Andy Matthews announces campaign for Nevada Assembly District 37

Former Nevada Policy Research Institute president launches bid for key swing seat.

Adam Laxalt, former Nevada Attorney General, heads long list of
Nevada conservatives and Republicans backing Matthews’ candidacy.

LAS VEGAS — Andy Matthews, former President of the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI), today announced his candidacy for Nevada’s 37th Assembly District amid strong, broad support from leading Nevada conservatives and Republicans.

“This is a pivotal time in Nevada’s history, with a clear and crucial choice facing the voters of our state and our district,” Matthews said. “The Democrat majority in Carson City has sent us all an unmistakable message. They intend to fundamentally change our Silver State, replacing our heritage of freedom and prosperity with a radical, reckless agenda of bigger government, higher taxes, more job-killing regulations, and fewer individual liberties.

“The people of District 37 deserve and demand better. The citizens I hear from want a new voice in our state capital, one who will fight to defend the ideals that have long made Nevada such a unique land of opportunity. They want someone who will work to preserve freedom, to limit government to its proper role, to uphold our Constitution, and to set the right priorities for our communities, including quality jobs, better health care, an improved education system, and safer neighborhoods. I’m proud of my record in fighting for those ideals, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue that fight as our next Assemblyman.” 

Under Matthews’ leadership, NPRI ― Nevada’s foremost champion for conservative principles ― was a strong and effective advocate for school choice, fiscal accountability, pro-growth economic policies, and government transparency, and led the intellectual effort to soundly defeat the margin tax ballot initiative in 2014. Matthews also served as Executive Director at Morning in Nevada PAC and as Policy Director for the 2018 gubernatorial campaign of Adam Laxalt, who announced his support for Matthews’ candidacy.

“It is not often that you get to endorse and support both someone you have fought directly in the trenches with and a friend. Andy Matthews is going to be a great Assemblyman for District 37,” said Laxalt, a U.S. Navy and Iraq War veteran who served as Nevada Attorney General from 2015-2019. “Andy has fought tirelessly alongside me for our shared conservative principles, and for the ideals that make Nevada the incredible place it is. He has the vision, the values, and the political courage to help lead our state to a brighter future.”

In addition to Laxalt’s support, Matthews also announced endorsements from several other leading Nevada conservatives, including: former Nevada Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt-Bono; former Nevada Governor Robert List; Las Vegas City Council members Stavros Anthony and Victoria Seaman; former District 37 Assemblyman Jim Marchant; former Republican National Committeeman Joe Brown; former state Senator and Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers; former Nevada Republican Party Chair and state Senator Sue Lowden; and former state Controller Ron Knecht, among others.

“I’m proud and honored to have the trust and confidence of Nevada’s conservative leaders,” Matthews said. “They know what I know ― that Nevada cannot afford to take another step down the road of far-left extremism, and that protecting our state’s future will require a commitment to the right principles. And they know I’ll work every day to promote those principles in Carson City.”

District 37 is currently held by Democrat Shea Backus, who won the seat narrowly in 2018 and was a consistent supporter of the Democrats’ far-left agenda during the 2019 Legislative Session. The District 37 race is widely expected to be one of the most competitive of the 2020 election cycle and a crucial seat in determining the balance of power in the Nevada Legislature.

Learn more at AndyForNevada.com.