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‘Squishy’ state Assembly district sees Lombardo-backed Republican challenging Democrat

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‘Squishy’ state Assembly district sees Lombardo-backed Republican challenging Democrat

Oct 14, 2024 | 8:24 am ET
By April Corbin Girnus
‘Squishy’ state Assembly district sees Lombardo-backed Republican challenging Democrat
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Democratic Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola, Republican challenger April Arndt.

In her first two election cycles, Democratic Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola faced Republicans who had advanced to the general election by defeating more moderate counterparts. This year, Republicans appear to be taking a new approach to the highly competitive Assembly District 21.

Marzola, an attorney who has represented the district since 2020, must defend her seat from Republican April Arndt, a challenger who presents as moderate but may, according to another assemblywoman, actually be  “very conservative.”

Arndt was one of several candidates who was backed early and enthusiastically by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. The governor has made a concerted effort this election cycle to block Democrats from securing a veto-proof supermajority.

Arndt is a retired Henderson police officer and special victims unit detective who has lived in Nevada for more than three decades, according to campaign materials. She is also a mother of three and the wife of a Henderson firefighter.

She did not respond to the Current’s request for an interview.

Arndt’s campaign website displays endorsements by Lombaro and various law enforcement groups. The website lists the economy, education, crime and safety, and immigration as issues of focus but does not delve into details on specific policies.

Marzola says, if reelected, she plans on sponsoring “three or four” bills related to health care. She did not elaborate, but that would be in line with her work over the past two sessions, which included sponsoring (and seeing become law) legislation related to dentistry, naprapathy, and anesthesiology.

Last year’s Assembly Bill 270 established state licensure for certified anesthesiologist assistants (CAAs), which were not previously able to work within Nevada. Marzola said it’s one of the bills she is proudest of working on.

“We have a shortage of medical providers,” she said. “Any legislation that adds to our health care is priceless. We had a lot of amazing humans who went through our school system, went to undergrad, used the Millennium Scholarship, then weren’t able to stay in our state. They’d take courses to become an anesthesiologist assistant but couldn’t come back here to Nevada.”

She is also exploring the possibility of submitting a bill draft request related to artificial intelligence, an emerging area of legislative efforts across the country.

If reelected, Marzola is expected to return as chair of the Assembly Commerce & Labor Committee, which she says outsiders sometimes assume is boring but in actuality sees a slew of important bills that “affect our state greatly.” She pointed to past legislation related to paid family leave, prescription drug prices and health care licensure as examples of the types of issue the committee deals with.

Squishy district

Marzola was first elected to represent Assembly District 21 in 2020. A political newcomer, Marzola defeated Republican Cherlyn Arrington, who claimed she had co-founded the extremist group The Oath Keepers. Two years later, she successfully defended the seat against Las Vegas Pain Relief Centers CEO and chiropractor Jon Petrick.

In both races, Marzola won by approximately 1,200 votes — equivalent to 4 and 5 percentage points, respectively.

Petrick ran again this year but was defeated in his party’s primary by Arndt.

Republican Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant, who is running unopposed and will re-election automatically, was recorded commenting on the race the day after the primary. Arndt had defeated Petrick by 11 percentage points. Petrick had campaigned as “the only candidate in my race to endorse President Trump.”

In the recording, Gallant appears to suggest that a “MAGA MAGA Republican” was not electable in the district’s general election.

“Some of our districts are a little squishy, and we can’t run those kinds of candidates in those particular districts,” she told a group of Republicans. “So if we wanna gain some, the majority, slowly, we are gonna have to in the Legislature, support our governor and protect our veto power, we need candidates that present moderate, even though they are very conservative.”

Gallant declined to clarify or elaborate on her comments to the Current

Marzola said her track record “speaks for itself.”

“I don’t pretend to be moderate,” she said. “I am moderate. I don’t pretend to be moderate so that I can win and then change my stance on things. I am who I am and I’ve proven it for the last four years. If you are MAGA, don’t pretend to Assembly District 21 that you are not in order to win a race because now you’re deceiving the constituents that I represent.”

Campaign finance

Marzola had raised $149,000 as of June 30, according to campaign finance reports. Top contributors include the Clark County Education Association, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager’s Nevada Strong PAC, and a Washington DC-based outfit called The PAC for America’s Future that is focused on supporting Democrats in state legislative races.

Arndt had raised $109,000 as of June 30, according to campaign finance reports. Top contributors include Las Vegas-based venture capitalist Ben Horowitz and his wife Felicia Horowitz, Gallant and her BRAT PAC, and Lombardo-aligned Better Nevada and Nevada Way PACs.

The final campaign finance reports before Election Day are due to the state on Oct. 15.

[Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect Assemblywoman Gallant’s statements after the AD21 primary.]