As we have been reporting, Reno has competitive legislative races.
Many people are paying attention to these races because they could have an impact on Governor Lombardo's veto power over the legislature.
One of the races to watch is the Assembly District 25 race, where the presumptive Republican challenger Diana Sande has a fundraising advantage over the incumbent Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch.
According to the 2024 annual contributions and expenses reports filed by both candidates with the Nevada Secretary of State Office on January 15th, Diana Sande has raised over six times as much as Assemblymember La Rue Hatch.
However, it's important to keep in mind that there is still plenty of time left in the race and anything could happen.
"First off, I wouldn't necessarily look just at what's raised; I think that you should look at cash on hand. I was very careful with my funding last time, and I've got about 25 thousand on hand right now," explained Assemblymember La Rue Hatch (D-Reno).
Assemblymember La Rue Hatch has deep connections with the community as a public school teacher and working mom. She says her priorities do not lie solely on fundraising during this early stage of the race.
"My focus the last few months was not on fundraising," said La Rue Hatch. "I wasn't meeting with wealthy or corporate donors; I was meeting with constituents and talking about their needs and working on policy and bills, which is what I think my job is as the elected representative."
However, this election cycle looks to be heating up.
Assemblymember La Rue Hatch's presumptive Republican challenger, Diana Sande, was the first northern Nevada assembly candidate to be endorsed by Governor Joe Lombardo, and her fundraising numbers are substantial for an assembly race in Nevada.
"As we know, this is kinda the name of the game, which is raising money at first so that we can run good campaigns to reach every voter, and that is my goal," explained Republican District 25 Assembly candidate Diana Sande.
Sande has a pro-business message, based on her career and experience working in communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with her role at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health.
"I worked in sales for a long time, and when you have to just focus on whatever you sell to bring home money, and I was a single mom for a long time as well. I know the struggles that a lot of these small business owners face, I worked with them during covid in communications. I have a lot of friends that have started businesses," said Sande.
As the election season kicks into full gear, Assemblymember La Ru Hatch remains dedicated to working for the constituents and carrying out her legislative duties.
Assemblymember La Rue Hatch is busy writing policy and sitting on the interim judiciary, natural resources, and education committees.
"In my campaign the folks that donated last time were a lot of small-dollar donors, a lot of unions and organizations that are working for average citizens in our district to make their lives better," said Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch.
Check out the 2024 annual fundraising reports filed by both candidates with the Nevada secretary of state's office:
Raised:Â $51,571.66
Cash On Hand:Â $48,835.60
Raised:Â $8,407.50
Cash On Hand:Â $22,864.87
