Ohio Sen. JD Vance is on the campaign trail on Tuesday, making two campaign stops in Nevada as he tries to introduce himself to the Republican electorate ahead of November’s election.

The events come as Donald Trump’s running mate has been dogged by comments he previously made about abortion restrictions and women and families without children, specifically previously attacking Vice President Kamala Harris — their likely Democratic opponent in November — and other leaders in the Democratic Party as “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”

Vance is set to speak at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada, a city just southeast of Las Vegas, before heading north to Reno for a rally at the Reno Sparks Convention Center. Tuesday marks his first visit as Trump’s running mate to the Silver State, a state that has been reliably Democratic since 2008, but polling has shown that the race could be tight in November. Joe Biden won the state over Trump by about 34,000 votes in 2020.

The 2022 midterms were a mixed bag for both parties. While Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won reelection over a well-funded Republican challenger, Democrats increased their majorities in the state legislature and all four U.S. House incumbents — three Democrats, one Republican — were reelected, Republicans flipped the Governor’s Mansion, winning the gubernatorial and lieutenant governor races, as well as state controller. Democrats hung on to the secretary of state and attorney general positions.

Vance heads into Nevada facing backlash over his previous comments about women and families, as well as his stance on abortion. The Democratic National Committee erected billboards in English and Spanish in the state ahead of his visit attempting to portray Trump and Vance’s positions on the issue as “too extreme for Nevada.” Polling shows nearly seven in 10 Nevadans support abortion, and a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution will be on the ballot in November.

Vance’s previous comments about the country “being led by a bunch of childless cat ladies,” saying that Democrats like Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg not having a stake in in the country’s future because they do not have progeny, sparked backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as notable figures like “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston

Former “View” co-host Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, said on social media that she has “been trying to warn every conservative man I know – these JD comments are activating women across all sides, including my most conservative Trump supporting friends.”=

Vance said last week that his comment was sarcastic, but he didn’t back down from criticizing Democratic leaders who choose not to have children. 

In an interview on Megyn Kelly’s SiriusXM show, the Ohio senator said it was a “sarcastic comment” and that “people are focusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance” of what he said.

Vance doubled down on his remarks from 2021, telling Kelly, “The simple point that I made is that having children — becoming a father, becoming a mother — I really do think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way. 

“This is not about criticizing people who, for various reasons, didn’t have kids,” he added. “This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child.”

Spectrum News spoke to voters in Nevada who gave Vance a mixed review.

“Most of the people who live in Henderson are very pro-family, and for anybody who isn’t following him or whatever to hear that we are not pro-family is frustrating,” said Joan Peck.

Nevada resident Karl Lyons called Trump and Vance “birds of a feather.”

But Jim Van Loo said he thinks Vance is “good so far,” though admitted he didn’t know much about him until Trump picked him as his running mate.

Vance’s first couple of weeks as Trump’s running mate have been about introducing himself to the electorate, joining the Republican ex-president at rallies in Michigan and Minnesota and holding solo events in Virginia and his home state of Ohio.

Spectrum News’ Susan Carpenter and Ryan Chatelain contributed to this report.

NEVADA COUNTY — After a series of setbacks, a powerhouse is back online near Lake Spaulding and water is flowing to agencies in Nevada and Placer counties after emergency repairs finished two days early.

People have been asked to voluntarily conserve water for months during two emergency repair projects. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) spokesman Paul Moreno said crews have been working around the clock since they realized there was an issue.

“From the moment we discovered damage at the powerhouse, we made it a priority,” Moreno said.

PG&E said that with the early completion of emergency repairs, partial service was restored near Lake Spaulding.

Repairs on the South Yuba Pipe are going to take longer than expected. Earlier this month, PG&E announced that California’s active fire season was the reason behind another delay in construction. The end-of-August completion date for the pipe repairs is now mid-September. The pipe was initially damaged in February by a rockslide.

“With winter conditions and snow, we couldn’t even get in to carefully assess that situation, let alone start clearing the debris until well into the springtime,” Moreno said. “As soon as we could, we mobilized and began working to make repairs to that South Yuba Pipe.”

Moreno said everything was going smoothly until the special heavy-lifting helicopters they reserve to remove debris were pulled out of rotation by the Forest Service for firefighting purposes.

“There’s not a lot of these helicopters, and there’s not a lot of pilots that are trained to handle these helicopters,” Moreno said.

For residents like Juan Thomas who live in the impacted areas, he said individual homes aren’t seeing drastic shortages yet.

“The people who are really suffering from this are the people downstream from us, the agricultural users who use the raw water for agriculture,” Thomas said.

The Nevada Irrigation District released a graph showing the dramatic drop in water levels to areas like Rollins Lake. While water is flowing again thanks to finished repairs to the Spaulding 1 powerhouse, people who live in the area say they’ve never seen water levels so low.

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – J.D. Vance is hitting the campaign trail after earning the nomination to serve as former President Donald Trump’s running mate.

Vance did not support Trump in 2016, labeling him as “unfit for office” and “dangerous.” But the two quickly built a relationship over the years and now share a spot on the 2024 ticket.

The VP nominee visits Nevada this week, after rallying in Ohio, Virginia and Minnesota. During his visits, he’s delivering a strong message about his stance on abortion, immigration and plans for the working class.

In a statement, Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald says,

“We are excited to welcome Senator and soon to be Vice President JD Vance to the Silver State! It was my honor to meet and speak with him at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee just a few days ago, and I look forward to showing him hospitality as he visits the entertainment capital of the world and The Biggest Little City.

Senator Vance is a strong and inspiring leader. As a tireless fighter against the status quo, proud Marine, and dedicated family man, Senator Vance will be a steadfast and historic partner on the Trump/Vance ticket. He is the embodiment of the American dream, having risen from poverty and a troubled home to be a decorated lawyer, best selling author, and successful entrepreneur.

Senator Vance knows what it takes to pull up your boot straps and get to work. With Vance on the ticket, President Trump is ensuring that his effort to Make America Great Again will continue for years to come. I’m thrilled to introduce Senator Vance to the hardworking and dedicated people of Nevada. The Trump/Vance ticket is the only ticket that will fight for the working class and not political elites.”

Vance will start in Henderson, Nevada on Tuesday before making his way to Reno.

The doors of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center open at 1:30 pm and his speech will start at 4:30. Tickets can be found here.

In a statement, Bruce Parks, the Chairman of the Washoe County GOP adds, “I have yet to speak with any Republican that is apprehensive about J.D. Vance as Vice-President. The overwhelming response has been very positive. I believe J.D. Vance will bring the same excitement that President Trump does. I am hoping that Mr. Vance will emphasize the importance of voter turn-out. I am sure the atmosphere at the rally will be absolutely electric! Unlike a Biden rally, there will be plenty of excitement.”

The 39-year-old, Ohio Senator will remain in Nevada Wednesday for another campaign rally in Glendale, which kicks off at 6 p.m.

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