The gambling district of Reno, Nevada, on May 9, 2024. Reno, affectionately called “The Biggest Little City in the World, is the seat of Nevadas Washoe County. – The path to the White House this November runs through a handful of swing states, among them Nevada, whose six electoral college votes will be crucial in deciding who gets the keys to the White House. The state’s vast rural hinterlands are solidly Republican and likely to all-but cancel out the Democratic vote in the gambling capital Las Vegas. The state’s final electoral color will depend on Washoe County, a long, thin strip abutting California, whose main city is Reno. (Photo by Robyn BECK / AFP)
Reno, United States — Brittnie Aguirre grew up in Nevada and has always wanted to build her American Dream there: owning a home with her husband and three kids.
But rocketing prices wrought by a years-long real estate boom, have priced her — and many middle-class Americans — out of the market, an issue that could weigh heavily in November’s presidential election.
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“We make the most we’ve ever made in our lives, but we struggle more than we really ever have, just because the cost of living is absolutely through the roof,” Aguirre told AFP.
“It’s not even just housing. I mean, have you seen the price of groceries, of gas?”
The economy
Aguirre, 29, and her 31-year-old husband live and work in Reno, a fast-growing city in the western state of Nevada.
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The state, which President Joe Biden won by just 33,000 votes over Donald Trump in 2020, carries a relatively meager six electoral college votes out of the 270 required to win the White House.
But in this year’s knife-edge contest between Kamala Harris and Trump, it is one of a handful of battleground states expected to decide who triumphs.
And American politics is nearly always dominated by the economy, making voters like Aguirre important.
She lived with her in-laws for a year-and-a-half to save for a deposit. But even then — and with property prices continuing to rise — more than half the $71,000 post-tax annual family income would be swallowed by a $3,000 monthly mortgage.
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Although Aguirre voted for Biden in 2020, disappointment over family finances will play into her decision this year.
“I’ve never really been a political person until this last year where we have just struggled so much with the economy,” she said.
“This time, I want to do more research on the political parties to make a well-informed decision.”
‘Everything’s on sale’ –
Reno — nicknamed “The Biggest Little City in the World” — is must-win territory for Harris.
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The glitzy big city of Las Vegas to the south leans Democratic, while the rolling rural areas of the rest of the state are reliably Republican.
With the two blocs largely cancelling each other out, winner-takes-all Nevada could come down to Washoe County, where Reno sits.
The population here has doubled since 1990, swelled in recent years by an influx of tech workers, following tax breaks to lure employers like Tesla, Panasonic and Apple.
Coming from California, swathes of that workforce have been delighted to find how much more they can afford.
The average house price in Cupertino, California — where Apple is headquartered — is over $3 million, according to Zillow.
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A single-family home in Washoe, Nevada is $550,000.
For Matt Mireles, who runs an AI start-up, leaving San Francisco for Reno was “a slam dunk.”
At 43, he bought himself a 1,900-square-foot (170-square-meter) apartment, with a view of the river in the heart of Reno, for $635,000.
“When you come from California, everything’s on sale,” he said.
‘Priced out’
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But the bulk of first-time buyers in Reno are from out of state, says realtor Sam Britt.
“And the locals are angry,” he adds.
While new arrivals might consider $550,000 reasonable for a home, that figure is double what it used to be a decade ago.
Add to that the fact that interest rates are near 20-year highs — the result of central bank action to curb inflation — and it puts home ownership out of reach for many.
Fellow realtor Sean Burke notes that a seven percent interest rate on a 30-year mortgage is affecting Americans everywhere.
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“The middle class has been priced out of a lot of the homes,” he said. “It definitely could weigh on the ballot box.”
In 2022, the median age of first-time buyers in the United States hit 36, a record, according to the National Association of Realtors.
While the White House has no control over interest rates, and little real influence over inflation, voters tend to blame the sitting administration for their economic difficulties.
And having been Biden’s understudy during more than three years that many Americans have seen the promise of home ownership slip out of reach, that might be bad news for Harris.
Andres Villa, who works for Tesla, says he is faced with steep monthly payments for his own home and is tempted by the alternative.
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“When Trump was in office, he said a lot of crazy things,” he said.
“But it seemed like the economy was running a little bit better.”
