Back on July 8, CNN’s AC360 had a full report on a marquee Senate race in Nevada and, instead of focusing on the economy and the crushing blows businesses have suffered due to the pandemic, host Anderson Cooper and correspondent Kyung Lah made it seem as though abortion was the driving issue. And to do so, they touted “registered Republican” Susan Fisher as turned off by the GOP.
And, better yet for liberals, incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto turned the segment into a web video, which consisted of Fisher speaking alongside the senator at a pro-abortion protest.
A closer review of Fisher’s campaign donations showed that description was, at best, dubious as a NewsBusters review found the Silver State lobbyist has given nearly $5,785 since 2002 to Democrats compared to only $3,950 for Republicans.
Cooper insisted in a tease that abortion was “dominating the Senate race in the key battleground state of Nevada,” and in the lead-in to Lah’s report that “protecting reproductive rights” and Biden’s call to elect pro-abortion lawmakers was “a hot topic.”
As if the piece was done in conjunction with the Cortez Masto campaign, Lah opened from the get-go with Fisher and a chyron to make sure viewers knew she was a Republican in exile:
LAH: In the battleground state of Nevada, the balance of the U.S. Senate —
FISHER: The woman's right to choose is not a partisan issue.
LAH: — may lie with abortion rights supporters like Susan Fisher.
FISHER: I'm a registered Republican the day I turned 18.
LAH: How angry are you about what's happened on this issue?
FISHER: On a scale of one to 10 about a nine and a half.
LAH: That's pretty angry.
FISHER: Yes.
LAH: Angry enough to reject her party's Senate nominee and instead support a Democrat.
Lah added that the Silver State has had abortion codified in its constitution since 1990, so one would think she would point out that Laxalt has maintained the issue is settled in his state.
But, alas, we’re dealing with CNN, a network where dishonesty and liberal partisanship rule (click “expand”):
LAH: In the 2022 midterms on the heels of Roe v. Wade being overturned, Fisher fears that that work could be unspun.
FISHER: I do think that this is going to be a pivotal issue for a lot of races, and especially in this state.
LAH: How many women out there do you think are like you?
FISHER: I think a whole lot more than we know. I really do.
MASTRO: The opponent who was running against me is would be the vote that would support a federal abortion ban.
LAH: The majority of Nevadans support abortion rights and incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is seizing on the issue to hammer away a Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt —
LAXALT: My name is Adam Laxalt. I'm ready to fight for what is right.
LAH: — who was mounting a significant challenge backed by Donald Trump.
Lah dismissed Laxalt’s insistence, instead pointing to a recording of Laxalt saying “we’ve got work to do” on supporting life in Nevada as a smoking gun. That’s despite the fact that, if he were a elected, a U.S. Senator wouldn’t be able to alter a state’s constitution. Rather, that’d be an issue for the state legislature.
Only at the tail end did Lah point out that abortion isn’t everything for voters, acknowledging that “the outrage front and center among voters is on prices affecting their pocketbooks” and even some “Democrats say abortion rights are vital, but so is feeding their families tonight.”
As for Fisher’s donations, a Federal Elections Commission (FEC) search for “Susan Fisher” and “Susan L. Fisher” from Nevada yielded 26 donations dating back to November 2002 with 14 going to Democrats and related groups:
- Congressman Steven Horsford (five donations) = $3,250
- Congresswoman Diane Titus (four donations) = $1,500
- John Lee for Congress (two donations) = $750
- Senator Harry Reid (one donation) = $250
- ActBlue (two donations) = $35
And here are her 12 donations to Republicans and related groups:
- Congressman Mark Amodei (four donations) = $3,000
- Senator Dean Heller (one donation) = $500
- Scott Hammond for Congress (one donation) = $250
- WinRed (four donations) = $100
- Romney 2012 (one donation) = $50
- Nevada GOP (one donation) = $50
It’s safe to say it’s unsurprising for a lobbyist in a purple state. But to say she’s a sort of ardent Republican is patently absurd.
