Senate Majority Leader Cannizzaro calls 'soft on crime' signs absurd, pointing to her years as a prosecutor

What happened

Large blue signs reading "Soft on crime Cannizzaro" have been popping up, KTNV Channel 13 reported. Cannizzaro, a former Las Vegas chief deputy district attorney who now serves as majority leader of the Nevada state Senate, told the station the label does not match her record. She said some people have mistaken the signs for her own, though she has not put up any campaign signs in this race.

KTNV described the contest as increasingly nasty and waged almost entirely on TV. The station called the signs an example of a political tactic that tries to turn a candidate's strength into a weakness.

Cannizzaro points to her prosecutor record

"I want to address that because it is absurd to me to be called soft on crime," Cannizzaro told KTNV. She described herself as a longtime career prosecutor and former gang prosecutor who has handled some of the most serious crimes in the state.

Her background

According to KTNV, Cannizzaro grew up in Las Vegas, attended UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law and joined the Clark County district attorney's office before winning election to the state Senate. In the Legislature, she said, she has worked on bills to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and child exploitation, and on ways to keep police officers on the beat.

Law enforcement endorsements

Cannizzaro highlights endorsements from police groups at both ends of the state. "I have earned that support because I have fought to make sure that this is a safe place to live," she told KTNV.

The fight over theft laws

KTNV reported that part of the criticism stems from a law raising the value of stolen goods required before a person can be charged with a felony. That change was part of a group of bills meant to reform the criminal justice system. Gov. Joe Lombardo has criticized the law, saying Nevada's felony-theft threshold was higher than California's.

The organized retail theft bill

Cannizzaro said she voted with most other lawmakers for a bill cracking down on organized retail theft, and her work on it earned an endorsement from the Retail Association of Nevada. She argued the problem is not tied to a single state law. "I think what we're seeing is a nationwide issue. This is not unique to Nevada," she told KTNV.

Where she split with Ford

Cannizzaro broke with Attorney General Aaron Ford, her party's candidate in the Nevada governor race, over a pardons board case. Ford brought the case of a man convicted of robbery and voluntary manslaughter before the state pardons board, asking to modify his robbery sentence. Ford said he would have voted no on the change.

"I would not have made that decision," Cannizzaro told KTNV. She stressed that she did not fault Ford for bringing the request, saying the two of them agree they would not have voted for it.

Immigration and due process

Cannizzaro said that if elected, she would insist on proper process as the Trump administration pursues an aggressive deportation agenda. She told KTNV that anyone operating in Nevada, including federal agents, must follow Nevada law, and she criticized what she called "rogue, lawless immigration and customs enforcement agents."

She said people in the country illegally who are accused of crimes are still owed defense counsel and a fair day in court, with any immigration proceedings to follow a conviction. "It does not mean we need to be cruel," she said.

The Republican nominee

Republican nominee Adriana Guzman Fralick is a Northern Nevada attorney who defeated Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian for the nomination, KTNV reported. Like Cannizzaro, she is a Boyd Law graduate. She served as general counsel to former Gov. Jim Gibbons, assistant general counsel to the Public Utilities Commission and chairwoman of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board.

Guzman Fralick has been endorsed by Lombardo, who is campaigning for a second and final term. KTNV said it repeatedly reached out to her campaign managers. More race coverage is on our elections page.

What to watch next

• Whether Guzman Fralick's campaign responds to KTNV's repeated requests for comment.
• Lombardo's campaign for a second and final term as governor, as he backs Guzman Fralick.
• The continuing TV-driven campaign and the 'soft on crime' signs Cannizzaro says some voters have confused for her own.