Laxalt's Tour Through Silver State Makes Its Way to Mineral County
Posted by Heidi Bunch | Nov 15, 2017 | News, Top Stories | 0 |
Nevada attorney general Adam Laxalt speaks with Dolores Nixon, a long-time Hawthorne resident, during his 17-county tour through Nevada. Laxalt announced he is running for governor earlier in the week.
Making his way through 17 Nevada counties, Adam Laxalt, stopped in Hawthorne Saturday to announce his run for Governor of Nevada.
Introduced by Mineral County Sheriff Randy Adams, who works closely with Laxalt in his position as Attorney General, Adams endorsed Laxalt for his service first attitude and willingness to work closely with law enforcement and placing Nevada first.
Adams described Laxalt as conservative with a service first attitude.
Instead of standing directly over those in attendance, Laxalt made his announcement in a more intimate setting, speaking at eye level and taking only a few minutes to describe why he chose to run for governor.
"This will be an incredibly challenging race but an important race for Nevada," he told the audience. "I want guys to know how motivated I am to run for this race and how important this is."
Laxalt explained his journey from childhood to Nevada Attorney General. Raised by his single-parent mother, Michelle, Laxalt explained that his teen years were troubled, having fallen in with the wrong crowd. Able to overcome those mistakes, he went on to serve in the U.S. Navy where he was trained as a prosecutor and legal advisor. He served as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) and served in Iraq at Forwarding Operating Base Camp Victory.
During his service to this country, Laxalt and his team would be in charge of more than 20,000 detainees during the Surge [the Surge happened in 2007 when U.S. President George W. Bush increased the number of American troops to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Province in Iraq.] During this time, he assisted in keeping U.S. troops "and the world" safer by assisting with thousands of war criminals detention and prosecution. For this service, Laxalt was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal. His unit was presented the Joint Meritorious Unit Award.
His experience on and off the battlefields would help mold him in such careers as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and as a Special Advisor to the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, John R. Bolton. A biography of Laxalt states, "Throughout his time in military and government service, he has worked to put Americans' security first."
"When I went to law school I never thought I'd be in the same place as men who tried to bring the world to its knees, but working to keep the most dangerous terrorists in the world off the battlefield shaped me as an officer and as a man," Laxalt said in a speech announcing his campaign. He was joined on this trip to Hawthorne with a friend and fellow Baghdad soldier, Chris Jeter (who received a round of applause.)
Sworn into office on Jan. 5, 2015 (and at that time, the youngest Attorney General in the country), Laxalt initiated the state's first-ever Law Enforcement Summit, held twice a year to bring together Nevada's law enforcement so that they can address growing criminal trends and issues. He has also worked on clearing up the backlog of untested sexual assault kits as well as addressing elder abuse and guardianship exploitation.
Laxalt touched on the needs of Nevada including education, economic development, and public safety. He vowed to continue to work with Nevada law enforcement agencies if elected governor.
"This will be an incredibly important race for Nevada. We need to work hard on our principals and keep Nevada moving in the direction in which we want it to go," he explained in his off the cuff speech.
Laxalt took time to speak directly to each person in attendance, answering their questions, listening to their concerns and reflecting on stories of those who knew his grandfather, Paul.
A soon-to-be father of three, Laxalt described why he entered this race. "I am running for governor so that future generations of Nevadans can dream and thrive in the years to come. I am running for Governor so that Sophia, Isabella, and my soon-to-be-born son can live in a new chapter of liberty, the same liberty that drew immigrants like Dominique Laxalt and thousands of others to this land across the generations."
If interested in asking Laxalt questions about his gubernatorial race or to learn more, he can be reached at adamlaxalt.com.
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