And a half months before the election. Give us the political lay of the land in joe biden and president donald trump. Jon biden has an advantage, steve. The democrats have a formidable machine. They won the president ial race the last three cycles. Hillary clinton beat donald trump by two other half points, although that was closer than it looked because the race was over by early voting, which lasts two weeks, and the democrats had banked enough votes. Biden is ahead in polls, only slightly outside the margin of error in recent polling. There has not been a lot of public polling. The democrats have a substantial registration advantage, which they have for many years, including 154,000 voters or so in clark county, where las vegas is, 70 of the vote. Very difficult for a republican to win statewide in nevada with that firewall the democrats have in clark county. Steve it seems so long ago, the nevada caucuses in which senator Bernie Sanders won with 40 of the democratic vote. Many people were beginning to write off joe biden. So much has changed. What about the sanders support in nevada . Is it solid for the Presumptive Democratic nominee, joe biden . Jon interesting question. Sanders won here essentially in a landslide over joe biden. It is a caucus. They calculate the votes differently. But it is interesting the biden team took that as a secondplace finish after his disastrous showing in iowa and new hampshire, spring boarding to south carolina, and the rest is history. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is not much different than the left wing of the Democratic Party elsewhere. I think the imperative to beat donald trump will trump, so to speak, their potential disaffection with joe biden, their disappointment in Bernie Sanders not being the nominee. That of course is going to be the key provided across the country, the key for biden across the country, being able to do what Hillary Clinton was unable to do, get the farleft excited to turn out for him. Steve how important is the free democrats in nevada . Jon i think all of that calculus has changed in the sense that since the george floyd killing, the Africanamerican Community and minority communities here have really been active, especially on social media, in arguing that an africanamerican woman should be on the ticket. I think there will be some disappointment if biden does not pick Kamala Harris or val demings, or someone like that. You and i have been around way too long. Vice president ial picks generally do not make a huge difference. Electionore than any that we have seen in some time, biden is going to be advised to follow the hippocratic oath of politics, which is due no harm with that pick. Steve a lot of speculation early on of one of your home state senators, Catherine Cortez masto. She took her name out of consideration. Why . Jon i have known Catherine Cortez masto for more than 30 years. If it can be said of a politician who was attorney general and is now u. S. Senator, she is to some extent apolitical. I dont think she ever had any interest in being on the Vice President ial ticket with biden. I think she was flattered by the attention. I think there are some good reasons to say, based on my aforementioned do no harm policy, that she would have been good. She is smart, careful, disciplined. She is also the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign committee and has invested a lot of time. Even that is not really in her wheelhouse. I think she did not want the distraction of being taken away from that, and i dont think it is something she has ever really wanted. She has dreamed of being a u. S. Senator for most of her adult life. She has that job now and i think she loves it. Steve we prefaced this with a lot can happen between now and election day. When you talk to democrats in washington, a lot of speculation they could recapture control of the senate in november. What would that mean for your two Democratic Senators in nevada . Jon Catherine Cortez masto add jacky rosen were just elected the last two cycles. They are not very high in seniority in the Minority Party right now. If the democrats were to take the senate, Catherine Cortez masto is the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign committee, would get some credit for that. Her standing would rise in the senate. In theosen would be only second part of her first term, so she probably would not have that much influence. Catherine cortez masto moves up in the ranks, that would help jacky rosen and nevada as well. For many years, a small state like nevada couldnt do much until harry reid became one of the most powerful people in the history of the state, becoming minority and then majority leader of the u. S. Senate. I am sure he has talked to Catherine Cortez masto about that and see anointed her to replace him. Steve is nevada a swing state . Jon great question. I wrote a column after the last election saying nevada is a blue state. It wasnt the republicans who were upset, it was actually the democrats because if you are declared a blue state, you are not going to get as much investment from the national party. The democrats want to keep saying nevada is in play. Listen, it is still 100 days from early voting starting in nevada. You cant say anything for sure. But nevada is a very heavily leaning blue state. I saw that harry reid recently was interviewed and said he advised biden to invest here, so clearly he is worried as a behindthescenes kingmaker and influential force in nevada that the National Democrats will not invest here. The democrats dominate the state. There is only one republican statewide elected official, the secretary of state, who pretty much has to act nonpartisan. The legislature is controlled by almost super majorities by democrats. They dominate the state. The state is clearly a very blue state, but the local Democratic Party does not want to lose the resources invested during a president ial campaign, so they will keep saying swing state. Its very difficult to make that argument anymore. Steve a year that is going to be unlike any other in terms of how the candidates campaign. So far most of it virtually. When you say invest in the state, it is not necessarily going to mean that candidates are campaigning in person, but an on the ground effort, much of it done virtually or through advertising, correct . Jon absolutely right. All of that is really about voter registration. The democrats have a sizable advantage. In person campaigning is not going to do much at this point. It is going to be very difficult. We dont know what the pandemic is going to be like for the next few months and how it will limit or not limit campaigning. Money matters in politics, and money spent wisely, especially now. Dont forget, it is still not clear whether what they did in the june primary, which was a mostly mail balloting, is going to occur in the general election and what the impact will be on both parties. Steve you cant talk about nevada without talking about entertainment, the gaming industry, and the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on tourism. Give us a snapshot of the economy in nevada as we speak in mid july. Jon the economy has been absolutely devastated because it is so dependent on that a few miles of road known as las vegas boulevard south, the las vegas strip. It was shut down for a few months. It has now reopened, although some places more than others. Some are thinking of furloughing employees again. The legislature is in a special session trying to figure out how to fill a 1. 2 billion budget hole because they are so dependent in this state on gaming and sales taxes. I can make an argument that we have been hurt disproportionately to almost every other state by what has happened, because the economy is still so reliant on tourism. Steve jon ralston, the editor of the nevada independent, joining us from las vegas. Thanks for joining us on cspan. Jon thank you. Tonight on the communicators, democratic congressman mike doyle, also chair of the communications and technology subcommittee, talked about disinformation on social media and the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on telecommunications. When people on these platforms take a look at the country they have created, because they have changed the culture of this country, you dont see the division that exists in our country right now that is chiefly being done by social media. It is crazy how you can identify peoples political affiliations based on certain actions or phrases you here every day on the internet. Congressman mike doyle tonight on the communicators on cspan2. , directorhony fauci of the National Institute of allergy and infectious diseases, discusses covid19 during an event hosted by Georgetown University on tuesday. Watch live coverage at 4 00 p