RENO, Nev. – January 19, 2022 – A Historic First For Nevada This Friday! 158 Years Later, The Rural Nevada Counties Have Their First Governor Candidates Debate. Joey Gilbert heard that for the 158 years Nevada has been a state, NONE of the top governor candidates had EVER brought a debate to the Rural Counties. So he decided to sponsor one himself. The results of this one-of-a-kind debate will be on display this Friday, January 21 at 7:00 in the Elko Convention Center, as the 3 top Republican candidates for governor – John Lee, Fred Simon, and Gilbert square-off on Nevada’s toughest issues in front on an anticipated capacity crowd of 1,000, with thousands more watching via livestream state-wide. Gilbert’s first concern in sponsoring the debate was convincing the other candidates that there would be total integrity and fairness in how the debate was run. “The first thing I did was to hire an independent consultant to coordinate the Elko Debate,” said Gilbert. “I wrote a check to rent the Elko Convention Center weeks ago and got out of the way. Since then, the coordinator has independently handled everything. I don’t know one thing more than the other candidates about the questions that will be asked.” To further prove the integrity of this contest, the 6-person moderator panel of Elko residents will be presenting a signed, sworn affidavit prior to the debate. It will attest to the fact that the questions they will ask the participating candidates have not been seen nor discussed with anyone except themselves. “It’s long overdue to give our rural counties and their 300,000 residents the respect they deserve,” said Gilbert. “Our hard-working miners have a $10.3 BILLION impact on Nevada’s economy (second only to gambling), and yet mining companies are taxed more excessively than any other business sector in the state.” “Our farmers and ranchers are the iconic backbone of Nevada,” Gilbert added, “bringing in another $1 BILLION dollars to our state economy. Nevada cattlemen grow some of the best beef in the world, and our Governor thinks so little of them, and over-regulates them to such an extent, that the smaller ranches frequently aren’t able to sell their beef to the restaurants in their OWN communities. This has forced many Nevada restaurants to buy THEIR beef from China.” Gilbert was asked why candidates Joe Lombardo, Dean Heller, and Michele Fiore had decided not to participate in the Elko debate. “Some had excuses,” Gilbert said, “while others just said no. It’s up to the rural county voters on election day to interpret this unwillingness to come to Elko and defend their platforms…or lack thereof.” Gilbert concluded, “Sisolak’s callous disregard for our rural counties’ hard-working men and women must be stopped. The Elko debate on Friday is going to showcase 3 strong, committed candidates who are ALL committed to getting fair treatment for Nevada’s rural residents and improving their quality of life.” Contact for more information: Paul D. White Debate Coordinator – Republican Governor Candidates Debate Tour – 2022. (775) 685-8200
ELKO DEBATE: The First Governor Candidates Debate Ever Held in a Rural County since Nevada Statehood in 1864!