As Election Day approaches, the latest economic indicators, including decreasing inflation and a likely Federal Reserve rate cut, are increasingly positive.
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That could bring a few voters like Villa back to Harris — and in a swing state, that’s all she might need.
The Desert Oasis boys cross country team is expected to contend for the Class 5A state title, and senior Kenan Dagge delivered a message Saturday.
Dagge covered the 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 9 seconds to win the Red Rock Running Company Invitational at James Regional Sports Park.
Shadow Ridge placed three runners in the top 10 of the event, which featured about 600 athletes competing in two separate boys heats and two girls heats.
Dagge finished four seconds ahead of Shadow Ridge’s Carson Wetzel, who placed third in last year’s state meet.
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Carter Prater of defending Class 4A state champion Sky Pointe was third, followed by Justin Rawe (15:25). Faith Lutheran’s Logan Scott rounded out the top five in 15:34.
Green Valley won the first heat of the day, and Shadow Ridge took the second heat.
Girls cross country
Sky Pointe, the defending Class 4A state champion, showed it is ready for another title fight by placing three runners in the top five of the event.
Aislin McMahon won her 5K race in 18:42. Teammate Mackenzie Teel (19:08) was second, and the Eagles’ Ella Christensen finished fifth in 19:20.
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Shadow Ridge, another state championship contender, also made a strong showing with 2023 state champion Ryen Hughes finishing third in 19:13 and Elynn Okuda fourth in 19:16.
The Mustangs finished first in the second heat. Coronado rolled to victory in the first.
Girls golf
Faith Lutheran’s Maddie Perez shot 7-under 65 to win Wednesday’s Class 5A Desert match at Revere.
Perez’s performance helped the Crusaders win the team title with a score of 18-over 306. Defending state champion Coronado finished 15 strokes behind in second, and Palo Verde was 21 shots back in third.
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Coronado’s Berlin Biddinger finished second individually at 3 under, and teammate Grace Oh was third at even par.
Bishop Gorman shot 21 over to win the Class 5A Mountain match Tuesday at Paiute-Snow. Clark finished nine strokes back in second, and Arbor View was third at 99 over.
Samantha Harris shot 1-under 71 for the individual title, followed by Sierra Vista’s Nya Palmer (even) and Clark’s Cydney Ha (5 over).
In Class 4A Desert action, Desert Oasis took first with a score of 148 over.
Brittani Stone of Las Vegas High was the individual winner at 26-over 98. Legacy’s Kali Patterson and Desert Oasis’ Lexie Rosenthal tied for second at 30-over 102.
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The Class 4A Mountain teams did not play.
Boys tennis
Basic’s boys won two of their three matches last week to improve to 3-1 on the season with an 11-7 win over Moapa Valley, a 10-8 victory over Foothill and a 13-5 loss to Palo Verde.
Bishop Gorman improved to 2-0 by defeating Foothill 12-6 on Aug. 20. Boulder City also improved to 2-0 with Wednesday’s 15-3 win over Silverado.
Girls tennis
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Bishop Gorman improved to 2-0 with a 16-2 victory over Foothill on Aug. 20.
The Falcons bounced back Wednesday with an 18-0 win over Basic to improve to 2-1.
Cross country, golf and tennis coaches are asked to submit their top performances each week to jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
A woman died on the first day of this year’s Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada, over the weekend. The festival is an annual counter-cultural event known for its performances and art installations that draws thousands of people and goes until the beginning of September.
Burning Man’s emergency services responded to a report of an “unresponsive individual” at 11:29 a.m. on Sunday, the Burning Man Project said in a press release. Officials performed life-saving measures on the woman, but were unsuccessful.
Authorities have identified the woman, but the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that officials are withholding her name until her next of kin can be notified. The office said the cause and manner of death are under investigation.
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The Burning Man Project declined to release any further details at this time, “out of respect for the privacy of the grieving family.”
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” the Burning Man Project said in its press release. “The safety and well-being of our staff and community are paramount. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate this incident.”
The Burning Man festival, held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, generated controversy last year, when a 32-year-old man died after being found unresponsive. Last year’s festival also had issues when heavy rainfall left thousands of attendees stranded in the desert for several days due to the ground being extremely muddy.
Throughout much of last week’s Democratic National Convention, multiple observers commented on the convention’s aggressive appeals to independent voters and Trump-weary Republicans.
