Catherine Cortez Masto in 2016 NV Senate race
On Drugs:
Legalize medical marijuana, and eventually recreational use
Q: On Marijuana: Decriminalize and/or legalize marijuana? Heck: Supports medical marijuana. Opposes recreational.
Cortez Masto: Supports medical marijuana. Believes recreational legalization will happen, but is premature until more regulatory infrastructure in place.
Source: CampusElect Voter Guide to 2016 Nevada Senate race
Oct 9, 2016
On Foreign Policy:
Supports US-Iran nuclear treaty
Q: On Iran: Support the US-Iran treaty that limits Iran's nuclear capability in return for lifting economic sanctions?Heck: No
Cortez Masto: Yes
Q: On Iraq: Should the US recommit significant additional ground troops to Iraq to combat the success of ISIS?
Heck: Ambiguous. Supports embedded advisors and targeters. Wary of unlimited troop increases.
Cortez Masto: No
Source: CampusElect Voter Guide to 2016 Nevada Senate race
Oct 9, 2016
On Principles & Values:
Served as Assistant County Manager & criminal prosecutor
Q: Please state your qualifications for this office.CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO: I served two terms as Nevada's Attorney General and became well known for integrity and leadership on behalf of Nevada families, women, and seniors.
Prior to serving as Attorney General, I worked as an Assistant County Manager for Clark County, Nevada and served as a federal criminal prosecutor for the United States Attorney's Office in Washington.
Source: Vote411.org League of Women Voters: 2016 Nevada Senate Race
Sep 19, 2016
On Energy & Oil:
Yucca Mountain is dead; fight so it continues to be
As Attorney General, I fought to prevent Washington bureaucrats from turning our state into a nuclear waste dump; as a Senator, I will work with Senator Dean Heller to fight this dangerous scheme that threatens
the health and safety of Nevada families. Yucca Mountain is dead and will continue to be if I'm fortunate enough to be elected as Nevada's next Senator.
Source: 2016 Nevada Senate campaign website CatherineCortezMasto.com
Aug 31, 2016
On War & Peace:
Declare war on ISIS; arm and train the Iraqi Kurds
My husband is a retired Secret Service Agent. We are both gun owners. But imagine the lunacy of letting those listed on the terrorist no-fly list to be able to buy guns like the rest of us.
That makes no sense. It's time we focus on our common good, as Democrats and Republicans, to protect our country.
ISIS is determined to continue to attack us and we must destroy them before more innocent lives are taken.
This starts by Congress declaring war on ISIS. We also need to directly arm and train the Iraqi Kurds to help combat ISIS, as well as increase targeted air strikes and continue supporting our allies in the region to root out terrorists.
Source: 2016 Nevada Senate campaign website CatherineCortezMasto.com
Aug 31, 2016
On War & Peace:
Declare war on ISIS before innocent lives are taken
Cortez Masto's comments on international terrorism: "ISIS is determined to continue to attack us, and we must destroy them before innocent lives are taken.
This starts by Congress declaring war on ISIS. We also need to directly arm and train the Iraqi Kurds to help combat ISIS, as well as increase targeted air strikes and continue supporting our allies in the region to root out terrorism."
Source: Redding.com blog OpEd on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Aug 31, 2016
On Education:
Opposes Education Savings Accounts and school choice
Nevada Democratic Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto, who has received the maximum legal contributions from the nation's two largest teachers' unions, came out against her state's school choice law. Masto told reporters that she opposes the law,
which creates Education Savings Accounts, which allows families to use public education funds to send their children to private or parochial schools.The announcement came after the political action committees of the National Education Association
and the American Federation of Teachers each donated $10,000 to Masto's campaign, the maximum legal amount. Teachers unions vehemently oppose school choice, as it redirects tax dollars to schools whose teachers are less likely to be unionized.
Cortez Masto says the program takes money away from public schools. Asked about how to help children stuck in low-performing schools, she said she supports investments like the tax package backed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval and approved last year.
Source: Washington Free Beacon on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Aug 11, 2016
On Environment:
Endorsed by Sierra Club for protecting Nevada's public lands
The Sierra Club announced its endorsement of Masto for US Senate: "The Sierra Club is proud to endorse strong environmental champion Catherine Cortez Masto for US Senate," said the Sierra Club Executive Director. "From fighting to protect Nevada's
Yucca Mountain from being turned into a nuclear waste dump, to encouraging the continued transition to 100% clean energy, to protecting Nevada's vast and unique public lands, Cortez Masto has consistently stood with Nevadans and we look forward
to working with her in the Senate.""The Sierra Club shares my priorities of protecting and preserving Nevada's public lands for future generations," said Catherine Cortez Masto. "Their support highlights a clear contrast between myself and my
opponent, Congressman Heck. While I am dedicated to ensuring Nevada's lands are protected and our natural resources are utilized to create clean, sustainable jobs, Congressman Heck supports taxpayer giveaways to Big Oil."
