“HRC was proud to support pro-equality candidates in these crucial races up and down the ballot, and will continue to mobilize our thousands of members and supporters in the Silver State to turn out for equality in the months ahead,” said HRC Nevada State Manager Briana Escamilla. “Candidates like Adam Laxalt and Wes Duncan, who’ve sought to enshrine discrimination into state law, are out of touch with the majority of Nevadans who believe in equality, justice and fairness. We look forward to working hard for pro-equality champions like Jacky Rosen, who will fight for the values we hold dear as Nevadans, and ensure that our state is welcoming and open to all.”

HRC has endorsed Susie Lee for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District. She is a strong champion of LGBTQ equality who supports marriage equality and the Equality Act, crucial federal legislation that would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's existing civil rights laws.

In the U.S. Senate race, HRC-endorsed Rep Jacky Rosen (NV-03), will be facing incumbent Dean Heller. Since being elected to Congress, Rosen has been an outspoken critic of the Trump-Pence Administration's assault on LGBTQ equality, from revoking discrimination protections for transgender children in public schools, to attempting to render the LGBTQ community invisible in the U.S. census. She is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, and the Global Respect Act, legislation that would strengthen U.S. foreign policy related to anti-LGBTQ discrimination abroad.

HRC has endorsed Senate Majority leader Aaron Ford for Nevada Attorney General and Assemblyman Nelson Araujo for Nevada Secretary of State. Ford and Araujo have consistently led efforts to defeat anti-equality legislation and advance pro-equality bills, such as a statewide ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors, which was signed into law last year. Ford will be facing former First Assistant Attorney General Wes Duncan, who opposed marriage equality and legislation that sought to add gender identity to the state hate crimes prevention law, while serving as a State Assemblyman. Araujo’s opponent is incumbent Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske. During her time as a state legislator prior to becoming Secretary of State, Cegavske opposed marriage equality and was the lead sponsor of a bill that would have allowed discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing and public accommodations. If elected, Araujo would be the first Latinx Secretary of State in Nevada and the first openly LGBTQ person elected to statewide office in Nevada.

HRC-endorsed Kate Marshall will face Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson in the general election. While Marshall has spent her career working to make Nevada safer and protect the rights of every Nevadan, Roberson has repeatedly sought to undermine equality. During Roberson’s time in the Nevada State Senate, he supported a federal constitutional amendment barring marriage equality, as well as the repeal of legislation that would have extended marriage benefits to same-sex partners, before marriage equality became the law of the land. He has also opposed bills protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and has spoken out against efforts that would require Nevada school districts to adopt gender diverse policies protecting all students.

Anti-LGBTQ extremist Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt won the GOP nomination in the gubernatorial race. Laxalt has a long record demonizing the LGBTQ community and undermining progress. He opposes marriage equality, previously vowing to “vigorously” defend the state’s now defunct marriage ban, and supports banning LGBTQ people from serving openly in the military. Laxalt has also supported a license to discriminate in the health care system that would prioritize physicians’ beliefs over life-saving patient care, and opposes the Obama Administration’s life-saving guidance protecting LGBTQ youth facing discrimination and bullying in our schools.

Following last night’s primary, HRC will continue to examine races up and down the ballot to determine additional endorsements for the 2018 general election. In Nevada, HRC has identified more than 500,000 “Equality Voters” -- voters who support  LGBTQ-inclusive policies. HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Nevada in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground in the state as part of the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC (www.hrc.org), not authorized by any candidate or committee.