Silver State Times

Several Nevada police groups that previously backed current Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) are switching their endorsement to candidate Adam Laxalt (R), former attorney general for the state, according to Fox News.

This comes as some Democratic leaders across the nation have chosen to advocate for defunding law-enforcement groups.

Key law enforcement groups who previously endorsed Cortez Masto have instead chosen to endorse Laxalt, her challenger. Laxalt received an endorsement from the Public Safety Alliance of Nevada (PSAN), which represents over 10,000 law enforcement officers in more than 100 state and local groups, Fox News reported.

"I’m honored to have the support of Nevada’s Fraternal Order of Police and law enforcement organizations across the state," Laxalt wrote in a May 5 Twitter post. "We're turning the page on the Democrats' soft-on-crime approach and helping our police protect our communities."

The Las Vegas Peace Officers Association and the Peace Officers Association of the Clark County School District are among 11 member organizations that switched their support to Laxalt.

"Few things are more important to me than fighting rising crime in Nevada and across the country," Laxalt said to Fox News. "Support from the brave men and women of Nevada's law enforcement is humbling."

Fox News predicted that Cortez Masto's loss of police endorsements could be attributed to the Democratic Party's history of defunding law enforcement. 

Cortez Masto pushed "the agenda of anti-police radicals in her party that undermines cops at every turn," Laxalt said. "As our next senator, I will oppose defunding the police and ensure our officers have the tools they need to do their jobs, just as I did when I was Nevada's attorney general," he said to voters.

Nevadans have a gloomy outlook on the state's economy, which is assumed to be a chief cause of voter discontent with the Democratic party, according to a Suffolk University poll. Results showed more than seven in 10 (72%) voters rated economic conditions in Nevada as fair or poor, while 25% indicated conditions are excellent or good.

Laxalt served as Nevada attorney general from January 2015 to January 2019, according to Ballotpedia. His predecessor for the position was Cortez Masto.