More than 400 people have died from heat-related illnesses in southern Nevada in 2024, the largest recorded number of heat-related deaths documented in the region in a single year. That’s not the final tally, either. Officials only report “cases” where identification is confirmed and next of kin is notified.

While the largest number of heat-related deaths documented in a single year should be enough to garner headlines, it’ll much more likely become a grim statistic in a state where the climate crisis is unfolding before our very eyes.

Data shows that Reno and Las Vegas are the fastest-warming cities in the country, with the average annual temperature increasing by more than seven and five degrees, respectively, since 1970. Excessive heat has contributed to a water crisis and has exacerbated the near-constant threat of wildfire. In Nevada, the average number of wildfires larger than 1,000 acres has doubled each year since 1970. Last month, a 5,828-acre blaze fueled by high winds and dry pine threatened thousands of homes in Reno forcing evacuations, now common for many living along the eastern Sierra.

Nevadans have, by and large, noticed. Most understand that climate change is real and already affecting how we live and that more needs to be done to mitigate its effects. A 2022 poll found that more than half of Clark County (Las Vegas) and nearly two-thirds of Washoe County (Reno) respondents said climate change impacts them on a daily basis.

And yet, climate doesn’t appear to be making an impact on this election cycle. Poll after poll has shown that voters here are more concerned about the economy, immigration, abortion rights, and defending democracy from “the other guy.”

Why? Perhaps because when Nevadans think about climate change, it’s almost always couched in faraway-seeming discussions about energy production.

The state has become ground zero for developing and implementing large-scale “green energy” projects. That’s thanks in part to the Inflation Reduction Act. Since its passage in 2022, the Biden Administration has poured billions of dollars into the state to support Nevada’s water infrastructure, wildfire restoration and mitigation efforts, and the clean energy economy.

In recent months, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management—which oversees the roughly 85% of Nevada land owned by the federal government—has greenlit several industrial solar developments and the construction of a massive 350-mile energy transmission project that includes power lines running through desert tortoise and sage grouse habitat as well as Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.

Historically known for mining, Nevada is also seeing a new boom focused on lithium, the mineral needed to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The state has the only operating lithium mine in the U.S., with more on the way.

When Nevadans think about climate change, it’s almost always couched in faraway-seeming discussions about energy production.

However, those investments have failed to resonate with voters because they often happen in incredibly rural areas like Silver Peak, Nevada. Take a drive out there, I dare you. It’s in the middle of nowhere in a state filled with nowhere.

Roughly four hours from the heart of Las Vegas, the hamlet is nestled on the side of a mountain. A sea of fine, white powder and evaporative pools used in the extraction process stretch across the basin. Rock outcroppings with names like Alcatraz Island, Angel Island, and Goat Island lend to the illusion that you’re driving across the San Francisco Bay.

Yet, on the other side of that mountain is land virtually untouched since colonization, valleys home to Tiehm’s buckwheat, a species listed endangered in 2022.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, this land is now open for solar energy development and lithium extraction. Many environmental groups have voiced support for the increased focus on renewable energy development, but they have also questioned the federal government’s approach, leading to mixed feelings from even the most diehard green energy proponents.

Such controversies place Nevada at the forefront of climate change regulation debates, yet they happen almost entirely on the fringes. For most Nevadans, the effects of climate policies are still too abstract to sway their votes. Talking points about whether families can cool their houses in the summer and pay for the gas needed to make it to work are far easier to grasp than potential carbon reduction if X policy is implemented over Y agenda.

Who can blame voters?

Nevada’s economy has remained sluggish since the pandemic. The unemployment rate is the worst of any state in the country, while wage growth among hourly employees is the slowest. And that’s saying something, considering Nevada’s wages are already among the lowest in the country.

There’s also the rising cost of … everything. Housing is the most obvious, fueled by the relentless tide of Californians pulling up stakes from their Golden State and moving east for cheaper pastures. Nevadans also pay more for childcare, groceries, and gas than just about anywhere else in the country.

So it’s unsurprising that climate change has again taken a back seat to pocketbook issues in Nevada this election cycle.

Let’s hope that voters here recognize their role in addressing the climate crisis in their backyard sooner rather than later.

And if they don’t, let’s hope the casino air conditioners never go out.

Paul Boger lives in Reno and is the politics and state government reporter for Nevada Public Radio. 

