WINNEMUCCA —Danny Tarkanian, candidate for US Senate, was in town Monday (May 3)  to attend a reception held for him at the home of Dorothy and Darrell Jones.

With the clock ticking and the primary election just four weeks away, Tarkanian’s swing through Winnemucca was part of a rural tour in which he hoped to convince voters he’s not only the best choice to beat US Senator Harry Reid in November – but his Republican values are in line with their own.

Dorothy Jones has met one other candidates in the race and liked what she had to say -- but ultimately decided Tarkanian was the better choice. Dorothy Jones commented, “I felt the more I learned about him that he was really more honest and would say exactly how he felt.”

She added her sense of the candidate was that he loves his country, the Constitution, and was the stronger person of the candidates in the primary race. 

While the Joneses are supporters of Tarkanian, Dorothy Jones said the couple hosted the reception in the interest of the voters.  She said, “I think we should be informed and not just vote for one party or another.”

At the reception was undecided voter Charlene Brookey who reported she doesn’t know too much about any of the candidates and attended to meet Tarkanian and learn more about him.

She liked what Tarkanian had to say – especially on the issue of state’s rights. She agreed with Tarkanian's stance on that issue; that is, that the federal government is too involved in state business and local solutions to problems are better than federal solutions.

While Brookey approved of the candidate’s message, she said she’s waiting to hear from all the candidates before making up her mind.

Speaking on his own behalf, Tarkanian thanked the Joneses for welcoming his family into their home. The reception was very well attended and he commented, “It was wonderful … it was beyond our expectation.”

Tarkanian reported the campaign is going well and, thanks to some recent media buys, he’s getting his message out to a broader audience and felt it was resonating with the public.

Politics is, of course, pay to play. When asked if he would have the money to compete in the general election, assuming he makes it through the June 8 primary, Tarkanian replied in the affirmative. While he hopes to ultimately win in June, he noted his opinion that whoever the candidate is will have the financial support to proceed because there are people all over the country who want Reid replaced.

He noted while he doesn’t have the personal wealth or business contacts of some of the other candidates, he’s been able to move forward thanks to the many supporters of the campaign.

Tarkanian spoke to those in attendance and later took questions.  The following are his general stances on issues raised by attendees:   

• IMMIGRATION:  Is generally supportive of actions taken by Arizona officials to curb illegal immigration. At the federal level, Tarkanian believes more needs to be done to protect the borders and legislators should take away the incentives that bring immigrants illegally into the country. He said he believes this can be done while protecting the ability of seasonal laborers who have valid work permits.
• REAL ID:  Believes this should be decided at the state level and not the federal level.
• SECOND AMENDMENT:  Supports gun rights and, despite what has been said of him by other candidates, did not support the ban an assault weapons.  He is a life-long member of the NRA.
• FEDERAL SPENDING:  Tarkanian believes taxes on businesses and corporations should be limited so US industry can compete with foreign industry where there are less regulations and lower wages to be paid. His economic plan supports a balanced budget amendment, the elimination of pork projects, and the removal of certain functions of the federal government to the state government – with specific reference to the Department of Education.
• HEALTHCARE REFORM: Generally not supportive of the legislation passed by Congress to reform healthcare but added it was highly unlikely, realistically, the legislation will be repealed.
• HEALTH CARE:  Tarkanian believes people should be allowed to purchase insurance across state lines and the competition resulting from that action will reduce costs; supports tort reform – especially in the area of defensive medicine where procedures are performed that are probably unnecessary but are done anyway in the interest of avoiding lawsuits; believes the law that makes Medicare the insurance of last resort should be enforced; and believes some state mandates should be eliminated in order to drive down the cost of health care.
• TRASH ACT:  Is generally not supportive of federal legislation on issues that would be best regulated by the state.  On the proposed Jungo Rd. landfill, he said those decisions are best left to local residents and not the federal government.
• YUCCA MOUNTAIN:  Is generally supportive of the plan to store nuclear waste at the southern Nevada facility because he believes it can be done safety and will benefit the state economically. (Clarified per the request of the Tarkanian campaign). Tarkanian wants nuclear waste recycled at Yucca Mt. and not stored permanently.
• MINING TAX: Tarkanian noted the mining tax is a state issue and not a federal issue. However, he commented he would not support efforts to change the mining tax structure so that mines are taxed on net instead of gross proceeds.
• ENVIRONMENT: While generally supportive of legislation that protects the environment, does not believe the cost of that protections should come at the expense of industry or small businesses. As an example, he notes an area of California where farmers whose families have been generations on the land are being put out of business by regulations to protect the delta smelt.
• ABORTION:  Tarkanian identified himself as Catholic and said he is pro-life and believes life begins at conception. He added he does not believe in interfering with the rights of others and said abortion should be eliminated by educating the public on the issue.

Previous posts on this candidate:

 Tarkanian reaches out to local voters

Tarkanian attends Labor Day parade