CNN’s act of covert liberal activism was made possible thanks to advertisers such as Amazon Prime Video and Lexus. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant CNN transcript from July 18, click “expand.”
CNN’s AC360
July 8, 2022
8:49 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Coming Up; Abortion Dominates Nevada Campaign Trail]
ANDERSON COOPER: Coming up, President Biden signs an executive order on abortion rights. Question is what’ll — actually does? And abortion dominating the Senate race in the key battleground state of Nevada, next.
(....)
8:53 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: After Roe; Biden Signs Executive Order Aimed at Safeguarding Abortion Rights]
COOPER: President Biden today signed an executive order aiming at protecting reproductive rights in the wake of last month's Supreme Court decision, the White House saying the Secretary of Health and Human Services will issue a report outlining efforts to expand access to contraception, increased public outreach, provide new legal assistance to patients and doctors and focus on protecting patient privacy. Doing more, the President said, calls for electing lawmakers this November who would support federal legislation protecting abortion access. That, as CNN's Kyung Lah reports, it is a hot topic on the campaign trail in Nevada's Senate race.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: After Roe; Abortion Key Issue in Nevada Senate Race]
KYUNG LAH: In the battleground state of Nevada, the balance of the U.S. Senate —
SUSAN FISHER, REGISTERED REPUBLICAN: The woman's right to choose is not a partisan issue.
LAH: — may lie with abortion rights supporters like Susan Fisher.
FISHER: I'm a registered Republican the day I turned 18.
LAH: How angry are you about what's happened on this issue?
FISHER: On a scale of one to 10 about a nine and a half.
LAH: That's pretty angry.
FISHER: Yes.
LAH: Angry enough to reject her party's Senate nominee and instead support a Democrat. In 1990, Nevada voters codified abortion access into the state constitution. Then a young mother of two, Fisher was one of the activists who went door to door to convince voters. In the 2022 midterms on the heels of Roe v. Wade being overturned, Fisher fears that that work could be unspun.
FISHER: I do think that this is going to be a pivotal issue for a lot of races, and especially in this state.
LAH: How many women out there do you think are like you?
FISHER: I think a whole lot more than we know. I really do.
SENATOR CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTRO (D-NV): The opponent who was running against me is would be the vote that would support a federal abortion ban.
LAH: The majority of Nevadans support abortion rights and incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is seizing on the issue to hammer away a Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt —
ADAM LAXALT: My name is Adam Laxalt. I'm ready to fight for what is right.
LAH: — who was mounting a significant challenge backed by Donald Trump.
DONALD TRUMP: And there's no one more trustworthy in Nevada than Adam Laxalt.
LAH: Laxalt has said he will honor Nevada State Constitution protecting abortion, but then audio obtained by the Nevada Independent suggests Laxalt wants to reverse the state constitution.
LAXALT: Roe v. Wade was always a joke. There was a total complete invention. We are not a pro life state. We've got work to do on that.
CORTEZ MASTRO: Women are outraged because this is a state that we really respect women's freedom and the right to choose and just outraged by what we see happening across the country.
LAH: But the outrage front and center among voters is on prices affecting their pocketbooks.
JESSICA RODRIGUEZ: Gas prices, grocery prices, housing market, all that.
LAH: What do you want to tell the party in power right now, about how you feel?
RODRIGUEZ: You let us down.
LAH: At this Reno grocery store, other Democrats say abortion rights are vital, but so is feeding their families tonight.
TAURA COLEMAN, REGISTERED DEMOCRAT: I am a registered Democrat. And I'm kind of debating on why, I'm not going to lie.
LAH: You know, Catherine Cortez Masto is on the ballot?
COLEMAN: Yes, yes.
LAH: Will you be voting for her?
COLEMAN: I maybe actually, maybe. We're going to see. I'm playing it all by ear right now.
LAH: Senator Cortez Masto is crisscrossing the state talking not just to women but also to working class Latinos. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be here in Las Vegas this evening rallying side by side with Adam Laxalt in order to energize Republican voters. Anderson.
COOPER: And the races go on.
