The energy was jovial and civil at the Brewery Arts Center. Republican incumbent Congressman Mark Amodei leaned on his Nevada roots while nonpartisan challenger Greg Kidd said he’d chosen the Silver State as his home. “How many folks here weren't born in Nevada?” Kidd asked the crowd. A majority of the attendees raised their hands.
On the topic of access to reproductive care, Kidd’s answers generated the most applause. He said he supports Nevada Ballot Question 6 to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution and said it’s a kitchen table issue with his wife, who is an OB-GYN.
“I realize the states might regulate fireworks, manufacturing, where you can have a massage, but to take something that I believe is a civil right and make it a state issue so that a woman crossing state lines can lose rights, I can’t think of any area where men suffer that kind of loss of rights,” Kidd said.
Amodei didn’t comment on Ballot Question 6. Instead, he pointed to a state law passed by Nevada voters in 1990 that protects abortion access up to 24 weeks.
“I can't sit here as a guy who presently holds an elective office, which the voters gave me for 24 months at a time, and say, ‘Go ahead and throw that away,’” said Amodei, who has represented Northern Nevada in Congress since 2011. “It hasn’t been broken here in Nevada, but if Congress decides to change that for you in a way that says what the voters don’t want, I will not vote for federal law, whether it makes it shorter, longer, or whatever.”
One issue the candidates both agreed on is their support for mining in Nevada.
Amodei said he trusts the National Environmental Policy Act when it comes to determining where in Nevada extraction can take place.
“People were talking about doing exploration in the Ruby Mountains of Elko a couple of years ago, all these letters; ‘Don’t let them do it. Don’t let them do it.’ It’s like, hey, we have something that’s called NEPA. Let’s see what the Forest Service does in running that process. And lo and behold, they came back and said, ‘No,’ ie, it works,” Amodei said.
Kidd wants to see support for the lithium loop, including the mining, processing, and recycling of lithium products, done entirely within Nevada.
“I love silver. I love gold. I like my electric car, my batteries in my phone and the laptop,” Kidd said. “One day, the minerals will be gone, but we will still be here. And so the strategy of not putting money aside for the future is not strategic. It’s not an investment in Nevada.”
When pressed on the concerns shared by Indigenous community members, such as mining destroying sacred lands or contaminating resources like water, neither candidate provided specifics for bringing those voices to the table or supporting Nevada tribes.
Many audience questions focused on housing, including keeping up with Nevada’s growth, and affordability. Amodei said Nevada’s federal delegation has been successful in passing Lands Bills, which allow for the transfer of federal lands for development. He said it must be done responsibly.
“Do we want uncontrolled growth? No, we don’t. Do we need to make sure that we have water, and sewer, and flood control, and all the things that go with responsible development? Yes,” Amodei said. “The locals have a role to play in that as well because once you get the land, which is not easy to do, there’s still a ton of cost wrapped up in how do we build that apartment or that house?”
Amodei said the country needs to examine construction costs. Kidd complimented Amodei on his track record on Land Bills but said he would like to see more existing buildings used.
“There’s land on the fringes. We want to get that, especially in the urban areas or areas that need housing, but look, there’s land right in downtown Reno that’s blighted. I don’t quite understand, and I’d like to talk to Hillary about this. Why isn’t there a bond issue to buy up that land and put affordable housing there?” Kidd asked.
At the end of the debate, both candidates shook hands. This was the fourth and final election forum organized by Sierra Nevada Forums, the League of Women Voters of Northern Nevada, and the American Association of University Women. KUNR and the Nevada Appeal were media sponsors.
