To view video of the debate, click here.

(Las Vegas, NV) - Last night, roughly 75 people packed the function room at Charlie's Lakeside Casino to see Nevada Assembly District 13 candidates Joshua Gust, Scott Hammond and Nathan Taylor square off. The debate, which lasted just over one hour, featured three rounds of questioning: First, questions from sponsors Right Pride and the UNLV College Republicans, and moderator Elizabeth Crum from Nevada News Bureau; second, a candidate round-robin where each challenger quizzed his opponents; and third, a 35-minute Q-and-A with the audience.

Several other candidates were in attendance, including Barbara Altman, who Right Pride has endorsed for School Board District F. Other candidates included State Senate District 9's Elizabeth Halseth, U.S. Congressional candidate Steven Nohrden, Assembly candidates Tyler Andrews and Glenn Greener, judicial husband-wife duo Frank and Lucinda Coumou, aspiring Clark County Commissioner Jeff Durbin, public administrator hopeful Steve Sanson, and Nick Starling - who is running for Clark County Assessor. Also in the audience was Independent candidate Leonard Foster, who will meet one of the three GOP AD-13 candidates in the general election this November.

The trio of Gust, Hammond and Taylor answered questions on a wide range of issues including jobs, the economy, conservation, immigration, domestic partnerships, transparency in government, and even how many doors they've each knocked in their district. All three candidates performed admirably, and conducted themselves with all the professionalism expected of serious challengers.

At the conclusion of the debate, Right Pride and the UNLV College Republicans conducted a straw poll. With more than 2/3 of those in attendance casting an anonymous ballot, Joshua Gust came out on top with 37% of the vote. Nathan Taylor followed closely in second with 33%, and Scott Hammond finished last at 22%. Eight percent were undecided.

Once again, Right Pride and the UNLV College Republicans thank all three AD-13 GOP Primary candidates for arranging their schedules and working with us to make this debate happen. We are also thankful for Elizabeth Crum, who was gracious enough to moderate the evening's events. We'd also like to thank Elizabeth Halseth, who helped with our raffle, and Victor Wolder (sound) who made hearing from our candidates possible. Both Right Pride and UNLV College Republicans will have video of the debate posted via www.rightpride.org and the UNLV-CR Facebook page, courtesy of Bill Rogers and Jay Yoon.

Assembly District 13 is an important district for Republicans, and one that will be a challenge to hold in November. Whoever wins this primary race will be trying to fill the shoes of outgoing Assemblyman Chad Christensen, who is now running for U.S. Senate. Whichever candidate makes it through the AD-13 GOP primary, they will need your support to defeat the Democrat in November. Get out there. Knock doors. Make phone calls. If you can't donate your time, donate your money. It is not enough to simply say you like a candidate - you must WORK to get your candidate elected! This year's election is extremely important, as legislative races will most certainly affect how the state will be split up with redistricting from the 2010 U.S. Census. Republicans must gain control in the State Senate, and whittle away at the Democratic majority in the Assembly if we ever hope to win in the future.

<<back