Northern Nevada has seen an influx of campaign advertisements as the general election gets closer. One of them is getting a lot more attention than in previous elections. Senator Heidi Gansert is the republican incumbent in Senate District 15. Reno resident Wendy Jauregui-Jackins is the challenger. Both campaigns have been buying advertising space to get a leg up.
"That's not common in our state races at the legislative level," Fred Lokken, Professor of Political Science at Truckee Meadows Community College said. "Certainly, the state party for the democrats has stepped up and been doing a pretty serious amount of media buy."
The two campaigns have combined to purchase $176,075 worth of advertising at KTVN, alone. Gansert has spent $88,950 and Jauregui-Jackins has spent $87,125. Those numbers do not include PAC funding.
"It seems to have worked very effectively for both candidates in this race, which makes it a close race, which it should've been an easy incumbent race," Lokken said.
Â
Heidi GansertÂ
Â
Â
Wendy Jauregui-JackinsÂ
Â
The reason Gansert and Jauregui-Jackins are locked in such a contentious race comes down to the balance of power in Carson City. Democrats have a 13-8 majority in the senate. If they can flip SD15, they would have a two-thirds super majority.
"This is technically the firewall seat they've identified that gives the republicans credibility and relevance in the legislative process." Lokken said.
Democrats already hold a super majority in the assembly, 29-13. Having the same dynamic in the senate would allow them to pass any tax law. The republicans would not be able to stop them. Democrats already have a trio of mining tax bills on the table to raise taxes on that industry. In 2019, they voted along party lines to extend the Modified Business Tax increase, which was set to expire. Since it passed by a simple majority, the republicans challenged the results in court and won. That would be a moot point if the democrats have a super majority in 2021.
"Getting that seat would be a huge win for the democrats," Lokken said. "It would allow them to really probably restructure a tax activity in this state unlike anything we've seen since 1961."
Â
District 15 covers a large portion of Reno and the north valleys to the California state line. It reaches from just north of Incline Village to Cold Springs. 134,335 people live in SD15, which has historically been a republican stronghold. It has recently become more evenly split among republicans, democrats and nonpartisans.
"As you well know in Nevada, all of our neighborhoods change," Lokken said. "We've had people moving into the state. We all move around within the state quite a bit."
10 senate seats are on the ballot but three of those are uncontested. The other races appear to be safe for each party, some believe District 15 could be vulnerable.
"We are used to very little attention to either state assembly or senate races," Lokken said. "However, we have had that razor thin opportunity for the democrats. They've been looking, statewide, to figure out how to obtain that extra seat to have a two-thirds majority in the state senate."
Â
Â
