Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto leads the way against Adam Laxalt in must-win race for Republicans

Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is leading her Republican opponent in the Nevada Senate race where voters say inflation and the economy are the most important issue, according to a new poll.

The new Suffolk University/Reno Gazette Journal poll found Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., holds a seven-point lead over her Trump-endorsed opponent, Adam Laxalt, of 45% to 38%. Twelve percent of likely voters remain undecided in the heated Senate race.

According to the poll, 34% of Nevada residents think inflation and the economy are the state’s most important issues, overtaking abortion and climate change as the top priority heading into mid- mandate. A whopping 74% of likely voters gave the current economic climate a fair or bad rating.

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While only 13% of likely voters in Nevada think abortion is the top issue this year, 40% said their opinion on abortion will have a big impact on which candidate they vote for in November.

Abortion has become a growing problem in the medium term, after the Supreme Court decided in June to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and returned power to states to decide abortion restrictions.

Adam Laxalt is the Trump-backed Republican candidate who will take on Cortez Masto in November.
(Bridget Bennett)

The third major issue among Nevadans was voter fraud, receiving 11% support. All other categories, including climate change, COVID-19 and firearms, fell below 10%.

President Biden’s approval rating among Nevadans stood at 41% approval, 53% disapproval. Biden’s approval is up six percentage points from an April poll. Among Hispanic voters in the state, 40% have a favorable opinion of Biden.

According to the poll, 47% think the state is on the wrong track, while 41% say it is going in the right direction. Almost half of respondents (46%) said their standard of living was worse than two years ago.

President Biden has maintained a low national approval rating for several months.
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak has a slight lead in the gubernatorial ballot, receiving 43% support, while Republican challenger Joe Lombardo received 40%, with 10% undecided, according to the poll.

The midterm election is less than three months away in Nevada, one of the states that will likely determine which party wins the Senate majority.

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The Suffolk University/Reno Gazette Journal survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points and was conducted August 14-17, 2022.