Las Vegas Latin Chamber founder endorses Hardy in 4th District race

Otto Merida, founder and past president of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, has endorsed U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy, R-Nev., in the 4th Congressional District race.

In his statement Monday, Merida cited Hardy’s “long-time support” for the Latino community and “dedication to being an independent leader for Nevada.” Hardy is running for a second two-year term and faces Democrat state Sen. Ruben Kihuen.

“I am proud to stand with Cresent Hardy in this election,” Merida said in a statement. “Cresent’s dedication to public service is a model to us all. … I can tell you that there is no candidate better prepared to continue to make real change in Congress that we so desperately need than Cresent Hardy.”

In a statement, Hardy thanked Merida for his support.

“Otto’s endorsement means a great deal to me. For more than 40 years, Otto has been one of the most influential leaders in Nevada’s business community, and a powerful voice for economic stability in the Latino community,” Hardy said.

Merida, a registered Republican, had initially endorsed Democratic candidate Catherine Cortez Masto in the U.S. Senate race in 2015. He switched his endorsement to Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Joe Heck last week. Merida was also one of the “Republicans for Reid” group that supported U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in his successful 2010 re-election bid against Republican and tea party favorite Sharron Angle.

“Ruben will make history as Nevada’s first Hispanic representative in the U.S. House of Representatives next January,” said Kihuen Campaign Manager Dave Chase. “In the past, Congressman Hardy has fear-mongered about immigrants taking jobs, co-sponsored a discriminatory bill to designate English as the state’s official language, and opposed bipartisan immigration reform legislation with a path to citizenship. Just like Donald Trump, Congressman Hardy is an extreme anti-immigrant politician who would be a disaster for the Latino community in Nevada.”

The campaign cited a 2011 Assembly bill that died. Hardy co-sponsored it along with a dozen other legislators and three primary sponsors. The bill would have designated English as the language for state proceedings and records, including statutes and regulations. But it would have allowed other languages for circumstances including education, state employees conducting official business, court proceedings and emergency notifications.

“Dave’s bitter and angry statement, riddled with errors, does absolutely nothing to elevate the dialogue to the level 4th District voters deserve,” Hardy Campaign Manager Ross Hemminger said in a statement.

The bill also would have promoted learning other languages to be competitive in a global economy, encouraging residents to “master English as well as other languages.”.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find @BenBotkin on Twitter.