Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill may face an uphill battle in the Nevada governor’s race, but on Wednesday morning, dozens of her supporters packed a wing of a downtown Las Vegas restaurant to hear her economic proposals.

Retiree Madonna Raffini recently shopped for groceries for herself and her 96-year-old mother. “I went into Walmart, of all places, and looked at the meat — little teeny steaks. Two of them, less than a quarter-inch thick, $18.99. That’s outrageous,” said the former Wells Fargo employee. “We can’t afford to eat beef anymore, or chicken for that matter. So that’s my No. 1 beef” in the 2024 election.

Nevada — land of Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam — is one of several swing states expected to decide the outcome of the presidential election. With its six electoral votes, the Silver State could help propel Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump to victory.

The Declaration of Independence does not prescribe a particular form of government for the securing of our inalienable rights, but it leaves no doubt that government is necessary. The people may be the best judge of how the mask fits, but these days, can we do without masks?

When the 2020 presidential nomination season kicks off in February, it won’t start with a primary — where voters go to their polling place and cast a secret ballot — but with caucuses. While the vast majority of states hold primary elections, a few use these more complicated events to show their preferences for candidates.

Hard-working people want to be responsible citizens but often don’t know how. What are we to make of the never-ending parade of news, the partisan voices yelling at one another, the seeming impossibility of understanding “the big political picture” without devoting a lifetime of study to it?

In this year's presidential race, the stakes seem higher than ever and the electorate in the West is more diverse and engaged in the past. Reading the news, it's easy to know who is up, who is down and which candidate is embroiled in the latest drama, but our latest Soundtable discussion takes a deep dive into where presidential hopefuls stand on issues important to the American West. So, what Western issues are gaining importance as the candidates move through their campaigns — and which ones are getting left behind?

At a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas last October, a Colombian emigrant named Myriam Witcher walked out onto the stage, her black ponytail swinging. She clutched a tiny American flag and a copy of People magazine with the billionaire Republican front-runner featured on the cover. “I’m Hispanic, and I vote for Mr. Trump!” she cried. “We love you, all the way to the White House!”