Nevada
VICTOR JOECKS: Three Nevada Republicans stand out in primaries
Republicans have had more hype than success in Southern Nevada. Their chances of changing that this year starts with picking strong candidates.
On Wednesday, Morning Consult released a presidential poll of swing states. In Nevada, former President Donald Trump led President Joe Biden by 14 points — yes, 14 points — in a five-way race. That poll included Robert Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein. In a head-to-head contest, Trump led Biden by eight points.
While neither candidate is likely to win Nevada by that much, it’s a positive sign for down-ballot Republicans. Voters know Democrats have done a terrible job running the country. In 2022, Nevada Republicans hoped to flip a Senate seat and multiple House seats. It didn’t happen. Polls such as this one suggest this year could be different. But GOP primary voters must select wisely. Congressional Democrats will almost certainly outspend their opponents.
Start with the U.S. Senate race. Sam Brown is the best candidate. He has a compelling personal story of heroism. He literally has the scars to prove it. While serving in Afghanistan, a bomb blew up his vehicle, and he nearly burned to death. He doesn’t have a voting record, but his stance on issues looks solid. He has raised $5.4 million and has $2.3 million cash on hand, according to the recent FEC filings.
Air Force veteran Tony Grady would be a great candidate in a different race. He had less than $35,000 in the bank on his recent filing. The only candidate with enough cash to do anything is Jeff Gunter, who was Trump’s ambassador to Iceland. He has loaned his campaign $2.7 million. Spending won’t win him the nomination. It would just force Brown to spend money now, when it would be better spent taking on incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen.
The only thing that could derail Brown is if Trump endorsed someone else. But that’s unlikely. Trump has put out a social media graphic touting Brown.
In the 4th Congressional District, Republicans have a dream candidate running, former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee. The district includes the city that Lee and his team saved from fiscal collapse. Although he’s more conservative than many Nevada Republicans, Lee was also a longtime Democrat. That should be seen as a positive in a district that has nearly 40,000 more Democrats than Republicans. Republicans have held that seat only once since it was created in 2011. Lee gives them a real chance to make it twice.
Nevada Republicans’ best flip possibility is in the 3rd Congressional District. Democrats’ voter registration lead is under 5 percentage points. Republicans would be wise to go with Drew Johnson. He’s extremely smart and articulate. He’s the former president of a free-market think tank. He famously exposed that climate alarmist Al Gore’s home used 20 times more power than the national average. Johnson almost beat Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones two year ago, so he’s electable. Self-funding may allow Dan Schwartz or Marty O’Donnell to spend more, but neither has the record Johnson does.
If Republicans want to win in November, they need to choose wisely in June.
Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow
@victorjoecks on X.
Class 5A boys volleyball teams enter the state tournament with a fair amount of knowledge about their opponents.
Most of the top teams have played each other at least once, whether going through the rigors of league play or facing off in tournaments.
And if those regular-season results revealed anything, it’s that the 5A state title is truly up for grabs.
The boys volleyball playoffs begin Monday with 4A state first-round matchups. The 5A and 3A playoffs begin with state quarterfinals Tuesday.
Here’s a breakdown of how the playoffs shape up:
Class 5A
League champions: Green Valley (Desert), Coronado (Mountain)
The favorite: Coronado
Coronado emerged as the league champion out of the challenging Mountain League on a tiebreaker over Palo Verde. Outside hitters Dexter Brimhall and Dane Galvin and middle blocker Jayden Bell lead a balanced attack.
The Cougars haven’t lost to a Nevada team since a four-set defeat to Palo Verde on March 26. They avenged the loss with a four-set win April 17.
Dark horse: Palo Verde
Palo Verde was the runner-up in last year’s title game, losing to Shadow Ridge in five sets. The Panthers have beaten most of the other 5A playoff teams.
Palo Verde could face a semifinal matchup with Green Valley, which beat the Panthers in a two-set sweep in a tournament March 30.
Potential first-round upset: No. 3M Arbor View over No. 2D Shadow Ridge
Arbor View finished third in the Mountain League and has to start the playoffs on the road. The Aggies swept Shadow Ridge, the two-time defending 5A state champion, on March 28 and ended the regular season with a sweep of Desert League champion Green Valley on April 30.
