill Biden and Gwen Walz, wife of vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz, stumbled in supporting Harris. Actress Elizabeth Banks and a number of elected Democratic politicians.
For Trump, Republican supporters include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who joined the Republican Party this year, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and former race car driver Danica Patrick. He was first on the list of speakers.
Harris' representatives have slammed Trump on the abortion issue. A 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision sent abortion regulation decisions back to each of the 50 states, banning the procedure in some jurisdictions and enacting pro-abortion laws in others.
Nevada codified the state's right to abortion procedures 30 years ago, and this year a pro-abortion constitutional amendment was placed on the ballot, a move that threatens to haunt Republican candidates on the issue. Critics say that was the intended purpose.
And the Democratic Party thoroughly punished them.
Harris and her surrogates constantly return to a message of “reproductive freedom,” telling women in the Silver State that “Trump's abortion ban” is in the works even if voters approve constitutional safeguards. I warned you. Trump and his campaign have denied such plans.
Meanwhile, prominent Trump allies highlighted the improved economy and more peaceful world Americans faced during Trump's first term, and promised a return to prosperity upon his return to office. did.
Sue Berkey, of Mesquite, Nevada, says that's why she's voting to re-elect President Trump.
“I think the last time he was there he did a lot of things, but as soon as he got out, everything changed, oil pipelines, borders, etc. So he went back there and I think something needs to be done,” she told the Post.
She also said she and her husband, both California residents, are doing well financially with the proceeds from selling their home in Reno up north. But inflation is still hitting hard, especially food prices.
She's not the only Mesquite voter who told the Post her family's situation is no better than it was four years ago.
Wally Pousey, a former Washington state employee who has lived in the area for nearly 10 years, said he and his wife's lives have not gotten better. Speaking to the Post while loading groceries from a local supermarket into their car, they blamed rising food and gas prices under the Biden-Harris administration.
“We vote for Trump,” the 79-year-old said at the time.
Asked if it was because he believed the former president would tackle inflation, he said: “And quite a few other things.”
