Laxalt leads in NV Senate race against Dem Senator in new poll: 'Nevadans are fed up with Cortez Masto'

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Nevada Senate race heats up with midterms closing in

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt shares his campaign message with Nevada emerging as a key race in midterms.

Former Attorney General Adam Laxalt claims that his newfound lead in the Nevada Senate race is due to voters being "fed up with Cortez Masto" amid soaring gas prices, the border crisis and rising crime.

A new CNN poll found that Laxalt, the Trump-backed nominee running in the state's Senate race, has a two-point edge over Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, 48% to 46%. Laxalt is also leading among likely independent voters, receiving 47% of the party's support over Masto, who is gripping onto her seat with 42% support.

Despite trailing among likely votes, Cortez Masto was the more favorable candidate than her GOP opponent, 45% to 39%. 

"These polls capture what we are seeing on the ground here in Nevada," Laxalt told Fox News Digital Friday. "Between surging inflation, rising violent crime, the effects of an open border, and record-high gas prices, Nevadans are fed up with Cortez Masto being a 95% rubber stamp vote for Joe Biden.

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"I’m a former Navy and Iraq veteran and law enforcement-endorsed top cop of the state. Nevadans of all political parties are backing my race, because they know I will always put them first. We look forward to Cortez Masto's campaign conceding defeat in November."

Former Nevada attorney general Adam Laxalt is the GOP nominee running to unseat incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. (Adam Laxalt Campaign)

The poll is in line with the Real Clear Politics average of polls in the race, which show Laxalt in the lead by about 2 percenatge points. Cortez Masto did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the new polling data. 

The economy and inflation were the most important issues to 44% Nevadans, while only 14% felt abortion was the issue of top concern, despite Cortez Masto using the topic as a focal point of her campaign and releasing several ads blasting her pro-life challenger.

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Economic issues were of top importance to 43% of likely independent voters and 64% of Republicans but only were of concern to 26% of Democrats. According to the poll, 57% of Nevadans think the economy is getting worse.

According to the CNN poll, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., is trailing behind her GOP opponent in Nevada's Senate race. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

The poll found that 47% of likely voters said that the country would be better off if Republicans were to win control of Congress in the midterm elections.

President Joe Biden received an approval rating of 41%, compared to former GOP president Donald Trump, who received an approval rating of 49% at the same point in his presidency, just before the 2018 midterm elections. Among independent voters, 68% disapprove of Biden's handling of the presidency.

GOP nominee Joe Lombardo has a two-point lead of 48% in Nevada's gubernatorial race, over his Democrat opponent, Gov. Steve Sisolak, who secured 46% support. The Republican is also leading among independents voters by 7 percentage points, 47% to 40%.

Republican candidate for Nevada governor, Joe Lombardo, center, is a former Clark County Sheriff.  (John Locher)

The Republicans lead over Democrats among likely independents voters after several recent polls revealed independent voters in key midterm states are more aligned with Republicans in terms of midterm priorities.

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The CNN survey was conducted among voters in Nevada from Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.