Class 4A
League champions: Mojave (Desert), Del Sol (Mountain), Basic (Sky)
The favorite: Mojave
The Rattlers dropped just six sets as they rolled to a 12-0 Desert League record to claim the league title and No. 1 seed with a first-round bye. By being at the top of the bracket, Mojave would avoid Del Sol or Basic until the state title match.
Dark horse: Bishop Gorman
Gorman lost a five-set thriller to Basic in its regular-season finale, which dropped the Gaels to the No. 2 seed and out of a first-round bye. The Gaels have a few of the state’s top outside hitters. Drew Dennis is third in the state with 453 kills, and TJ Woodson is third with a .370 hitting percentage.
Potential first-round upset: No. 4S Cimarron-Memorial over No. 2D Tech
Cimarron-Memorial defeated Tech twice in tournament play, in a two-set sweep March 2 and three sets April 13. The Spartans finished fourth in the more challenging Sky League, and one of their best wins was a five-set win over Basic on March 28.
Class 3A
League champions: Virgin Valley (Desert), Boulder City (Mountain)
The favorite: Boulder City
The Eagles look poised to win their third straight 3A title. Boulder City dropped one set in league play, and its only losses have been to 5A, 4A and out-of-state opponents. Travis Hess leads the state with a .515 hitting percentage and is third with 88 blocks.
Dark horse: Coral Academy
Coral Academy is the only team to win a set against Boulder City and would not have to face the Eagles until the title match.
Potential first-round upset: None
Boulder City, Virgin Valley, Coral Academy and Valley should all roll in their quarterfinals.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Boys volleyball playoff schedule
State tournaments
All games at 6 p.m. at higher seed
Class 5A
Tuesday
State quarterfinals
No. 4M Desert Oasis at No. 1D Green Valley
No. 3D Centennial at No. 2M Palo Verde
No. 4D Sierra Vista at No. 1M Coronado
No. 3M Arbor View at No. 2D Shadow Ridge
Class 4A
Monday
State first round
No. 3M Las Vegas High at No. 3S Sky Pointe
No. 4D Legacy at No. 2S Bishop Gorman
No. 4M Chaparral at No. 3D Durango
No. 4S Cimarron-Memorial at No. 2D Tech
Wednesday
State quarterfinals
Las Vegas-Sky Pointe winner at No. 1D Mojave
Legacy-Bishop Gorman winner at No. 2M Spring Valley
Chaparral-Durango winner at No. 1S Basic
Cimarron-Memorial-Tech winner at No. 1M Del Sol
Class 3A
Tuesday
State quarterfinals
No. 4M Western at No. 1D Virgin Valley
No. 3D Moapa Valley at No. 2M Coral Academy
No. 4D Mater East at No. 1M Boulder City
No. 3M Canyon Springs at No. 2D Valley
TRUCKEE, Calif. — A weekend spring storm that drenched the San Francisco Bay area and closed Northern California mountain highways also set a single-day snowfall record for the season on Sunday in the Sierra Nevada.
The wet weather system had mostly moved out of the state by Sunday morning, but officials warned that roads would remain slick after around two feet (60 centimeters) of snow fell in some areas of the Sierra.
“Did anyone have the snowiest day of the 2023/2024 season being in May on their winter bingo card?” the University of California, Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab asked on the social platform X.
The 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) of snowfall on Sunday beat the second snowiest day of the season — March 3rd — by 2.6 inches (6.6 centimeters), according to the lab.
Treacherous driving conditions on Saturday forced the closure of several highways near Lake Tahoe, including Interstate 80 over the Donner Summit.
Flood advisories were issued for parts of the Bay Area, where up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) of rain fell while temperatures dipped into the low 40s (around 5 degrees Celsius), the National Weather Service said. Wind gusts reaching 40 mph (64 kph) were reported Saturday near San Francisco.
The storm brought light rain and gusty winds to Southern California.
Drier and warmer conditions were expected throughout the week.
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