Source: Sierra Club press release on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Jul 13, 2016
On Drugs:
I do not see a benefit in our state in legalizing marijuana
Notably, Rep. Joe Heck has voted in favor of House amendments to protect state medical cannabis laws from federal interference and for an amendment to stop the Department of Justice from interfering with any state marijuana law, including those covering
recreational use. He also co-sponsored standalone legislation to improve access to medical cannabis and to allow military veterans to get medical marijuana recommendations through the Department of Veterans Affairs. He also signed on to bills to
allow marijuana businesses to bank and be treated more fairly under the tax code.Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, a former Nevada attorney general, admitted that she "tried marijuana once or twice at parties" but also voted against the state's
2000 ballot initiative that legalized medical cannabis. On broader reform, she said, "I do not see a benefit in our state in legalizing marijuana." (Her husband is a security advisor for a group of medical cannabis dispensaries in Arizona.)
Source: Marijuana.com on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Jun 13, 2016
On Energy & Oil:
Fight making Yucca Mountain a high-level nuclear waste dump
On another hot topic, Cortez Masto said she would continue Reid's 30-year fight against making Yucca Mountain a high-level nuclear waste dump. "It's something I've been fighting and will continue to fight," she said.
Reid endorsed her after announcing his retirement plan, signaling his desire to avoid a competitive Democratic primary.
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal coverage of 2016 Nevada Senate race
Apr 30, 2015
On Health Care:
As A.G., refused to join lawsuit against ObamaCare
While Cortez Masto said she operated as a nonpartisan attorney general, Republicans have accused her of bringing politics into her decision-making. GOP critics point to her refusal to join a lawsuit with other states against the
Affordable Care Act. Cortez Masto defended her actions, saying she didn't see a direct Nevada interest in challenging Obamacare, which the U.S. Supreme Court found to be constitutional.
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal coverage of 2016 Nevada Senate race
Apr 30, 2015
On Abortion:
Endorsed by EMILY's List
Catherine Cortez Masto, seeking to become the first Latina elected to the Senate, has won the endorsement of EMILY's List. The group that supports Democratic women who back abortion rights hailed the former Nevada attorney general as a champion of women
and families. "Catherine is a dedicated public servant with a record of working to make communities safer, prevent violence against women and increase educational opportunities so that all Nevadans have a fair shot," said
EMILY's List President.If she wins the 2016 race, Cortez Masto also would become the first woman elected to the Senate to represent Nevada. She is the fourth female Senate candidate endorsed by
EMILY's List so far this cycle, joining incumbent Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who is seeking a fifth term in 2016, and candidates Kamala Harris in California and Rep. Donna Edwards in Maryland.
Source: USA Today on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Apr 16, 2015
On Civil Rights:
Let Nevada ban same-sex marriage; it's will of the people
In a 55-page brief, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto urges the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on the basis that it reflects the will of the people: "The interest of the State
in defining marriage in this manner is motivated by the state's desire to protect and perpetuate traditional marriage," Masto writes. "In establishing this criterion and others--e.g., age, consanguinity, unmarried status, etc.--the state exercises its
prerogative as a State, and that exercise is entitled to respect."Notably, Masto argues at length that the Ninth Circuit shouldn't apply heightened scrutiny to the ban: "Under an objective application of due process and equal protection analyses,
there is no basis for heightened review of the State's purpose in defining marriage by its traditional meaning," Masto writes. "There exists neither fundamental right, nor suspect or quasi- suspect class, justifying a different standard of review."
Source: Washington Blade on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Jan 23, 2014
On Civil Rights:
States ban bigamy & incest, so why not same-sex marriage?
Ask the attorney general of Nevada about the definition of marriage, and she'll tell you it doesn't include the union of a same-sex couple. But in the same breath, she'll tell you it also doesn't include incest or bigamy either. In a 55-page brief,
Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, in a section titled "Marriage Defined," explains "what marriage is" and "what marriage is not." Masto reminds the court that in addition to not being for same-sex couples under Nevada law, marriage is also
not for those engaging in bigamy or incest. The invocation of bigamy and incest in Nevada's brief before the Ninth Circuit recalls the first legal brief the Obama administration filed in support of the Defense of Marriage Act when it was still
defending the law in court. That brief invoked bigamy and pedophilia to assert the constitutionality of the ban on federal recognition of same-sex marriage, which riled LGBT advocates.
Source: Washington Blade on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Jan 23, 2014
Page last updated: Dec 27, 2019