美国国家公共电台 NPR--Nevada is a crucial state for the midterm elections

Nevada is a crucial state for the midterm elections

Transcript¹

Latino voters wield² a lot power in the swing state of Nevada, where the midterm elections could determine which party controls Congress in the new year.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

There are a handful of states that could end up tipping the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. Nevada is one of them. Democratic U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto faces Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, who's backed by former President Donald Trump⁴. Three other congressional Democrats⁵ in the state are facing stiff challenges. So is Nevada's Democratic governor, Steve Sisolak. Our co-host A Martínez went to Nevada to talk with voters who could make the difference.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

All these contests could be heavily swayed by Latino and working class voters in Clark County, Nevada's most populous⁶ jurisdiction⁷, where 4 out of every 5 Latinos in the state live. That's why we went there to speak with some of those workers and the Democrats and Republicans racing⁸ to win their support.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)

MART?NEZ: The battle for Las Vegas' working class is playing out here in Sunrise Manor⁹, a majority Latino neighborhood on the city's east side.

HELDER TOSTE: Hi there.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Hello.

TOSTE: Is this the Reyes (ph) family?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yeah.

TOSTE: Is Daridez (ph) home?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: No, no. He's not here. No.

TOSTE: No. I have information for him, actually, for the upcoming election.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: OK.

TOSTE: We're just talking to Latino voters about participating.

MART?NEZ: Helder Toste is with Operacion Vamos. It's the National Republican Senatorial Committee's get-out-the-vote campaign targeting Latinos.

TOSTE: Nevada's sort of like the new Florida in that it's a state that becomes more diverse but is also voting more Republican.

MART?NEZ: He says there's a growing number of Republican voters in this neighborhood.

TOSTE: And so we think if we keep up the pressure, we're going to be able to flip¹⁰ the state.

MART?NEZ: Operation Vamos has reached out to more than 300,000 voters in Nevada since April, according to Toste. There are more than 2 million registered voters in the state, and their goal is to drive support for GOP Senate candidate Adam Laxalt.

(SOUNDBITE OF GRAVEL¹¹ CRUNCHING)

MART?NEZ: Toste walks up to front doors holding Republican literature in Spanish and English. He says many people in this neighborhood work long hours on construction sites or in the glitzy hotels and casinos lining¹² the Las Vegas strip. On one street, he spots two young Latino men sitting in folding chairs on a driveway.

TOSTE: (Speaking Spanish).

GUILLERMO PEREZ: (Speaking Spanish).

TOSTE: (Speaking Spanish).

MART?NEZ: He meets Guillermo Perez (ph), who's unwinding with his cousin after work. Perez says he doesn't follow politics closely, but his uncle supports Nevada's Democratic governor. He says his uncle told him the Republican challenger, Joe Lombardo, would be bad for Latinos.

PEREZ: It won't go good for, you know, for us, the Hispanics and, you know, our people, you know, like immigrants and stuff like that. You know about Joe Arpaio from Arizona.

TOSTE: Yeah. I mean...

PEREZ: You know, he's kind of the same guy.

TOSTE: I don't think...

PEREZ: Well, from what I heard, he's kind of like the same guy as him.

MART?NEZ: Arpaio is the former sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona. He was convicted in 2017 for willfully defying court orders to stop detaining undocumented immigrants and racially profiling Latino drivers, but was later pardoned by the Trump administration. Despite what he's heard about Lombardo, Perez says he does not identify as a Democrat³. His friends say good things about Trump, and his mom votes Republican. Lately, though, he's been thinking about getting more civically¹⁴ engaged.

PEREZ: I have never even voted. But this year, I think me and my lady are also willing to vote, you know, because we're at that age where it's like, you know, quit playing around. We need to look out for our communities and stuff and see what's good for our children, you know, because we do have kids now.

MART?NEZ: Toste says he can't be sure if Perez will vote his way, but he thinks just having a conversation is important.

TOSTE: Part of it is like the exchange of ideas, you know, offering a different perspective. And part of it is, you know, at the end of the day, you never know.

MART?NEZ: He says a voter who seems on the fence or disengaged right now could easily vote Republican later.

TOSTE: If we can get 20% of the vote in this precinct, which is normally very Democrat, that's great. If I get 25, what's happening? We're taking votes directly from the Democrat side because that's who they've been voting for.

MART?NEZ: Not far from Sunrise Manor, Democrats are working just as diligently¹⁵ to keep Nevada blue.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: We vote.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: We win.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: We vote.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: We win.

MART?NEZ: This is a packed auditorium¹⁶ at the headquarters of the local Culinary Workers Union. Dozens of people who work in Las Vegas' hospitality industry are gathered here for a meeting that feels like a political rally. The union is a powerful turnout machine for Democrats.

