Republican U.S. Representative and Senate-hopeful Joe Heck recently dropped his support for Presidential nominee Donald Trump. That decision was scrutinized during last week’s debate between Heck and his democratic opponent Catherine Cortez Masto.
Reno Public Radio’s Noah Glick has more.
Congressman Joe Heck was booed when he first told a crowd of supporters that he would not only not vote for Trump, but urged the candidate to step down.
During the only debate between the two candidates, hosted by KLAS in Las Vegas, Heck said the decision was personal.
“It’s what I owe my family, it’s what I owe the people who elected me to represent them in the halls of Congress,” he said, “And as an emergency department doctor I’ve taken care of far too many women who have been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.”
His opponent, former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, says Heck’s motivation was more of a political maneuver.
“For eight months, nine months, he was Donald Trump’s biggest supporter,” she said. “When Donald Trump was attacking POW’s, when he was taking on, attacking gold star families, Congressman Heck had no problem with Donald Trump’s finger on the button.”
Cortez Masto says she still supports Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton, in light of her ongoing email controversy. Congressman Heck attacked Clinton, saying her leadership in the state department put the lives of Americans in danger.