This “Election Letter” is part of a year-long Zócalo inquiry, “Can Democracy Survive This Election Year?,” looking at countries holding elections in 2024.

Primary editor: Jackie Mansky | Secondary editor: Eryn Brown

Nevada football fans had to stay up late Saturday night to watch the Wolf Pack take on the Rainbow Warriors in Hawaii. Unfortunately, the late night ended in a bitter 34-13 loss for Nevada, plagued by injuries, undisciplined football, and an incomplete team effort.

Perhaps there’s a Timmy Chang curse. Chang, the current head coach of Hawaii and former Nevada assistant coach from 2017-21, is now 3-0 against Nevada despite being 4-23 against non-Nevada FBS schools.

Either way, Nevada was dominated physically. There was no Brendon Lewis. Savion Red got hurt during the game. Nevada’s chances of a bowl game have almost diminished, and the team will continue to look for its first conference win of the season.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

10:10- Brayden Schager 1-yard TD run (Kansei Matsuzawa PAT)

Nevada 0 – Hawaii 7

0:28- Brayden Schager 1-yard TD run (Kansei Matsuzawa PAT)

Nevada 0 – Hawaii 14

2nd Quarter

0:09- Kansei Matsuzawa 29-yard FG

Nevada 0 – Hawaii 17

3rd Quarter

14:29- Marcus Bellon 63-yard TD pass from Chubba Purdy (Matthew Killam PAT)

Nevada 7 – Hawaii 17

1:57- Brayden Schager 3-yard TD run (Kansei Matsuzawa PAT)

Nevada 7 – Hawaii 24

4th Quarter

14:07- Brayden Schager 6-yard TD run (Kansei Matsuzawa PAT)

Nevada 7 – Hawaii 31

8:43- Marcus Bellon TD pass from AJ Bianco (2-pt conversion attempt failed)

Nevada 13 – Hawaii 31

2:53- Kansei Matsuzawa 30-yard FG

Nevada 13 – Hawaii 34

Final: Nevada 13, Hawaii 34

Offense

With Lewis out, it wasn’t expected that the running game would be the same. Still, it took a huge hit.

Nevada only rushed for 94 total yards on 29 attempts. The Pack’s leading rusher was QB Chubba Purdy, who got the start but was subbed in and out with AJ Bianco. Purdy rushed for 41 yards on attempts.

Red only had one carry until he came out with a toe injury. With how heavy Nevada relies on its run game, not having Lewis or Red hurt more than anything. It was the second straight game Nevada was held under 100 rushing yards.

However, Nevada’s passing game outperformed Hawaii’s. Purdy went 13-18 with 155 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Bianco went 13-21 with 131 yards and a touchdown pass.

Both QBs relied heavily on wide receiver Marcus Bellon, who finished the night with 111 yards on six receptions and two touchdowns.

Defense

Hawaii QB Brayden Schager channeled his inner Lewis as he dominated the Pack’s defense with his legs.

On 19 carries, Schager rushed for 120 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He also went 14-25 in the air with 135 yards and an interception by Nevada CB Michael Coats Jr., his fourth of the year.

Outside of Schager’s dominant run performance, Nevada reverted to bad habits in the penalty department. Nevada was flagged 12 times for 108 yards, many of them coming from unsportsmanlike penalties.

Overall, it was a sloppy, undisciplined game mixed with a lot of injuries.

What’s Next

Nevada is now one of two teams to be winless in the Mountain West (Air Force is the other.) The Pack now sit at 3-6 and 0-3 in conference play, with the already slim chances at a bowl game going even lower.

Nevada will return home to face old friend Jay Norvell and the Colorado State Rams. The Rams are 5-3 and 3-0 in the MW, and one more win would send Colorado State bowling for the first time since 2017.

Rep. Sara Jacobs has been an unmistakable presence in her San Diego district since long before she began running for re-election this year.

But recently she’s also been showing up in Nevada and a handful of other states.

Mayor Todd Gloria is running hard to win another four-year term at San Diego City Hall. Yet he’s made three brief trips to Nevada as well.

Elected officials and political staff members from San Diego and across California — particularly Democrats — have journeyed to swing states near and far to knock on doors, hand out literature and attend rallies to help their candidates for president, Senate and the House.

Candidates helping campaigns afar is by no means a new phenomenon, especially in deep blue California, which is certain to back Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Rep. Adam Schiff for Senate.