Those of you who subscribe to the Daily Current newsletter may recall the newsletter’s email subject line Tuesday morning was “Democrats to nation: We like you.”
By the end of the convention, the message out of Chicago had become “Democrats to nation: We are you.”
Well! Friday Donald Trump showed that he isn’t confined to just doubling down on his base and hoping/praying there’s more of them than of everyone else. No sirree. He wants everyone to know that he too can reach out – that he can expand his message beyond the MAGAfolk.
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And to prove it, he welcomed the endorsement of … Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his brain worm.
Kennedy, whose name evidently will still be on Nevada’s general election ballot whether he likes it or not, has spent more than a year running for president with a very simple message: “Look at me! I am a quack! But I am also a Kennedy! Celebrity and quackery! What could be more attractive to U.S. voters in the 2020s?” Except Kennedy phrased it differently.
It’s not as if Kennedy didn’t have a point.
Multiple high-profile careers, especially Trump’s, demonstrate that in the 21st century mediascape, quackery can be a hot sell.
Add a famous name and, to borrow Michele Obama’s phrase, “the affirmative action of generational wealth,” and something like Kennedy and his brain worm shooting across the political firmament was always inevitable, to the point of being banal.
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(Kennedy has said Trump offered him a job in a Trump administration, a premise of hopefully no practical consequence but one that is amusing to speculate about. Trump didn’t confirm it, so was Kennedy spewing nonsense when he said Trump offered him a job? Or, if Trump did offer him a job, was Trump lying? Or, did Trump really say he’d give him a job, and meant it, but Kennedy can’t count on that because Trump has no sense of loyalty to or regard for anyone but himself? Each of those scenarios are plausible.)
The Kennedy noise aside, Trump’s more substantial attempt to reach voters beyond the fold of his cult is his pitch to tipped workers: vote for the authoritarian and women will never have control of their own bodies but at least tips won’t get taxed.
His “no tax on tips” event in Las Vegas Friday, a modest affair to begin with, sort of got short shrift in the news cycle, thanks to Kennedy and his brain worm.
Trump did say something interesting in Las Vegas though, something that appears to have gone unnoticed except by Nevada Current reporter Jen Solis: You know how Democrats have glommed on to the “no tax on tips” thing but also tried to leverage it into getting rid of the hideous federal subminimum wage by which people in some states can be paid as little as $2.13 an hour? Trump wants to make sure that employers get to keep paying the subminimum wage.
Nevada’s one of a handful of states that already outlawed the subminimum wage. But one likes to think Nevada workers care about their fellow service employees in other states.
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Meanwhile, to reiterate, Trump’s no tax on tips pander, though petty policy, could be serious politically, for the same reason Nevada is the battleground state where Harris tends to poll the weakest: Nevada has spent pretty much the entire 21st century getting economically pummeled harder than any state in the country.
That understandably makes for an owly electorate.
The higher costs of groceries, insurance, energy, and rent that accompanied the emergence from the pandemic have hit Nevada households especially hard, because Nevada’s economic recovery from the pandemic (just like its recovery from the Great Recession) is largely a low-wage affair.
And Nevada workers suffer even more than most Americans from pandemic-driven rises in prices, because Nevada workers pay one of the nation’s highest sales tax rates when buying shoes, a sandwich for lunch, or a used car.
Granted:
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-Occasional seemingly significant polling results notwithstanding, independent candidates almost always perform much more poorly in elections than they do in polls, and Kennedy’s candidacy was already disappearing before our very eyes.
-Democrats just concluded what was arguably the most successful televised makeover in the history of televising or makeovers.
-Trump’s schtick is old and boring.
And for the vast and overwhelming majority of Nevada workers, the benefit of eliminating the tax on tips would equal exactly jack doodley squat.
But the gimmick makes rhetorical contact with the issue that, according to polling anyway, will impact the election in Nevada more than any other, voters’ perception of the economy.
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As Democrats repeatedly reminded everyone in Chicago, the election is going to be close.
Harris has a good shot at winning in Nevada.
Alas, so does Trump.
Tim Walz’s “we’ll sleep when we’re dead” thing should be taken especially seriously by Democrats in Nevada.
A version of this column was originally published in the Daily Current newsletter, which is free, and which you can subscribe to here.
