OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Nevada Democrat Governor Steve Sisolak was hospitalized this week after being involved in a car crash.
The governor has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
“The two-vehicle crash at an intersection in the suburban community of Spring Valley happened Sunday afternoon and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is investigating, Sisolak spokesperson Meghin Delaney said,” the Elko Daily reported.
“Sisolak’s office in a statement Sunday night said the governor and another driver suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital as a precaution. The governor was released from the hospital in less than two hours, his office said,” the outlet added.
“Las Vegas police confirmed Sisolak was driving but did not say if other passengers were in the car. However, Lt. Brian Boxler told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the collision was between an SUV and a sedan and there were no passengers in either car,” the newspaper reported.
“At approximately 1 p.m. this afternoon, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak was involved in a two-car crash at the intersection of Rainbow and Russell,” Sisolak’s office said in a statement. “The Governor was released from the hospital at 3:10 p.m. He is now resting at home. No other information is available at this time.”
WATCH:
A statement from the governor's office said that he and the other driver "appeared to have minor, external injuries" that were treated at University Medical Center. https://t.co/ydR5z1H4YX pic.twitter.com/JjceD3mv5y
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) October 18, 2021
Nevada Gov @SteveSisolak was involved in a car accident Sunday afternoon in southwest Las Vegas. Sisolak & the other driver were transported to the hospital & treated for non-life-threatening injuries; the gov was released a few hrs later.https://t.co/xweFMY0dop
— NewsTalk780KOH (@NewsTalk780KOH) October 18, 2021
Nevada’s Sisolak suffers injuries in car accident – Fox News https://t.co/n4b4Sudm2Z
— StateStatus NV (@StateStatus_NV) October 18, 2021
Sisolak was elected governor of Nevada in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to become governor of the state since 1994.
Sisolak is facing a tough election next year, as well, where he will likely face off against either former GOP Sen. Dean Heller or Republican Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo to retain his post.
Prior to the car crash, Sisolak said he is preparing for a “heated year” ahead of the 2022 election.
“Between my race and (U.S.) Sen. (Catherine) Cortez Masto’s race, it’s going to be heated year in Nevada for politics,” the governor said in an interview.
“The naysayers are loud. I don’t know how many of them there are. But I’ve never focused any decisions that I’ve made as relates to COVID on re-election,” Sisolak said. “They were strictly based on science and medical advice that I was given by my medical advisory team. And that’s what I use to make my decisions.”
Asked about making his case for re-election, he says the state is “closer to the end than we are to the beginning” of the pandemic emergency, but that the future is unpredictable. The economy, he said, is rebounding “very, very quickly.” He cites monthly gaming wins that are approaching all-time highs and says he’s “confident that our economy is going to be a lot better in six months, a year than it is now.”
“Whether it’s an economic downturn, whether it’s a natural disaster, whether it’s a shooting in Las Vegas, that, you know, shut down the Strip for a while, whether it’s a pandemic, a lot of things have happened in my life that have negatively impacted gaming,” he said. “We need to do what we can to diversify away from just a single industry. And I think we’re sending a message that we’re doing that.”
