Campaign 2018: Sisolak target of attack ad from Koch-backed PAC

A Koch network-backed nonprofit is throwing more money into the Nevada gubernatorial race as part the group’s effort to boost Republican Adam Laxalt’s chances.

The Freedom Partners Action Fund, an Arlington, Va.-based super PAC with ties to GOP megadonors Charles and David Koch — the latter of whom retired from his roles with the network this summer — announced Wednesday that it is making a six-figure television ad buy for an ad attacking Laxalt’s Democratic opponent, Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak.

This is the third major investment the group has made in the governor’s race since November 2017, funding ads that either support Laxalt or attack Sisolak. The two previous ad buys totaled approximately $2.5 million. The group would not specify how much money it is spending on this ad.

The ad, which first aired in June and attacks Sisolak for campaign donations received around the dates of commission meetings, will run through Election Day on Nov. 6, according to a release from the group.

Sisolak campaign spokesman Grigsby Crawford called the investment “another thank-you gift from the Koch network to Adam Laxalt for his unfailing loyalty.”

Bipartisan support

A second Democratic member of the Clark County Commission has endorsed Republican Tisha Black in her quest to join the board.

Commissioner Larry Brown endorsed Black on Tuesday, joining Commissioner Susan Brager, who did the same in in August. Brager, who is term-limited, holds the District F seat for which Black is running.

“As a native Nevadan, Tisha is committed to protecting the quality of life we enjoy today,” Brown said in a statement. “She is a working mother of three, a business owner and has a work ethic that has earned her a reputation as a problem solver.”

Ethics charge on Gibson

Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson is facing an ethics complaint from his election opponent.

Republican District G candidate Cindy Lake filed complaints with the Nevada secretary of state’s office and the Nevada Commission on Ethics on Monday.

Lake claims Gibson, a Democrat, should have disclosed that he is president of the waste management company Western Elite when the commission voted in April to sell $750 million of bonds to build the Raiders stadium. Western Elite is among the companies chosen to handle garbage and recycling services while the stadium is under construction.

“Disclosure and perhaps abstaining was the ethical path,” Lake wrote in her compliant.

Court battle

A judge on Thursday will reconsider his decision to nullify a Nevada Assembly primary election. Defeated candidate Mack Miller sued the race’s winner, Jason Burke, claiming he should be disqualified for filing late campaign finance reports. The judge agreed but will not reconsider that decision.

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. at District Court, Department 24, on the 11th floor of the Phoenix Building Courtroom in Las Vegas.

News and Notes

■ The Nevada State Education Association announced it is backing Question 6, the proposed constitutional amendment that would require 50 percent of Nevada’s energy to come from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2030.

■ U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and his Democratic challenger, Rep. Jacky Rosen, have agreed to their first televised debate. The candidates will square off Oct. 19 on KLAS-TV, Channel 8.

■ The Asian Chamber of Commerce PAC endorsed Congressional District 3 candidate Susie Lee.

■ Lee’s opponent, Danny Tarkanian, launched his second TV ad focused on improving Nevada’s education system. The 30-second ad features Tarkanian blaming “rich, out-of-touch” elites and advocates for directing money to teachers. He endorses giving parents school choice.

■ The Battleborn Conservative Women PAC, started by former Republican Assemblywoman and congressional candidate Victoria Seaman, is hosting a “Women for Laxalt” event at Bootlegger Italian Bistro from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3.

Contact Ramona Giwargis at rgiwargis@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4538. Follow @RamonaGiwargis on Twitter. Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Michael Scott Davidson contributed to this report.