Last week, I published this piece about Danny Tarkanian:
Tarkanian Praised a ‘I Hate Trump’ Headline. Now He Wants Trump Voters.
Lois Choate, the state director for Tarkanian's failed 2018 Senate race, had a lot to say about it.
She offered a 900-word rebuttal, including many names for me and my recent column.
Sen. Lindsey Graham and Lois Choate
She called it a “political hit piece.” A “campaign-style opinion attack piece.” “Not objective reporting.”
She said I “misled” readers. That I “twisted” words. That I took things “out of context.” That I portrayed her candidate “in a false light.” That I was trying to “fool voters.”
I have one word for Choate: wrong.
What I actually wrote was not a column of my opinions. It was a column of Danny Tarkanian's opinions — in his own words, linked to his own blog, sourced from his own social media.
On Labels and Journalism
Choate is correct about one thing. I am not a journalist. Neither is Chuck Muth, with whom I write at NN&V. We are conservative political writers and commentators, and we say so openly.
We do not pretend to be neutral. We do not hide behind a mask of fake objectivity.
That is a feature, not a bug. Voters know exactly where we stand.
What Choate cannot explain is how quoting a candidate's own words, from his own blog, with a direct link provided, constitutes misleading anyone.
Choate Gets the Facts Wrong
She claims I twisted a tweet Danny merely “liked.” That is not what happened.
Tarkanian did not quietly tap a heart on some random post. He shared an article titled “I hate Trump, but I'm glad he won” and publicly called it “right on the money.”
I provided the post for readers, and will do so again.
That is a deliberate, public act from a man now asking Trump voters for their support.
Choate also claims I called Tarkanian “not a true Republican.” I did not write that phrase. Not once.
Readers can check the original article themselves. That quote exists nowhere in my piece.
If Choate is going to accuse me of putting words in people's mouths, she should be careful not to put words in mine.
The McDonald Quote Problem
Choate's response includes a quote from Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald praising Danny Tarkanian. It was meant to signal Trump-world loyalty and support.
So I asked McDonald about it directly. His response?
“I don't recall that at all. I would like to know when that was.”
Well, it turns out the quote came from a 2018 rally introduction during one of Tarkanian's numerous failed campaigns.
That is what party chairs do at rallies. They introduce candidates.
Nobody who follows Nevada politics closely believes McDonald is currently in Tarkanian's corner. The tacit suggestion that he is supporting Tarkanian is laughable and patently absurd.
Digging up a seven-year-old rally introduction to imply current support is exactly the kind of move that should make voters more suspicious, not less.
Amy Tarkanian Is a Public Figure
Choate wants Danny's wife, Amy Tarkanian, to be treated like a private citizen with no relevant political history. But that is not who Amy Tarkanian is.
She was chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party. She is a regular television news commentator. 
I did not write about her recent DUI or take any below-the-belt jabs. I wrote about recent political actions — specifically the Tarkanians' involvement in the Attorney General races, across the last two election cycles.
She actively joined “Republicans for (Aaron) Ford,” appeared in television ads supporting Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford over the Republican nominee, and helped keep him in office.
She and Danny were both expelled from the Douglas County Republican Central Committee by unanimous vote for their combined cross-party endorsements.
These are public actions by a public figure. Anyone clutching pearls over that needs a reality check.
Informing voters about the recent political history of a former state party chair is not a cheap shot. It's basic context. And that context matters enormously when deciding who to trust with the Nevada Attorney General's office.
Besides, who are they to tell the media what we are allowed to talk about?
What That Decision Produced
The endorsement of Ford did not happen in a vacuum. It helped produce the situation Nevada conservatives are living with right now.
Aaron Ford has filed more than 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration since January 2025. He is actively prosecuting six Nevada Republicans, including Michael McDonald himself, over the 2020 alternate electors matter.
The Nevada AG's office has become one of the most aggressive anti-Trump legal platforms in the western United States.
Voters have a right to know who helped put Ford in office.
On Silencing Commentary
The most revealing part of Choate's response was the push for more disclaimers, different labels, and warnings that my piece was not hard news.
It did not need any of that. It discusses public figures on matters of direct public concern. It is accurate, and it is protected speech.
It includes the same disclaimer that each of my pieces published at NN&V does: “The opinions expressed by contributors are their own…”
How many warnings do we need to slap on before people accept that commentary exists on the internet?
More importantly, what does it say about a candidate for Attorney General who is more concerned with whether the media is allowed to speak than with answering the actual substance of the piece?
When a candidate's allies respond to fair criticism not by disproving facts but by attacking the messenger and demanding labels, that tells you something. It tells you the facts are not in dispute.
Danny Tarkanian has a long, complicated, public record. Nevada conservatives deserve to know what it is before casting a vote that determines who holds the most powerful law enforcement office in this state.
Choate can call it a hit piece. I call it a vetting piece.
Attempting to censor, sanitize, and frankly shame media into silence is not the answer. If Tarkanian's allies are uncomfortable with his own words being repeated back to voters, the answer is not better spin.
The answer is a better candidate.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
