Cortez Masto, Laxalt separated by 2 points in Nevada Senate race: survey

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) is leading her Republican challenger, Adam Laxalt, by 2 points in the tight race for the Silver State’s Senate seat, according to a new survey.

The USA Today-Suffolk University poll found that 46 percent of likely voters supported Cortez Masto, while 44 percent backed Laxalt. The slim 2-point lead is within the poll’s margin of error.

The vast majority of Democrats and Republicans in the poll said they supported their party’s candidate, with 89 percent of Democrats backing the incumbent senator and 87 percent of Republicans backing Laxalt. However, Cortez Masto is trailing Laxalt, 36 percent to 40 percent, among independents.

Nevada’s race for governor also remains extremely close, with Republican candidate Joe Lombardo leading Democratic candidate Steve Sisolak by just 1 point, 44 percent to 43 percent, according to the poll.

The economy and inflation was the top issue for Nevada voters in the poll, with 43 percent listing it as the most important factor in casting their vote. Forty-seven percent of likely voters also said their standard of living is worse than it was two years ago.

More than 1 in 3 respondents — 38 percent — rated economic conditions in Nevada as poor. Another 35 percent said the economy was fair, while 23 percent said it was good.

Laxalt has closed the gap between himself and Cortez Masto in recent weeks, with some polls showing him pulling ahead. A CNN poll from last Thursday showed the incumbent trailing Laxalt by 2 points, while a late-September poll from the progressive think tank Data for Progress showed the incumbent trailing by 1 point.

The USA Today-Suffolk University poll was conducted Oct. 4-7 with 500 likely Nevada voters and has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.