Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning the battleground state of Nevada have soared, according to recent polls.
On Saturday, at a rally at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Democratic presidential nominee promised to work to eliminate taxes on tips paid to hospitality and service industry employees.
“It is my promise to everyone here that when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris said.
Her promise echoed one that her opponent, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, made at a Las Vegas rally in June.
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As of August 11, a polling average by Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin had Harris ahead in Nevada, 45.1 percent to Trump’s 43.5 percent. The average of polls had Trump leading Harris, 43.9 percent to 42.5 percent, at the start of August.
Vice President Kamala Harris waving during a campaign rally at the Thomas and Mack Center at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas on August 10. The Democratic presidential candidate promised to work to eliminate… Vice President Kamala Harris waving during a campaign rally at the Thomas and Mack Center at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas on August 10. The Democratic presidential candidate promised to work to eliminate taxes on tips paid to hospitality and service industry employees.
Ronda Churchill/AFP via Getty Images
According to 270towin.com, an average of five recent polls also showed Harris leading Trump in Nevada, 45.2 percent to 44.6 percent.
At his Las Vegas rally, the former president pledged that one of the first things he would do if he won the White House in November was to work to end the taxation of income service workers earn through tips. “For those hotel workers and people that get tips, you’re going to be very happy because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips, people making tips,” he said.
Newsweek has contacted the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email.
After Harris’ announcement on Saturday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that she “is starting to get hammered in the Polls” and “just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy.”
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He added: “The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea—She has no ideas, she can only steal from me.”
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which dismissed Trump’s pledge as a “wild” campaign promise in June, announced its endorsement of Harris on Friday.
Harris “has consistently championed our union and hospitality workers,” Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said in a statement.
He continued: “She stood by us as we negotiated and won the best union contract ever, and we trust her to continue the progress of the Biden/Harris administration by delivering real results that will prioritize and protect working families.”
The proposal to end taxes on tips has garnered significant public support, according to a recent poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek.
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The survey, which was conducted on July 29 among 1,750 eligible voters in the U.S., found that 67 percent of Americans did not believe tips given to service workers should be taxed, while 19 percent believed they should be.
Support for the proposal crossed party lines, with 68 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats in favor of ending the taxation of tips.
Are you a hospitality or service worker in Nevada with thoughts on the proposal to eliminate taxes on tips? Email k.rahman@newsweek.com.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.
“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.
The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.
Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.
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The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.
Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.
McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.
“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.
McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.
“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.
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John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.
“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.
Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.
“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”
McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.
“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.
Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.
A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market.
The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.
Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com.
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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show.
The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show.
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There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information.
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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal.
The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market.