I guess he really doesn’t want to be re-elected:
Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), considered the most vulnerable member of Congress’ upper chamber running for re-election in 2018, told an activist who confronted him over family separation during a telephone town hall that her concerns were “DNC talking points,” according to audio of the call obtained by HuffPost.
Heller is facing a stiff challenge from Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and is caught between the demands of a base loyal to President Donald Trump and the need to win over swing voters and Democrats in a state that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
Heller’s back-and-forth with aggressive questioners on the call shows how he is trying to navigate tricky political waters. He noted he sponsored legislation to the end the practice of separating families but avoided criticizing the president whose administration implemented it.
Heller held the tele-town hall for residents of Washoe County, the state’s second-most-populous jurisdiction, last Wednesday. At the end of the hour-long session, an activist confronted the senator over health care, immigration and public lands.
“I’m upset about a lot of things that you’ve been disingenuous about on this call,” said a woman who identified herself on the call as Valerie, ticking off concerns about public lands in the state and accusing Heller of siding with Trump’s immigration policies. “I’m just wondering how can you live with yourself as there are 3,000 children that have still not been reunited with their parents? That’s disgusting. I just wonder, like, how do you sleep at night?”
“Nobody wants to see children separated from their families, period,” Heller said when he introduced the legislation.
Let’s make sure the Blue Wave hits Nevada hard. Click below to donate and get involved with Jacly Rosen and her fellow Nevada Democrats’ campaigns:
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