Subject: KSNV: Cortez Masto talks bipartisanship, issues in race for Reid's seat
From: Zach Hudson <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2016 11:40:36 -0700

http://news3lv.com/news/local/cortez-masto-talks-bi-partisanship-issues-in-race-for-reids-seat

Cortez Masto talks bipartisanship, issues in race for Reid's seat
BY JEFF GILLAN TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH 2016

LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) — Not that there's any pressure on her.

Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada's former two-term Attorney General and Harry
Reid's handpicked candidate, didn't look like she had the eyes of the
Democratic Party on her as she worked the room Tuesday at the Cambridge
Community Center.

The event was a roundtable with young people talking about college
affordability. Leading the discussion was Cortez Masto, whose campaign is
critical to Democrats recapturing the US Senate, where a swing of five
seats would put them back in control.

The young people in front of her spoke of working full-time jobs, balancing
a full-time load of classes. Their comments found a receptive ear in the
Democratic candidate.

"I don't think the Federal Government should be making money off of
students and through student loans," Cortez Masto told me afterward. "I
think we should be capping the interest. I think we should be able to
refinance those loans. I think they should be lower interest," she
continued.

The election is in 196 days. There will be dozens of events like this until
November.

Cortez Masto is running against a popular three-term Republican incumbent,
Joe Heck, who has fought back Democratic challenges in Congressional
District 3 ever since he won in the midterm election of 2010.

"You just have to look at his voting record. He has voted against Pell
grants. He has not worked to address the issue of college affordability,"
she charged, pointing to Heck's vote on the last budget, which Democrats
say would eliminate mandatory funding for Pell grants and freeze spending
at their current levels.

The Heck campaign says the Republican, who is still paying off his medical
school loans, supports making college more affordable. "He worked to pass
bipartisan, landmark legislation reforming and capping student loan
interest rates for students and parents. Dr. Heck also introduced a bill to
make the financial aid process easier for families, so more students can
access the assistance they need to pursue higher education," Heck's
spokesperson, Brian Baluta, said in a statement to News 3.

Democrats say Heck is eager to tow the GOP line in the House of
Representatives. In a quick recitation of issues, Cortez Masto highlighted
issues that will get more play as the race progresses.

"Congressman Heck is opposed to comprehensive immigration reform. He's
voted three times against equal pay for women. He's opposed to increasing
the minimum wage. I mean you can just go down the list," she told me.

The rebuttal from Heck would be he's supported immigration reform and has
spoken out against his own party at its delay passing legislation. The
campaign says he supports equal pay. He does not agree with raising the
minimum wage because he believes it will kill jobs.

On the Affordable Care Act, which Heck wants to repeal and replace, Cortez
Masto wants to keep and fix.

"It's good law. We have more people that have insurance because of it. Is
it perfect? No," she said. "So where there are problems with it, and how we
can fix it, and move it and improve it for everyone, that's where it starts
for me. That's the starting point."

In a year where terrorism and foreign policy loom large, Republicans have
criticized the administration, specifically its deal with Iran to curb the
country's nuclear ambitions. Cortez Masto says the deal is sound policy.

"Not only do we prevent them from having nuclear weapons for the
foreseeable future, we are blanketing their country with inspectors," she
said.

If she gets to Washington, how would she build bipartisanship as one
Senator in a chamber of 100?

"That's been my career," she told me, referring to her tenure as Attorney
General. "Over the course of those eight years I introduced 40 bills that I
sponsored in the legislative process, and they were all supported and
passed with Republicans and Democrats and signed by a Republican Governor."

It's a track record she says she'd take to Washington. We'll find out in
196 days if she gets there.