The Spectrum - Kihuen Aims Directly at Hardy in CD4

By: Lucas M Thomas

All those planning to follow the race for representation in Nevada's 4th Congressional District should dress accordingly. There will be plenty of mud-slinging until Nov. 8.

After winning the Democratic nomination last week, Ruben Kihuen wasted no time getting to it.

In a statement released that evening, Kihuen said, "Our real fight begins tomorrow," and added "Congressman [Cresent] Hardy does not represent Nevadans' values and we will hold him accountable for his shameful record."

It's a stance Kihuen has consistently held since announcing his candidacy to represent CD4 last March. A spirited Democratic primary, which had its fair share of intra-party banter, did nothing to cause the state senator to waver from that conviction. When fellow Democrats chose to question the efficacy of his tenure in the state legislature, Kihuen repeatedly evaded those inquiries and redirected the discussion toward Hardy.

"I'm not going to sit here and attack any of my colleagues because at the end of the day, we need to be attacking the Republicans and Congressman Cresent Hardy," Kihuen said after Lucy Flores questioned the fundraising strategies of other Democrats at a February forum in Mesquite.

When Flores wondered aloud at an April forum in North Las Vegas why Kihuen was unable to answer a question about raising the minimum wage, Kihuen responded, "I think it's a shame that there are Democrats sitting up here attacking fellow Democrats when, at the end of the day, our focus should be on attacking Republicans and Cresent Hardy."

When Dan Rolle questioned Kihuen's accomplishments at a May forum, he responded, "I am not here to attack a fellow Democrat, I think they're all great people. Cresent Hardy has failed us time after time and I think he's the person we need to have our eye on."

Kihuen's eyes have clearly been on Hardy's seat for a while now, and now that he is the Democratic nominee, he's already released statements critical of Hardy's stance on gun control and immigration reform--two issues that have been at the center of recent national debate.

"This is a simple concept: If the FBI believes you are too dangerous to board an airplane, you are too dangerous to buy firearms. Congressman Hardy is so beholden to the gun lobby and is simply out of step with the people of this district -- including Republicans and gun owners -- that he wants to keep this dangerous loophole open," a statement read.

After a Supreme Court deadlock blocked President Obama's immigration policy, it was Hardy who Kihuen criticized in his statement to the media.

"Today's outcome is exactly what [Hardy] was hoping for."

Kihuen supports immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship--something that, according to his website, is "non-negotiable" in any proposal.

Kihuen's platform isn't strictly anti-Cresent Hardy. He prides himself on supporting a progressive agenda, earning a cornucopia of support from labor unions across the state while advocating for an increased minimum wage and equal pay for women.

The most prominent of those labor unions is Nevada's Culinary Union, whose members campaigned heavily to help Kihuen nab the party's nomination.

"We strongly believe that Ruben is a fighter for working families, he always has been, and we believe he will continue to be in Congress," said Yvanna Cancela, the Culinary Union's political director.

That belief, Cancela said, comes from what Kihuen has been able to do in 10 years as a Nevada lawmaker.

"Ruben was the chairman of a committee that started the conversation on economic diversification in the state," Cancela said. "He helped pass drivers privilege cards so that more people could have auto insurance, and he's made sure to be on the right side of a number of issues including sponsoring a bill for $15 minimum wage and helping to sponsor legislation that would have ensured equal pay for women."

Kihuen responds to those who question the substance of his record by mentioning the State Senate was under Republican control during his tenure, thus stifling some of his efforts.

"Unfortunately there were some measures that Republicans were never going to support," Cancela said. "I think it held back some of his legislation, but he was still able to help pass a bill that made college more affordable, so I think that he is very good at working across the aisle with Republicans."

He might need to start by reaching out within his own party. Despite a convincing victory, more than 60 percent of the votes cast in the Democratic primary went to one of the other seven candidates, and May's Nevada State Democratic Convention peeled back the curtain on the sometimes-differing-values held by Democrats who support Hillary Clinton and those who support Bernie Sanders in the presidential election.

Despite the chaos of the convention, Kihuen envisions harmony come November.

"The Democratic Party is home to a diverse coalition of people who want to move this country forward," Kihuen told the Desert Valley Times this week. "Any differences within the party pale in comparison to the racist, sexist, homophobic rhetoric and policies spewed by Donald Trump and those who support him," Kihuen said. "I believe our party stands united against Trump and the cowards in the Republican Party who refuse to denounce him."

On local issues, Kihuen has spoken in favor of strengthening Nevada's network of rural hospitals and is convinced that Hardy's Rural HEALTH Act, introduced in April, stops short of addressing the biggest problem.

"I would actually fight for the funding of rural hospital construction in Congress," Kihuen said.

He has also long supported designating Gold Butte as a national monument. On the heels of an announcement from the Bureau of Land Management that they will resume work in the region for the first time since 2014, Kihuen said as a congressman he would "work to restore critical funding for our public lands and ensure we promote Gold Butte as part of a larger economic strategy to lure more tourism to the area."

"We have been bullied too long on our own public lands and it is time to ensure that resources are allocated to protect Nevada's piece of the Grand Canyon," he said.

As he canvasses the 4th District over the next few months, the city of Mesquite will present a unique challenge for Kihuen, as it's the hometown of Rep. Hardy, the opponent he's made such an effort to decry.

"In my visits with the community and neighbors there, it is clear that their values are Nevada's values," he said. "They deserve a representative who will fight to protect Social Security, expand access to health care, work for equal pay for equal work and, who will ensure our children have a brighter future."

In closing, Kihuen offered a predictable take on the city's current representation: "Congressman Hardy does not represent Mesquite's values."

Hardy in Mesquite

Rep. Cresent Hardy will be in Mesquite on Saturday as part of his reelection tour through Nevada's 4th Congressional District. The Republican congressman will be at the Mesquite Veterans Center, located at 840 Hafen Lane, at 5 p.m. Pick up Tuesday's print edition of the Desert Valley Times for full coverage of Hardy's campaign stop.

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