Nevada is Nevada and Texas is Texas. Always was; always will be. But in 2022 may I suggest a tiny link between the two states: The awakening of Hispanic voters.

Consider Mayra Flores, who won a special election in the 34th Congressional District in Texas. In a traditionally Democratic stronghold, did she run on gender identity? Did she hit the stump telling people about the importance of critical race theory and open borders?

Don’t be silly.

She ran on the platform of “God, family and country.” Shockingly, she ran as a dreaded Republican.

She won.

Big.

Democratic strategists who have been watching Hispanics peel off from the Democratic Party in recent years say this is not a one-time anomaly.

“Clearly, this constituency does not harbor particularly radical views on the nature of American society and its supposed intrinsic racism and white supremacy,” wrote Democratic strategist Ruy Teixeria last year. “They are instead a patriotic, upwardly mobile, working class group with quite practical and down to earth concerns. Democrats will either learn to focus on that or they will continue to lose ground among this vital group of voters.”

I think we’re seeing that in Nevada, fueled by the lousy economy, brutal inflation and kooky woke Democratic ideas. Look, I’m not saying that Nevada Republicans like Joe Lombardo and Adam Laxalt will automatically benefit from this shift in thinking. A little attention that avoids the Democrat mistake of taking Nevada Hispanic voters for granted could lead the way to a sea change in the state.

In 2022, just because Joe Biden embraces Steve Sisolak doesn’t earn you anything in the Nevada Hispanic community anymore. And, just because the name of Catherine Cortez Masto sounds like she’d be in the corner of Hispanics in Nevada, it doesn’t mean she is. In fact, the horrible Biden policies and the elected Nevada Democrats who helped us get here, work against her.

The days are gone when Barack Obama could parachute in, fill a gym in Las Vegas, and Hispanics led by union leaders would follow them out to the polls. As Democrats in Texas are finding out, Hispanics have practical concerns about staying upwardly mobile, as do all Americans Hispanic Nevadans, just like all Nevadans, see the price of gasoline, skyrocketing food prices, shortages in baby formula and want change. Elected Democratic leaders in Nevada haven’t quite figured out that they don’t own the Hispanic vote anymore.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

I streamed the new C.S. Lewis movie “The Most Reluctant Convert” last week and found it most satisfying. Be warned, I am big C.S. Lewis fan, so take that into account for this recommendation. The movie follows Lewis as he journeys as a young man from atheist to Christianity. Well done.

ONE MORE THING

  • Why is male country music like “hot girls in teeny tiny shorts I will make you my wife, bear my children, front porch, family values, casseroles” and female country music is like “oops I killed my husband.”
  • I always wanted to be a Gregorian monk, but I never got the chants.
  • Two incomes are better than one. So make sure your partner has two jobs.

Apologies in advance to Daffy and Elmer for that last meme. Thanks for reading anyway. Until next week, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.

(“Properly Subversive” is commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick, a Nevada Hall of Fame journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. Mr. Frederick loves feedback. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail. com.)