LAS VEGAS _ On the anniversary of the women's march protesting President Donald Trump's election, thousands arrived at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday to kick off the push to elect women to Congress this year and flip it from Republican control.
Organizers focused on Nevada because of its swing state status and because Sen. Dean Heller is considered to be among the most vulnerable Republicans heading into the November midterm elections. A focus on voter registration was evident throughout the stadium as people in pink vests with clipboards sought to sign people up.
The state was also chosen because of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed and hundreds were injured when a gunman opened fire on concertgoers from his Mandalay Bay hotel room on Oct. 1.
Christine Caria, a victim of the mass shooting and president of the local Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said firearms and the link to domestic violence make it a critical women's issue
"We need to vote for candidates that are going to be aligned with wanting stricter background checks on gun purchases," she said.
The rally comes on the heels of hundreds of thousands of women marching in cities across the country on Saturday on the anniversary of Trump's inauguration.
But the Nevada rally is attempting to push a more pragmatic result than just displaying anger and dismay in light of Trump's first year in office.
The state has been a swing state in the past several election cycles and Hillary Clinton narrowly carried it in 2016 _ after it twice went for President Barack Obama.
Women also did well in the November 2016 election, with the Silver State electing its first woman and first Latina to the Senate when Catherine Cortez Mastow defeated Joe Heck. Democrats also took control of its state Legislature and women accounted for about 40 percent of its membership.
The state Legislature even managed to vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment _ the first state to do so since 1977. That push was driven largely by Democratic women in the state Legislature. Though it didn't need approval from Gov. Brian Sandoval, a Republican, he supported the measure.
Heller, however, is one of the key targets. The embattled senator is facing a Republican primary challenge from perennial candidate Danny Tarkanian. If he prevails, he could face current U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat who has announced she will seek Heller's seat.
However, due to the government shutdown, several of the scheduled speakers appeared on video _ including U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, a Las Vegas Democrat.
"I'm in Washington trying to reopen the government for the good of the people," Titus said. "So much is at stake and women can make the difference."