TED¹³ PAPPAGEORGE: Working-class people are dealing¹⁷ with inflation. We got these giant oil companies that are price-gouging us with high prices of gas at the pump.

MART?NEZ: Ted Pappageorge is its secretary-treasurer.

PAPPAGEORGE: We know Republicans aren't going to take on big oil. Republicans aren't going to take on Wall Street landlords. They're in love with big oil. They're in love with Wall Street landlords.

MART?NEZ: After the meeting, Pappageorge sits down with us for an interview in a back room. He says Culinary Workers Union members have been hitting Las Vegas neighborhoods hard, collecting signatures for a petition in support of rent control.

PAPPAGEORGE: At the top of that petition, our voters will see, and our members, Governor Sisolak, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. They've been in this fight from the beginning. And when we have those kind of conversations, the voters - we're seeing the energy, and we lay out a plan to win.

MART?NEZ: A big part of that plan is getting some face time with voters.

LINDA HUNT: Hi, how are you?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Good. How are you?

HUNT: I'm great. My name is Linda Hunt with the Culinary Union.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Hi.

MART?NEZ: Linda Hunt works in food service at a local casino. She's taken a leave of absence from her job to knock on doors for the union. Canvassing¹⁸ the city's north side, she talks to voters about economic policies that Nevada Democrats supported, such as pandemic unemployment benefits.

HUNT: And they also made it possible for us to get that $600 a week.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: OK. Yes.

HUNT: Yes, unemployment. That was awesome¹⁹.

MART?NEZ: She leaves this voter with some Democratic Party literature and says it was a productive chat.

HUNT: I feel awesome. You know, anytime you hear a voter say that they support the cause, that's what we're here for, to stay blue up and down the ballot²⁰.

MART?NEZ: Hunt also meets people she can't reach. Some are too busy working. Others don't see the point in voting, or they just don't agree with her, like Yolanda Palacios (ph). She spoke²¹ with us right after union members made their pitch on her doorstep.

YOLANDA PALACIOS: (Speaking Spanish).

MART?NEZ: Palacios says she doesn't like the liberalism of Democrats. She says she's conservative, and that's what guides her vote. Democrats say they are concerned about Latino voters supporting Republicans, but they're even more concerned about low turnout.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LE FREAK")

CHIC²²: (Singing) Ah, freak out.

MART?NEZ: In north Las Vegas, music is blasting at the Pearson Community Center. It's an early voting site in a largely Black neighborhood. Jon Ralston meets us there. He's a journalist who's covered Nevada politics for nearly 40 years. He says Democrats have managed to hold on to power in the state since 2016, but their dominance is not guaranteed.

JON RALSTON: The real problems the Democrats have here are the same they have all over the country, which is Joe Biden's numbers are terrible. Even in Democratic polls, they are under 40% in Nevada. And when you have a U.S. senator who's a Democrat, it's easy to tie her to Joe Biden and the problems that people see the Democrats having caused.

MART?NEZ: And Republicans are capitalizing on that. Ralston says the late Senator Harry²³ Reid helped harness the voting power of Clark County's Latinos.

RALSTON: He used to go to a Hispanic meeting and say, it's great that you're all here, but none of you are registered. And even the ones that are don't vote. You need to change that.

MART?NEZ: The Republican and Democratic candidates in Nevada's U.S. Senate contest appear locked in a tight race. Representatives from both parties say they plan to keep knocking on doors all the way through Election Day.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 wield   

vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等)

参考例句：

• They wield enormous political power.他们行使巨大的政治权力。
• People may wield the power in a democracy.在民主国家里，人民可以行使权力。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

7 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

8 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

9 manor   

n.庄园，领地

参考例句：

• The builder of the manor house is a direct ancestor of the present owner.建造这幢庄园的人就是它现在主人的一个直系祖先。
• I am not lord of the manor,but its lady.我并非此地的领主，而是这儿的女主人。

10 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

11 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

12 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

13 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

14 civically   

爱嘲笑地，冷笑地

参考例句：

• "Holding down the receiver,'said Daisy cynically. “挂上话筒在讲。”黛西冷嘲热讽地说。
• The Democrats sensibly (if cynically) set about closing the God gap. 民主党在明智（有些讽刺）的减少宗教引起的问题。

15 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

16 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

17 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

18 canvassing   

v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的现在分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查

参考例句：

• He spent the whole month canvassing for votes. 他花了整整一个月四处游说拉选票。
• I'm canvassing for the Conservative Party. 我在为保守党拉选票。 来自辞典例句

19 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

20 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

21 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

22 chic   

n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的

参考例句：

• She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
• The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。

23 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。