Laxalt appeals for Latino support in new Spanish-language Nevada Senate ad

Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt’s (R) campaign is rolling out a new ad aimed at the Latino community as part of his final two-week sprint to the finish line to unseat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.). 

Laxalt’s camp unveiled a new ad, shared first with The Hill, as part of its multimillion-dollar TV buy that features the GOP nominee speaking Spanish and discussing President Biden and Democrats’ perceived missteps in handling the economy and issues related to crime. 

“Rising crime. Rising prices for groceries and gas. The progressive agenda of Joe Biden and Catherine Masto are bankrupting businesses, making it harder for families to make ends meet,” the narrator says to open the ad, titled “Fight For You.”

“I will fight their progressive agenda. I fought for you as attorney general. I’ll fight for you in Washington,” Laxalt says in Spanish, who is not fluent, adding that he approves the ad “because you deserve a safer, affordable Nevada with better schools.”

The 30-second spot will begin to air statewide on Tuesday. 

Laxalt’s latest ad comes amid a tug-of-war between the two candidates for the key bloc of voters. In 2020, Latino voters made up 20 percent of the state’s electorate, the sixth largest share nationwide. In addition, Latinos comprised 8 percent of the GOP vote in 2020, an uptick from 6 percent in 2016.

The battle between Laxalt and Cortez Masto, the lone Latina senator, is also likely to help determine which party will take home the Senate majority. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls, Laxalt leads by less than a single percentage point.

The ad battle also comes at a key time as mail-in ballots reached voters in Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno and Carson City) last week and early voting started on Saturday. The early voting stretch runs for two weeks and ends on Nov. 4.