Cortez Masto’s Senate hopes mirror her AG track record

What you saw in Catherine Cortez Masto as Nevada attorney general is what you’ll see if she wins a seat in the U.S. Senate, she said Thursday in her first interview since announcing her campaign to replace retiring Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

As attorney general, Cortez Masto visited all 17 counties to help Nevadans with their problems, from domestic violence and sex trafficking to home foreclosures and prescription drug abuse, which is just as prevalent in the rurals as it is in urban Las Vegas and Reno.

“I worked very hard to reach out and talk to seniors, women, children, homeowners,” she said. “I worked hard to protect them and make sure I had an open door.”

But on one hot-button issue — online gambling — Cortez Masto opened the door to changing her stance on legalization at the state or federal levels.

As AG, she favored letting individual states approve online poker, which is legal for players within Nevada. As a Senate candidate, Cortez Masto said she wants to meet with Nevada’s all-important gaming industry leaders, who are split on the issue, before taking a formal stance.

“I’ll be weighing in after talking with them,” she said. “Our gamers have disparate views on this issue so it’s important” to take another look.

Regardless, Cortez Masto said she supports states’ rights.

Last year attorneys general in 15 states wrote Congress, calling for a nationwide ban on Internet gaming.

The online poker industry, meanwhile, asked all attorneys general if they supported the letter. Cortez Masto and 34 others did not. At the time, the online poker group tweeted its gratitude to Cortez Masto: “Thank You for siding w/states’ &consumer rights by NOT signing the Wire Act AG letter that gives #DC more power. #poker.

Cortez Masto now appears to be taking a more cautious path, though it’s unlikely she’ll take a stance counter to that of most Nevada and gaming industry leaders.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson has put his substantial wealth and clout among Republicans in Washington behind an Internet gambling ban. Caesars Entertainment Corp. and MGM Resorts International have lobbied for Congress to maintain the status quo, letting states decide.

The American Gaming Association does not plan to become involved in the Nevada Senate race, AGA President CEO Geoff Freeman said. But Jim Murren, chairman of both the AGA and MGM Resorts International as well as a major Reid supporter, said his company expects to take an active political role in a state where it is the biggest employer and largest taxpayer.

“Our employees are highly engaged and we know how to throw a party so we are very active in the political process in the state of Nevada,” he said. “I think it would be safe to say the views of the gaming industry will be very topical in the Senate race.”

On another hot topic, Cortez Masto said she would continue Reid’s 30-year fight against making Yucca Mountain a high-level nuclear waste dump.

“It’s something I’ve been fighting and will continue to fight,” she said.

Reid endorsed her after announcing his retirement plan, signaling his desire to avoid a competitive Democratic primary.

Nonetheless, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus hasn’t ruled out trading her safe 1st Congressional District for a Senate campaign. Titus said Thursday she isn’t likely to decide on a Senate bid before the Legislature wraps up in June. “We won’t even know who the Republican is going to be until the end of the session, so that’s kind of my timeline,” Titus said.

Titus’ better name recognition — she once ran for governor — could give her a starting-gate edge over Cortez Masto.

A new poll suggests Titus would be slightly stronger than U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., or Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, should either enter the race from the Republican side. The April 27 automated telephone survey of 644 likely Nevada voters who have land lines also suggested the contest for the open seat will be very competitive.

According to the Silver Bullet survey, Heck would beat Cortez Masto 46.3 percent to 44.1 percent with the remainder undecided. Heck would outpoll Titus 46.9 percent to 44.1 percent. Hutchison also would beat Cortez Masto, 44.8 percent to 42.7 percent, while Hutchinson vs Titus would end in a dead heat, 44.8 to 44.4.

All of the matchups fell within the poll’s margin of error of 4 percentage points, however.

The poll did not test Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers, the only major Republican so far to announce he’s running for the Senate seat.

While Cortez Masto said she operated as a nonpartisan attorney general, Republicans have accused her of bringing politics into her decision-making.

GOP critics point to her refusal to join a lawsuit with other states against the Affordable Care Act and her indictment of former Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki on charges stemming from his handling of a state-run college savings program as state treasurer. The 2008 action forced Krolicki to drop his announced campaign for U.S. Senate against Reid but was later dismissed by a judge.

Cortez Masto defended her actions, saying she didn’t see a direct Nevada interest in challenging Obamacare, which the U.S. Supreme Court found to be constitutional.

Review-Journal Capital Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this report. Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Find her on Twitter: @lmyerslvrj.