Democrat-turned-Republican challenges incumbent in Assembly District 16

Democrat-turned-Republican Jesse “Jake” Holder is challenging one-term Democratic incumbent Cecelia Gonzalez in Assembly District’s 16’s general election.

Holder said he was a Democrat when the party “believed in supporting the working man, ideally somebody who wants to work really hard and get a fair share for their work and labor,” said Holder, 58, a insurance agent and a former lieutenant commander in the Navy reserves.

“Now they’re working for everybody who does not want to work, everybody who needs handouts. … They’re working really hard for their woke agenda: inclusivity, diversity, equality. That’s all they’re working for right now,” said Holder, who previously ran for the Assembly and for Congress as a Democrat, as well as for the Las Vegas City Council.

Returning to school to study political science at UNLV, where he earned his second bachelor’s degree, also led him to become a conservative, he said.

Gonzalez, 30, said she brings a unique perspective to the office. “I am a woman of color, I am a Ph.D. student” at UNLV, where she works as a graduate assistant and part-time instructor.

“I identify as Latino and Asian, and so bringing representation for both those constituencies is really important, especially when we’re talking about Nevada being the fastest-growing Asian immigrant community in the country,” said Gonzalez, a native Nevadan of Thai-Mexican descent elected to a primarily minority district.

“I’m also the best candidate because I am a woman, and I’m going to fight like hell to make sure that we are protecting our rights to access to health care,” including access to abortion and birth control, she said.

Gonzalez, whose father has been incarcerated most of her life, lists criminal justice reform as her top priority, including reducing the prison population, providing prevention programs, and ensuring inmates are treated with dignity and respect.

Holder said his top priority is implementing laws to bolster voting integrity. He believes that mail-in ballots should be reserved for absentee voting and supports requiring voters to show identification.

”We can’t have disputed elections,” he said. “My objective is to have voting integrity so that despite the outcome, nobody questions the outcome.”

Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.