Adriana Fralick defeated Danny Tarkanian in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Nevada on Tuesday. Fralick now faced Democrat Nicole Cannizzaro in the general election.
Tarkanian called his loss a “good old fashion butt kicking” and issued the following note to supporters:
I haven’t experienced a butt-kicking this bad since Chaparral High School beat my Gorman Gaels football team 37-0 on our homecoming. To this day, Chaparral’s fight song is permanently etched into my memory because their band played it every time they scored.
Tuesday’s election felt much the same.
That said, I have never measured myself by wins and losses alone. I place far more value on effort, character, and perseverance because those are the things we can control. The outcome is ultimately in God’s hands.
And on that score, I could not be more proud.
This campaign was fueled by incredible volunteers, supporters, and friends who sacrificed their time, energy, and resources because they believed in me. Lois Choate, Trisha Messinger, and countless others worked tirelessly on our behalf. Financial support came from longtime friends, former Gael teammates, and people I had only recently met, including Bill Plise and Jeff Fegert. I am deeply grateful to every one of them.
The most rewarding part of this campaign, however, was my family.
When the odds looked overwhelming and our opponents were outspending us by a wide margin, my 16-year-old son refused to let me quit. In one of the most touching moments of the campaign, he pleaded with me to keep fighting and even offered the inheritance he had received from his grandmother to help continue the effort. His three sisters joined him.
No election result can diminish what that meant to me as a father.
We lost the race because my opponent promulgated the false claim that I said, “I hate Trump.” The statement came from the headline of an article I shared after President Trump’s 2024 victory. Those were the author’s words, not mine, and the article itself praised President Trump’s policies.
Nevertheless, the claim gained traction and proved politically effective.
I personally would never lie like that to win an election. Having self-respect and being honest is more important to me.
The Republicans that have controlled politics in this state for decades have done whatever they could to keep me out of elected office. This election was no exception. We faced:
*** The Governor’s endorsement of my opponent
***The Governor soliciting donations for my opponent.
***A Washington DC Super PAC spending $500,000 on my opponent’s behalf.
***A Governor’s affiliated Super PAC spending $750,000 spreading the lie my opponent had created.
***The Washoe County GOP Chairman using the same lie to endorse my opponent.
Our polling showed that nine days after the “I Hate Trump” ad ran on TV I had dropped 30 points. Trump has a cult following with the GOP not seen in our lifetime.
We responded with a great ad using Trump’s own words about me.
However, President Trump ended the race when he endorsed my opponent. It gave credence to her lie and eliminated the effect of our ad.
Some things are beyond a person’s control, and you must accept it. I am very grateful for everyone’s support. I am sorry we did not have a better result.
Sincerely,
Danny Tarkanian
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