Billionaires for Lombardo

Wild-eyed election-denying conspiracy theorist, unhinged "cabal" spotter, and Republican nominee for Nevada secretary of state (great work, Nevada Republican voters!) Jim Marchant reported his campaign has $13.86 in cash on hand as of July 1 (see April's fun campaign finance story below). Some of you may be smirking or giggling. But $13.86 is $13.86 more than Marchant needs if Trump declares a phony "emergency" and seizes control of state elections by force.

IN NEVADA CURRENT

The Nevada Way. Billionaire tech-heavy venture capitalist, donator of preposterous Cybertrucks to the LVMPD, and purported Nevada property owner Ben Horowitz has donated a million dollars to the main pro-Lombardo political action committee, the Better Nevada PAC. Why is it just "Better Nevada" and not "Best"? But I digress. Another (albeit minor by comparison) billionaire, weekly motel magnate, repeat Lombardo campaign sugar daddy, and space-alien whisperer Robert Bigelow has contributed $2.5 million to the PAC. April Corbin Girnus reports: Billionaire backers help secure Lombardo campaign’s big fundraising advantage

Note: Horowitz has donated at least $25 million to the largest pro-AI PAC in the country, according to Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports. A voter could perhaps be excused for wondering if Horowitz’s AI interest is in some way connected to Lombardo's fervent support and admiration of the data center industry. But such an assumption seems unwarranted to me, because "business and industry is always right and never wrong" is Lombardo's default setting.

Death by incarceration. During a hearing on mortality rates and causes of death in the Nevada prison system, the paucity of data presented by Department of Corrections officials prompted a number of questions for which system officials had few answers. “I was hoping for a little bit more robust presentation from you,” said one state lawmaker. Micheal Lyle reports: NV prison system mortality report ‘sounds like a lot of unexplained deaths,’ legislator says

"Brazenness is a key tool of tyrants, both personal and political: Just as you’re shocked into inaction when someone cuts the line at airport security, so too Trump relies on baffling our expectations, which is what should concern us about the upcoming election and his efforts to interfere with people’s right to vote and to have their votes counted." A most appropriate column/warning for the morning after Trump's latest freak-show style threat to your election and your democracy. From Patrick Coolican at the Minnesota Reformer: The blueprint for fighting Trump’s attempt to sabotage the election, drawn up in Minnesota

But back to the billionaires... Republicans pushed for this court ruling, fearing Democrats had the advantage of obtaining more, often smaller, contributions to their candidates, while Republicans relied on bigger donors who had been constrained by contribution limits. The DC bureau's David Lightman reports: Political parties boast new clout and cash in midterms thanks to US Supreme Court.

Good Luck