Senate Candidate's Relatives Come Out Hard—for His Rival

The GOP has claimed the mantle of being the party of "traditional family values," but Republican Adam Laxalt can't even get a good chunk of his own family on board his campaign as he runs for a US Senate seat in Nevada, a key toss-up state in the midterms. The former attorney general for the state, who's running against incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (also a former state AG), has 14 family members who are endorsing his opponent, as per a letter obtained by the Nevada Independent. The paper notes the three-page letter doesn't mention the far-right Laxalt by name, or even his campaign, but instead gets right into why those who signed it are pushing for the Democrat.

"We believe that Catherine possesses a set of qualities that clearly speak of what we like to call 'Nevada grit,'" the letter states, praising Cortez Masto's understanding of the "daily realities of dogged hard work," her "years of public service," and her understanding of "what it means to be a fighter," especially where it concerns Nevada. It also lauds her "unwavering support" for the state's women. "Catherine has consistently demonstrated a fierce loyalty to her home state," the letter states. "She has always put Nevada first." It's not clear exactly how all of the signees are related to Laxalt, though at least two appear to be his aunts.

The New York Times notes that a dozen of Laxalt's relatives (including most of the ones that signed off on this letter) penned a similar letter distancing themselves from him in 2018, when Laxalt made an unsuccessful bid for Nevada governor. That, in turn, led to nearly two dozen other Laxalt family members coming to his defense in their own op-ed. Laxalt has responded online to the latest letter. "It's not surprising that once again a handful of family members and spouses, half of whom do not live in Nevada, and most of whom are Democrats, are supporting a Democrat," he wrote on Twitter. "They think that Nevada & our country are heading in the right direction. I believe Nevadans don't agree." (Sound familiar?)