Nevada Democrats say they’ll back Biden’s choice, slam Trump’s RNC speech

Nevada’s top Democratic Party official chose not join a chorus of Democrats calling for President Joe Biden to bow out of the presidential race, saying Friday that she will back him as long as he’s in the race.

“I’m going to support whatever decision President Biden decides to make,” Nevada State Democratic Party Chair and Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno said.

Speaking at a press conference in Las Vegas, Monroe-Moreno said state party leaders will support Biden no matter what he ultimately decides. Top national Democrats have been urging Biden to step aside for another candidate following a politically disastrous debate appearance and falling poll numbers.

Nevada’s congressional delegation has also remained supportive of Biden’s reelection bid.

Monroe-Moreno and Democratic state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen had called the press conference to respond to former President Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention speech Thursday night. They called it “a scary, frightening preview” of what might happen if he’s reelected.

Monroe-Moreno and Nguyen linked Trump to Project 2025, a controversial set of conservative policy proposals created by the Heritage Foundation, and they warned that its implementation would be detrimental to Nevadans.

Trump has distanced himself from the proposal – which was written by people close to him – but Monroe-Moreno called it “the playbook for his next presidency” and pointed to Trump’s vice president pick, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, as further evidence that he supports Project 2025.

“If you want more proof that Donald Trump is serious about Project 2025, you don’t have to look any further than who he chose as his running mate,” she said.

Vance has ties to the organization behind Project 2025 and shares some views outlined in it, but hasn’t explicitly endorsed it.

The lawmakers also took aim at a recent proposal by Trump to exempt tips from federal taxes, calling it “theatrics.” Monroe-Moreno said Culinary Workers she’s spoken to have said they feel like it’s just a ploy to get their vote.

U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen announced last week that they had signed on to cosponsor a bill that would end federal taxation on tips. The bill, which was proposed by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, was introduced after Trump floated the idea during a June rally in Las Vegas.

Monroe-Moreno also took aim at Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown, warning that he would join Trump in passing a nationwide abortion ban and would extend Trump’s tax cuts for the ultra wealthy and corporations.

Brown has previously said he would not support a national ban on abortion. In a statement, Brown said he is pro-life with exceptions in the cases of rape, incest or safety of the mother, but said he believes the issue is “correctly” left at the state level.

Vance was quoted in 2022 saying he supported a nationwide ban on abortions but more recently has followed Trump’s lead and said the matter should be left to the states.

Trump has previously boasted that his Supreme Court appointees helped pave the way to overturn Roe v. Wade, but when asked about a nationwide abortion ban, he said rules on abortion should be left up to the states. He has also said he would support the availability of in vitro fertilization.

Still, Nguyen said she would be working with state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro to introduce legislation during the upcoming legislative session to protect IVF.

“Never did I think in a million years this would be necessary. That we would have to bring legislation in 2025 to protect health care, to protect a family’s ability to try to conceive children,” she said.

Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on X.