Though a Democratic stronghold, California does have a handful of battleground districts that could determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the House. And those races are not lacking for attention from both political parties.

But states like Nevada could decide whether Harris or former President Donald Trump win the White House and determine who controls the Senate. Both parties have responded accordingly.

High-profile visitors such as Gov. Gavin Newsom can bring volunteers, energize locals and command media attention. Newsom’s frequent out-of-state campaign jaunts to support Joe Biden when the president was still running for re-election triggered repeated questions about whether the California governor was angling to replace the beleaguered incumbent on the ticket.

Newsom steadfastly denied such ambitions back then and has continued to travel beyond his state’s boundaries to campaign for Harris and other Democrats.

Of course, there’s a big difference between a well-known surrogate like Newsom (or Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk, for that matter) and most others.  But the elected officials lending a hand elsewhere tend to face similar political circumstances – either they’re not up for re-election (like Newsom) or expected to easily win their races.

The latter is particularly the case with the well-resourced Jacobs, who is facing a long-shot challenge from Republican El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells in the heavily Democratic 51st Congressional District.

Gloria faces a tougher road against San Diego police Officer Larry Turner, who last month was the beneficiary of a surprise $1 million donation to an independent campaign supporting him from Point Loma attorney Steven Richter. More recently, Richter reportedly kicked in another $450,000.

Two of Gloria’s Nevada trips to support the Democratic ticket were before the dynamics of his race changed — in March and August — when his path to victory seemed more clear. He also went to the Silver State on Sept. 28. Each visit was a day trip.

Political opponents often grouse that elected officials should be staying at home doing their jobs, but, like Gloria’s, these trips tend to be short.

This practice of out-of-towners dropping in to help seemingly has been around forever, but it may feel like it’s more common in recent times. There’s no database that can determine whether it actually is. For one thing, the spread of such activities on social media — often by the visiting politicians themselves — may give the impression it’s happening more than in decades past.

Thad Kousser, political science professor at UC San Diego, said the changed political landscape over the years may encourage more out-of-town campaigning.

The number of battleground states has shrunk as the nation has become more sharply divided along political lines.

“Politicians have always been doing their part in support of the national ticket,” Kousser said. But he noted that “so many states are simply off the playing board, like California has been since about 2000.”

The bottom-line motivation isn’t complicated. Politicians want their cause or the candidate they support to win. Without overlooking their own races, if they’re in a position to go elsewhere to help, many do.

“Savvy politicians know where that will help the most and that’s in battleground states,” Kousser said.

“Politicians want to help allies in their party,” he continued, adding, “and they want to be seen helping them.”

Officials often want to be known as good soldiers for the party. Assisting other candidates by raising money, making an endorsement or just walking precincts often isn’t forgotten.

It’s hard to say how much Gloria brings to the table in Nevada, but, cumulatively, he and other visiting politicians can attract attention and encourage others back home to join them.

After Biden stepped aside and Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket, Gloria’s team stressed the long, close relationship the mayor has with the vice president. That naturally led to speculation about a Harris administration appointment if she’s elected. Gloria’s trips to Nevada may have added more fuel.

The mayor recently sought to throw cold water on that, telling the San Diego Sun that if he’s re-elected, he has the “absolute 100 percent intention of staying here all four years.”

Nevada is a critical state for both parties, with its six electoral votes potentially tipping the election to Trump or Harris. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is facing a tough challenge from Republican Sam Brown in a pivotal race.

There’s also a ballot measure to amend the Nevada Constitution to recognize a fundamental right to abortion.

Rep. Jacobs is concerned about “the stakes in this election, which we don’t think could be higher,” said aide Lauren McIlvaine.

Jacobs, one of the youngest members of Congress, is a rising star in the Democratic Party, with a growing national profile and a sought-after fundraiser.

In addition to Nevada, she has made campaign appearances in Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire, according to McIlvaine. A trip to Pennsylvania and another one to Michigan are planned.

Jacobs often talks with groups of women voters, young voters and college students, McIlvaine said. In perhaps a sign of the times, the Congress member attended a unique political event with her mother in Minnesota: a pickleball tournament.

“Yes, she played. No, she didn’t win,” McIlvaine said.

What they said

New York Times, final NYT/Sienna College national poll.

“The electorate has rarely seemed so evenly divided.. . . Harris and Trump are locked in a dead heat for the popular vote, 48 percent to 48 percent.”