Nevada Senate race called for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in huge win for Democrats

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto with a supporter

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was seen as one of the most endangered Democratic Senate incumbents this year, but after days of counting, she has pulled it out, with NBC and CNN projecting her as the winner after a ballot drop from Clark County put her ahead by almost 5,000 votes. The first Latina in the U.S. Senate has won a second term, and Democrats will hold the Senate.

Cortez Masto defeated Adam Laxalt after being endorsed by 14 members of his extended family. Laxalt embraced Donald Trump’s Big Lie about the 2020 presidential election, as well as running an ad featuring a "great replacement" conspiracy theorist. Despite coming from one of the top solar power-producing states, he has called for increased use of fossil fuels.

Luckily, Nevada voters didn’t fall for it.

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Holy crap, what an amazing night! Where do we even begin this week's episode of The Downballot? Well, we know exactly where: abortion. Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard recap Tuesday's extraordinary results, starting with a clear-eyed examination of the issue that animated Democrats as never before—and that pundits got so badly wrong. They also discuss candidate quality (still really important!), Democratic meddling in GOP primaries (good for democracy, actually), and "soft" Biden disapprovers (lots of them voted for Democrats).

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