Whitmer and Warren rally at UNLV for Nevada's Question 6 abortion-rights amendment and Aaron Ford for governor

What happened

Two prominent national Democrats came to Las Vegas on Tuesday to rally support for Question 6, the abortion-rights constitutional amendment on Nevada's ballot, KTNV reported. Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke in an auditorium at UNLV's Greenspun Hall.

Beyond the ballot question, the pair asked voters to back Democratic Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford, all incumbents, along with Aaron Ford in the race for governor. According to KTNV, both Warren and Whitmer endorsed Ford over incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. More coverage of these contests is on our elections page.

What the speakers said

Warren on the governor's race

Warren tied her case for changing who leads the state to the Trump administration. "It's time now to elect a governor," she said, according to KTNV. She told the crowd that President Donald Trump had made promises on abortion, costs and wars, and she argued that those promises had not held up.

Warren on abortion access

Warren described health care as a human right and said abortion falls within it. She argued that legal protection matters most for people with less money and power. "Wealthy women will always have access to abortion," she said, adding that equal legal access is the goal.

Whitmer on economics and choice

Whitmer framed abortion as a question of economic opportunity and freedom. "The most important economic decision a woman makes over the course of her lifetime is whether and when to bear a child," she said, KTNV reported. She also described her own decade-long push to repeal a Michigan law that required insurance for abortion services, an effort that carried her from the state Legislature to the statehouse.

Speaking to students and activists, Whitmer said they had the power to make change and urged them to use the remaining 14 days of the campaign. "Don't let any day go to waste," she told them.

Republican response

Party statements

The endorsements drew criticism from Republican groups. Anna Marian Block, deputy communications director for the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement that "Bringing Gretchen Whitmer and Elizabeth Warren to campaign for him is quite the choice," and went on to criticize Ford's record on clemency and commutation cases.

Nick Poche, a Republican National Committee spokesman, issued his own statement. "Gretchen Whitmer is the perfect headliner for Aaron Ford: a failing governor campaigning for a failed attorney general," he said, according to KTNV. Ford's work as attorney general has also been in the news over his appeal in the fake electors case.

Johnson's campaign stop

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was set to hold his own rally for two GOP congressional candidates, KTNV reported. Carrie Buck is running to unseat Titus, and Marty O'Donnell is challenging Lee. Johnson has been campaigning across the country to keep the Republican House majority for the final two years of Trump's term.

The national picture

KTNV noted that Whitmer and Warren have both been mentioned repeatedly as possible 2028 presidential candidates. Warren ran for president in 2020 but dropped out after Super Tuesday that year. For more on where the governor's race stands, see our roundup on spending and polling in Nevada races.

What to watch next

• Speaker Mike Johnson's scheduled rally for Republican House candidates Carrie Buck and Marty O'Donnell.
• The vote on Question 6, the abortion-rights constitutional amendment.
• The governor's race between Democrat Aaron Ford and incumbent Republican Joe Lombardo.
• The House races involving Democratic incumbents Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford.