Sam Peters kicks off congressional bid at Las Vegas rally

Republican Sam Peters held a rally Tuesday night to kick off his bid for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District.

In front of a crowd of maskless supporters, Peters said he was taking the fight to the enemy.

“The enemy we face tonight is one within our borders,” he said from a stage at the Ahern Hotel. “It’s occupying the Capitol and it’s occupying your White House. It’s an enemy that at every opportunity has shredded our Constitution and done everything possible to tear away your rights.”

The fundraising event drew about 100 people and featured a slate of conservative speakers, including radio host Kevin Wall, Las Vegas Councilman Stavros Anthony and Newsmax contributor, talk radio host and former freelance Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Wayne Allyn Root.

Peters told supporters that, among other things, he was running to protect individual liberties, build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, protect the strength of the military and decrease the size of government, starting with “defunding (Dr. Anthony) Fauci.”

He said he wants to demand election audits and voter ID legislation.

“Together, we can take back the 4th Congressional District,” he said. “With your help, we can do this. And together, we can fight for the people and the values that made this country great. We can make Nevada red again.”

Peters accused incumbent Democrat Steven Horsford of supporting open borders and said the congressman backs policies he contends would infringe on Second Amendment rights. He said Horsford supports critical race theory being taught in schools and that he was silent on coronavirus-related shutdowns and mandates.

He told the crowd that Horsford “doesn’t embody the American values that we have.”

But Horsford’s campaign denied the attacks.

“Congressman Horsford is focused on delivering for the people of Nevada’s Fourth District — putting money in the pockets of hard-working families, getting COVID-19 shots in arms to crush the pandemic, and bringing much-needed relief to our small businesses,” spokeswoman Geneva Kropper said. “The people of Nevada’s Fourth District have always been, and will always be, his top priority.”

Peters, a small-business owner and retired U.S. Air Force officer, must first win the Republican primary next year before he can face Horsford in the general election.

He will face former Trump campaign employee Carolina Serrano in the primary.

In 2020, Peters unsuccessfully ran in the primary for the congressional seat. He finished in second place to former Assemblyman Jim Marchant, who went on to lose in the general election. Marchant has announced a bid for Nevada secretary of state.

Peters told the Review-Journal this time will be different because he has more name recognition and has hired Marchant’s 2020 political consultant. He formally announced his candidacy for the seat in April.

During his time in the military, Peters served multiple tours of duty in the Middle East. He now owns and operates an insurance business.

Currently, the state’s 4th Congressional District includes parts of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and a large swath of rural Nevada. Lawmakers will redraw congressional district boundaries this year.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.