Attorney Tisha Black says she’ll run for attorney general

CARSON CITY – Las Vegas real estate and business attorney Tisha Black announced her candidacy for attorney general Monday, creating a contest for the Republican nomination to challenge first-term Democratic incumbent Aaron Ford in November.

The Las Vegas native, whose law practice includes compliance and licensing work with the state’s cannabis industry, cited states’ rights and a need to “fight against government overreach” in attacking “unnecessary” COVID mask mandates that “have crippled the well-being of our community and the education of our children.”

Attacking Ford, she said the incumbent has done “the bidding of the Biden Administration” and said criminal justice reforms he has pushed had “set criminals free.”

“He supports criminals over the rights of victims and has worked with (Gov. Steve) Sisolak to promote an agenda that grows government programs and undermines our economy,” she said in a statement.

National issues

In a brief interview later Monday, Black said she was “not liking what is going on with our present AG’s office that is pushing a national agenda instead of an agenda that’s good for Nevada,” again labeling the incumbent as “soft on crime.”

“It’s also the border issue,” she said. “If we’re not joining those other state attorneys general that are pushing back on the Biden administration about the porous border issue, we’re going to see a lot of those illegal immigrants come into Nevada, which is going to have a negative impact. It’s going to increase crime for us. It’s going to increase drug trafficking, it’s going to increase sex trafficking. It’s going to be difficult financially for our Nevada taxpayers to support the whim of D.C. by burdening our system this way with that border.”

Black, who ran unsuccessfully for Clark County Commission in 2018, made no reference in her announcement to Sigal Chattah, the other announced Republican in the race. Chattah Monday fired off a statement attacking Black as a “progressive plant” whose past support of Democrats “not only helped defeat Republicans at the ballot box, she has literally built and advanced the Democrats’ disastrous government-controlled trifecta we live under in our state and our nation.”

Fighting words

Responding to Chattah, Black said she would not be running for office “if I didn’t expect healthy competition and shied away from battle.”

“Sigal’s attitudes and antics may have served her well in a private capacity,” Black said, adding it was “of paramount importance to represent this silver state with intelligent strategy as a consummate professional.”

She added: “I suppose that she is tilted a bit because she thought she was going to get a smooth sail through, but if she’s not prepared to fight me, she would have never been been able to win against Aaron Ford.”

Black, 50, has practiced law in Nevada for 25 years. She is managing partner of Black & Wadhams, a law firm she founded in 2020. She earlier co-founded the law firm of Black & LoBello in 2000. She said she aspired to run for attorney general even as a young woman attorney and earlier, inspired by former three-term Democratic Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa and other notable women attorneys, politicians, business owners and professionals.

According to her bio on the law firm’s website, Black has been active with the state marijuana industry since 2014, serves on several cannabis advisory boards, and as compliance and regulatory director for licensed marijuana establishments. She is a founding member of the Nevada Dispensary Association, the non-profit association representing cannabis business licensees.

A Boston University graduate, she received her law degree from Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University.

Chattah and the Ford campaign did not respond to requests for comment on Black’s entry into the race.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.