EDITORIAL: Biden moves closer, but state GOP has successes

Joe Biden inched closer to the presidency Wednesday in what could be the closest Electoral College tally in U.S. history. But this is 2020, and it ain’t over until the last lawyer presents his invoices.

President Donald Trump defied most “expert” expectations on Tuesday, exceeding polling numbers in virtually every battleground state, including Nevada. While it may not earn him a second term, the Trump Silent Majority was indeed a significant factor, again revealing that a large chunk of the country’s electorate remains an enigma to the coastal gentry elite. Perhaps the election results will embolden independent and moderate Democrats to more aggressively resist the radical progressive takeover of their party.

Mr. Trump continues to prattle on about voter “fraud” despite the absence of anything more nefarious than a backlog of mail ballots in some states. His campaign said they’ll seek a recount in Wisconsin and more litigation will surely follow. It’s either candidate’s right, of course, to contest purported wrongs, but Mr. Trump insists on going further with his inflammatory rhetoric. The past four years prove there’s little chance he’ll cool it, but it would be in the country’s best interest if the president rested his thumbs, let the vote count continue and accepted the outcome with composure and dignity.

Nevada took a day off from tabulations on Wednesday as election officials waited for additional mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday but still in transit. How many of those remain outstanding is anybody’s guess, but — barring the unexpected — the statewide balloting was a modest victory for the GOP, which hasn’t had much to celebrate in the past few cycles. While Mr. Biden may earn a narrow victory here, and the state’s incumbent congressional Democrats all appeared to survive, Republicans performed well and quashed Democratic hopes for supermajorities in both legislative houses.

In the state Senate, Republican incumbents in contested districts held their own and the party was in position to pick up two Democratic seats, including one occupied by Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro. In the Assembly, vote totals showed that the GOP had a real shot at shifting three Democratic seats into the red column. A move of two seats would end the Democratic supermajority in that house.

Finally, the GOP was poised to crash the party on the Clark County Commission, currently comprised of seven Democrats. Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony had a slight lead over former Secretary of State Ross Miller in District C.

It’s folly to draw long-term conclusions from a single election, particularly one conducted during a pandemic and featuring highly motivated partisans on both sides. But in a year when many erroneously projected that an unpopular president would bury his party up and down the ballot, Nevada Republicans have reason to be encouraged.