ELECTION/GOP/SENATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: There was not an overabundance of enthusiasm for Senator Dean Heller when the Nevada Republican Men’s Club gathered for its monthly luncheon at the Bali Hai Golf Club here. Karl Johnson, a precinct director for the Clark County Republican Party, wrinkled his nose and raised his eyebrows when asked about Mr. Heller’s prospects for re-election. Paul Workman, a banker who supports Mr. Heller, said conservatives are complaining to him about the Republican senator’s shifting stances on health care…For Mr. Heller, 58, an easygoing ranch owner who is in the unenviable position of being the only Senate Republican up for re-election in a state that Hillary Clinton carried, the ‘hold your nose’ vote may be critical this fall. He is still trying to recover from last year’s health care debacle, when he enraged conservatives by voting against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act — only to anger moderates and Democrats when he turned around and voted for a narrower version of the repeal…He is struggling to mend fences with backers of President Trump, who have not forgotten that in 2016 he declared himself ‘vehemently opposed’ to Mr. Trump as a candidate. They are suspicious of his recent embrace of the president. But his appeal will have to extend well beyond Mr. Trump’s supporters in a state where polls show Mr. Trump’s popularity near or below 40 percent.”
-Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Dean Heller, Buffeted on Both Sides, Tries to Save His Nevada Senate Seat,” The New York Times online, May 13, 2018