One race in Nevada could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. Republican Adam Laxalt claims he’s fighting for working people against a “ruling elite.” The problem? He’s a Koch-funded DC lawyer who used his power to back corporations ripping off Nevadans.
As gas prices rise, few states are being hit harder than Nevada.
[News Clip]: Gas prices are continuing to rise again.
[News Clip]: In Nevada, we’re paying $2 a gallon more than states in the blue.
[News Clip]: My biggest fear is that prices continue to climb.
The soaring cost of living is at the heart of the race for Senate in Nevada, one of the closest in the country.
[News Clip]: It increasingly looks like the road to a Republican senate majority may run through Nevada, and the reason is simple. Economic pain runs deep in the state.
[Adam Laxalt]: Do our ruling elites care about this? Do they care about this issue? No, they’re fueling this issue!
That’s the Republican nominee, Adam Laxalt. He wants everyone to know that he’s fighting for working class Nevadans, against the ruling elite, and their “evil empire.”
[Adam Laxalt]: Rich elites, academia, Hollywood, the media, that’s your empire, right there. We’re the rebels. They’re the empire.
It’s a compelling narrative, but if you look past the Jedi mind tricks, Adam Laxalt’s actual political career tells a completely different story.
A wealthy elite himself, Laxalt has repeatedly used his power to protect corporations instead of people, and he’s taken millions of dollars from many of the same companies that are ripping off Nevadans at the pump today.
Here are a few things you should know about Adam Laxalt.
Laxalt didn’t come from humble beginnings. He’s the grandson of a US senator and the son of a DC lobbyist; he is the dictionary definition of an elite. And he acts like one.
As Attorney General of Nevada, he signed onto a lawsuit to allow the Koch brothers’ primary political advocacy group to keep their top donors a secret. The Koch’s were one of Laxalt’s biggest donors, and he later joined them in a bid to block a multi-state investigation into ExxonMobil’s role in denying the climate crisis.
He opposed the investigations on the grounds that they would stifle “free speech.” The Koch network went on to use their free speech to reward Laxalt with $2.5 million to support his run for governor in 2018.
Oil and Gas was his largest industry donor in that race. But, even with all that cash from Big Oil, Laxalt was rejected by Nevada voters.
So he returned to his hometown in DC, where he made more than $2 million working for Cooper & Kirk, a law firm that has represented Big Oil, Wall Street banks, and a pharmaceutical company that profits off of sky-high insulin prices.
Now, he’s running for Senate, supposedly to represent working class Nevadans.
[Robert Herrera]: I work hard every day to provide for my family. And the rising cost of gas isn’t easy on us. But that doesn’t make a difference to Adam Laxalt. He’s too busy earning millions of dollars at his elite DC law firm that represents the very big oil companies that are keeping our gas prices so high.
[News Clip]: Adam Laxalt criticizing US energy policy, and placing the blame on Democrats.
Back in the summer, when gas prices were breaking records in Nevada, Laxalt regularly defended oil and gas companies, who were recording their highest profits in years.
[Laxalt]: My opponent, Senator Masto, has been running ads claiming that it’s greedy oil executives that are taking all the money.
And they rewarded him for it. So far, this cycle he has received nearly $200,000 from the oil and gas industry.
Laxalt also owns tens of thousands of dollars worth of stock in Chevron.
[Robert Herrera]: He tries to tell us who to blame for the gas prices, but we know the truth. Laxalt doesn’t care about Nevada families. He only cares about himself.
So next time you hear Adam Laxalt railing against the ruling elites, or “the empire”, just remember, he’s actually talking about himself.
[Laxalt]: The elites, they look out for each other, ya know? They’re all in one club.
