Victor Joecks’ Attacks on Lombardo: A Spat that Only Helps the Left

(Chuck Muth) – Let me first go on record acknowledging that Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks is a solid conservative and an excellent writer whose primary interest is social and cultural issues.

In fact, Citizen Outreach named him our “Rising Star” award recipient way back in 2011 when he was the communications director for the Nevada Policy Research Institute.

But like the prodigal son of biblical fame, he’s wandered off the reservation.

Victor’s expertise is on policy matters, not political strategy. To the best of my knowledge he’s never been a candidate for public office and has never managed a political campaign.

But ever since the 2023 session of the Nevada Legislature, Victor has taken to dishing out criticism and political advice to Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo as if he’s the offspring of Lee Atwater or Karl Rove.

He’s regularly attacked and chirped at Lombardo for not pushing a more conservative agenda like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis without understanding, or at least acknowledging, that Abbot and DeSantis represent red states with Republicans controlling their legislatures.

Lombardo, on the other hand, is running a purple state where Democrats are just one seat short of enjoying a SUPER-majority in both the State Senate and State Assembly.

Yesterday, Victor was at it again; launching broadsides against Lombardo over the Democrats’ attacks on Lombardo related to President Trump’s executive order temporarily freezing federal spending on certain government programs and initiatives, such as DEI and the Green New Deal.

The purple-hair-on-fire Democrats, as is their wont, frantically issued hysteria-enflamed, sky-is-falling statements and press releases claiming the freeze would affect Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, Head Start, housing assistance, etc.

They lied.

Those programs were never included in the freeze, as confirmed by the Office of Management and Budget.

And Lombardo rightly slapped back at the Nevada Democrats in a statement characterizing their breathless press release as “shameless political theater.”

But Victor, for some unknown reason, saw this as an opportunity to again go after Lombardo – only from the right instead of the left.

In a tweet yesterday, Victor compared Lombardo’s response to that of Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.  “Both are swing state governors,” he wrote.  “Lombardo cowers. Youngkin goes on offense.”

In separate tweets, he attacked Lombardo’s statement as “weak sauce,” “wishy-washy,” and “cowardly,” and criticized his administration as “stumbling.”

“Cowardly”?

The man served six years in the United States Army before he strapped on a gun and pinned on a badge with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for 25+ years, serving the last eight of them as Clark County’s sheriff.

“Cowardly,” Victor?  Seriously?

In any event, while it’s true that Youngkin also represents a purple state, Victor doesn’t understand the huge major political difference between the two.

Youngkin is termed out after this year. Lombardo still has to run for re-election in 2026 and is facing a hostile Democrat majority in the Legislature as the 2025 session is about to get underway.

And you can bet those Democrats will do everything they can to shiv Lombardo and give Nevada Democrat Attorney General A-Ron Ford a shot at beating him in 2026.

So politically-speaking, comparing Lombardo to Youngkin is like comparing apples to ostriches.

Victor has also criticized Lombardo’s recent State of the State address for not proposing “popular conservative policies,” such as “school choice, tax cuts, (and) protecting women’s sports.”

All issues Lombardo supports by the way.

“Trump ran on a strong conservative agenda,” Victor tweeted. “(2024 GOP U.S. Senate candidate) Sam Brown tried to win by running to the middle. Trump won Nevada. Brown didn’t.”

Comparing Brown to Trump is like comparing Whoopie to Melania.  Sam lost, not because he ran to the middle, but because he turned out to be a bad candidate who ran a bad campaign overall.

And let’s face it, there’s only ONE Donald Trump.

Plus, Lombardo won Nevada two years before Trump did.

I don’t know if Victor’s caterwauling is because he’s so ill-informed on politics or if he has some kind of personal grudge against Lombardo that causes him to lash out and give aid-and-comfort to the Democrats, A-Ron, and leftwing media mouthpieces like blubber-blogger Jon Ralston.

Either way, it’s not helpful.

Elections aren’t referendums.  They’re choices.  And while conservatives may not agree with Gov. Lombardo on every issue, the alternative is horrifying to contemplate.

If you thought Steve Sisolak was bad – and he was – just imagine Nevada in the hands of Sisolak’s pampered-prince protégé, A-Ron Ford.  Think Gavin Newsom with a race-hustling chip on his shoulder.

Politically speaking, the key isn’t to keep rhetorically whacking Lombardo in the knees with a baseball bat. The key is to send Lombardo some reinforcements in Carson City by electing more Republicans to the Legislature.

I wish Victor understood that.

He *could* be an important and effective voice in protecting Nevada from becoming “East California.”  But to do that, he’s going to have to get over whatever personal beef he has with Lombardo and re-direct his political fire at the true enemy.

If Victor returns to the fold, we’ll grill up a fatted calf and welcome him back with open arms.  If not, he may as well go write for Ralston’s rag.

Come home, Victor.

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