Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

Two days before Election Day, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, said she’s “very confident” Democrats will win in her battleground state. 

“I am optimistic that we are going to win, not only for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, but for Jacky Rosen in this state,” she said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Around half of Nevada’s active registered voters have cast ballots, with Republicans leading statewide, spurring anxiety among Democrats heading into Election Day. Nevada is also the only state where Republicans flipped the governor’s mansion in 2022, although Cortez Masto hung onto her seat by less than 8,000 votes in that same election. But Cortez Masto said she’s “optimistic” about Harris’ chances in the Silver State, citing what she has seen as an impressive ground game and canvassing efforts from Democrats.

“That’s literally what matters here, is making sure that our voters, who are paying attention now in a swing state like Nevada, that somebody is talking to them,” Cortez Masto said. “Now is the time for us to connect with our voters and talk to them about the issues that they care about.”

With an economy based largely around tourism and hospitality in Las Vegas, Nevada is home to a significant working class population. The Trump campaign has worked to make inroads among the voting bloc with economic policies that may be especially salient in Nevada, where the economy was among the most impacted by pandemic closures in 2020, spurring frustration with Democrat-led policies.

Cortez Masto said Democrats are engaging with the working-class communities “on the issues that matter to them,” while touting support from organized labor. And she argued that Harris is the candidate with solutions for affordable housing and lowering health care costs, among other issues. 

“That’s what’s relevant at the end of the day, and how we’re going to make this happen,” she said. 

Still, the Nevada Democrat urged that elections are “always close” in Nevada. And she noted that she won reelection in 2022 facing a Republican advantage — in what was the closest Senate race in the country in the midterms. 

Cortez Masto pointed to the state’s large population of nonpartisan voters who she argued lean Democrat, saying “they leaned my way, and so I am very, very confident that, as we are working our ground game, we’re going to organize our way to victory here.”

A Republican presidential candidate hasn’t won Nevada since 2004, but Democrats’ margin of victory has decreased in recent years. 

Cortez Masto also defended President Biden after he appeared to call supporters of former President Donald Trump “garbage,” saying that he had clarified the remarks as being about a comedian’s rhetoric at a Trump rally. And she argued that Harris, whom she worked with when they were both state attorneys general, has “made it very clear, moving forward, that she wants to represent everyone.”

“No matter whether you voted for her or not, and whoever you vote for, you shouldn’t be criticized for that,” Cortez Masto added. 

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who also appeared on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, downplayed Trump’s connection to the comedian’s remarks, while arguing that “what’s more relevant” is Mr. Biden’s comment, which he argued is in line with “what most people in the Democratic Party and hierarchy believe.”

“If you’re so confident about victory, the way the Harris people say they are, then why would you be out there attacking not Donald Trump — attacking anyone who is thinking about voting for him,” Rubio said. “That doesn’t seem to be like the actions of a confident campaign. It seems to me like the actions of a scared one.”