Three Republican Presidential Candidates Visit Northern Nevada

After five terms in the U.S. Senate, Harry Reid is leaving behind some pretty big shoes to fill. And so far there are three candidates hoping to do that.  

Of course the Democratic Party wants to see that seat stay blue. The Reid Machine is fully behind Catherine Cortez Masto, who spent 8 years as our Attorney General. There she fought sex trafficking, sex offenders and to protect senior citizens. She says bipartisanship politics is the key.

"These are all areas I have a proven record of working on in a bipartisan manner. It is about building partnerships and coalitions. That's what we need in Washington and I have a proven record to show I can do it," Cortez Masto said during a recent interview.

Cortez Masto is for accepting Syrian refugees, against any ground troops in the Middle East and supports the Affordable Care Act.

She has been criticized by the Republican Senatorial Committee for being conspicuously absent from actual campaign appearances. 

She has been difficult for us to reach even by phone for comments to include in other stories we've written. And when I asked for a list of recent campaign events in the north, I received 14 links to Facebook postings for the Nevada Day Parade, a number of Labor Day Parades and an awards banquet.

Congressman Joe Heck is a Republican, a small business owner and a Brigadier General. He spent 23 years teaching and he says he learned a lot working as an emergency room physician.

"I learned a lot about what works and what the real consequences are of delayed access to healthcare," he said. "Having access to health insurance is not the same as having access to healthcare."

Heck sees compromise as the answer to both healthcare and immigration reform.

And Bill Tarbell is a Republican and a Constitutionalist. 

"I am not a part of the political machine or the establishment or whatever you want to call it," Tarbell says. "I am a person who is clearly committed to constitutional principals and values. I will follow those. I will stick to them. That's my platform."

Tarbell is against allowing Syrian refugees access to the United States, against immigration reform and the president's executive orders.    

And while these are the three candidates in the race so far, others have until March 18th to file.Â