Trio of political newcomers squaring off in Assembly District 23

There will be a new face in the open Assembly District 23 this year with three political newcomers squaring off in the Nov. 8 general election.

Democrat Elizabeth Brickfield is running against Danielle Gallant, the winner of a tight Republican primary race, and Libertarian candidate Mercy Manley rounds out the field. The winner will fill the seat held by Republican incumbent Glen Leavitt, who opted to run for a District 20 State Senate seat, but later withdrew from that race.

Brickfield, a longtime community and Democratic Party activist, decided to run for the office because she didn’t want to see an unopposed candidate.

“If our democracy is going to work, both parties have to actively present choices to voters,” she said.

She views conservation of water as the No. 1 issue facing the state, believing that once that is solved, all other issues will be easier to solve.

“If we can’t keep the water supply going, if we can’t conserve our natural resources, then we’ll stop being the economic engine that we are and (solving that) will lead us to better education, better housing, better health care and better jobs. It really is a fundamental piece in Nevada,” Brickfield said.

The attorney who specializes in tax law, estate planning, trusts, estates, guardianship matters and probate said the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision was “a punch in the stomach” that she would address as a lawmaker.

“Decisions about health care are the province of a family, their conscience, their conversations with their doctor and should not be denied or abridged or taken away by government,” she said.

She admires the Democratic presidents of past decades, holding a special place for former President Lyndon Johnson because of his views on social issues.

“He contributed an enormous amount of help to social progress and we’re still living with the benefits he advocated,” she said.

Gallant, who also hasn’t ever run for public office, expects to benefit from the strong Republican presence in her district. (Current registration figures show 22,000 active registered Republicans to 14,600 active registered Democrats.)

She believes bolstering the state’s education system will help solve other problems Nevada faces.

“Education is horrible here and we keep thinking that if we do the same thing over and over again we’re going to get different results, which pretty much is the definition of insanity,” she said. “We need to come at this thing very differently and get really serious about real solutions to the problem because we’re not going to solve our health care system without solving our education problems.”

She’d like to implement school choice similar to what’s been done in Arizona to strengthen education.

She added that Nevada has a weak workforce that education would help solve, leading to further economic development.

Gallant, a property manager with her husband, expects to see a better balance of political power in the upcoming election, which she believes will open doors toward getting conservative ideas legislated into law.

She is on the fence about the abortion issue, preferring to hear what constituents say about it before committing to a position.

Gallant said she admires Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis because he has stood up for himself and his ideas in the face of criticism.

“He has been incredible to watch over the past two years,” she said. “He went against the grain and fought against bullying across the United States. He’s stood his ground in a way that was thoughtful and respectful but still stood up for himself while maintaining a level of poise and confidence.”

Manley, the Libertarian candidate in the race, did not respond to several requests for interviews.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.