ON THE ISSUES.

Nevada deserves representatives who take the job seriously—showing up, keeping commitments, filing required reports on time, and being transparent about how campaign money is used. Too often, that standard isn’t being met. Missed public forums, late filings, and questionable spending patterns should erase trust and make voters feel like the system answers to insiders, not to them.

Incumbent Assembly Democratic Caucus leader and Speaker Pro Tempore Elaine Marzola’s campaign finance reports show funding tied to major corporate interests like MGM Resorts, Caesars, and Pfizer. In 2024 alone, she received $22,500 in campaign donations from MGM Resorts International and the Nevada Resorts PAC while representing plaintiffs in lawsuits involving those same interests.

Her most recent campaign finance filings show spending patterns that include near-daily coffee purchases and even expensive sushi dinners.

Campaign funds are meant to serve the public—not bankroll a lifestyle.

That’s exactly the kind of politics Nevadans are tired of.

Republican Patsy Carvalho publicly committed to debating Tighe and then failed to show up. That same campaign filed its required C&E report 13 days late. These aren’t minor details—they’re baseline expectations. If a candidate won’t meet voters or meet deadlines during a campaign, it raises real questions about how they’ll handle the responsibilities of public office.

As a special education teacher in a Title I CCSD school, accountability isn’t optional for Tighe—it’s daily, measurable, and should be non-negotiable.

That’s the standard he'll be bringing to Carson City.

Nevada has repeatedly committed public resources to major private developments, including approximately $750 million in public financing for Allegiant Stadium and other subsidies and incentives intended to attract major industries. Economic development should come from creating a competitive environment for everyone—not through negotiating special deals for companies with political influence.

Tighe supports a balanced budget and eliminating unnecessary spending while still protecting the public services Nevadans actually rely on—not treating taxpayers as an unlimited source of money.

Tighe will cut excessive occupational licensing, abolish unnecessary regulations, and make it easier to start a business, work independently, build housing, or enter a profession.

Tighe also supports direct action and the right of workers to organize, form unions, strike, picket, boycott, and bargain collectively. Workers should use collective action to negotiate better wages, benefits, workplace safety, and working conditions.

A free economy should mean freedom for everyone: the freedom to work, organize, build, compete, negotiate, and succeed without asking permission from politicians.

Too many decisions affecting Nevada are made by distant federal agencies with little accountability to the communities affected by them. Tighe believes decisions should be made at the state, local, and individual level whenever possible, not automatically handed to Washington.

That includes reforming the federal government's enormous role in Nevada's public lands. Federal agencies control the vast majority of land in Nevada, affecting housing, conservation, recreation, energy, mining, and economic development. Tighe supports greater state, local, and tribal participation in these decisions.

Tighe also opposes the use of Nevada's National Guard in endless wars. He will propose a Defend the Guard Act, which would seek to prevent Nevada Guard units from being deployed into foreign hostilities without the constitutional authorization of Congress.

Tighe opposes warrantless surveillance, civil asset forfeiture, censorship, and unnecessary government intrusion into the lives of peaceful people. Nevada should not turn local law enforcement into an extension of federal immigration enforcement, and Tighe opposes using state and local resources to assist ICE operations.

Tighe also opposes government use of automated license-plate-reader networks, such as the systems operated by Flock Safety, to create searchable databases of people's movements without a warrant. Private businesses may secure their own property, but government should not be able to use public infrastructure to build a system of persistent surveillance.

Freedom is not selective. Tighe will defend freedom of speech and peaceful protest, the right to keep and bear arms, privacy and due process, and freedom of association without exception.

The Clark County School District is the fifth-largest school district in the United States, and its massive size has created layers of bureaucracy that distance decision-making from the classrooms and communities it affects. Nevada must cut administrative bloat and redirect those resources toward teacher salaries, classroom resources, student services, and proven programs like Read by Grade Three—ensuring that funding goes where it belongs: directly into classrooms.

Tighe also supports giving individual schools greater control over their resources. School Organizational Teams (SOTs) should have a meaningful role in school-level decisions involving budgets, staffing priorities, programs, and student support. Every school faces different challenges, and the people who work with those students and families every day should have greater freedom to develop solutions that fit their community.

Tighe will also push to abolish standardized testing and establish a state-wide four-day school week—with a fifth day dedicated to targeted academic support, enrichment opportunities, and independent learning.

Nevada must also protect academic freedom and ensure that researchers at universities are free to pursue truth without political or administrative interference. Funding and decision-making should prioritize faculty, innovation, and scientific integrity—not layers of administration detached from the classroom and laboratory.

Students also deserve a real voice in the institutions they fund. Student governments should be protected from administrative overreach and empowered to represent their peers, particularly in decisions involving student fees and campus policy.

Tighe supports breaking up the NV Energy monopoly and reopening Nevada’s electricity market to real competition. When one company controls nearly the entire power system, consumers are left with fewer choices, higher costs, and less innovation.

Nevada has the potential to be a national leader in energy innovation, from solar and geothermal to emerging technologies—but that potential is stifled when a single utility dominates the system. By introducing real competition, Nevada can drive down prices, attract investment, and modernize its energy infrastructure without relying on top-down mandates or corporate favoritism.

That includes expanding retail choice, allowing independent energy providers to enter the market, and reducing regulatory barriers that prevent new competitors from emerging. A competitive energy market would empower consumers to choose plans that fit their needs, whether that means lower costs, renewable energy options, or more reliable service.

By allowing multiple providers to compete, Nevada can lower energy prices, encourage investment in new technologies, and give residents and businesses more control over how they power their homes and communities.

The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, holding roughly 20–25% of the world’s prison population despite having only about 4–5% of the global population. Nevada contributes to this system, spending hundreds of millions of dollars annually on corrections, with costs per inmate often exceeding $25,000–$30,000 per year.

That is taxpayer money being used to cage individuals—many of whom are nonviolent offenders—rather than addressing the root causes of crime or helping people successfully reintegrate into society.

Tighe also supports ending qualified immunity, ensuring that government officials—including law enforcement—can be held accountable when they violate constitutional rights. No one should be above the law, and accountability is essential to maintaining public trust. A justice system that shields misconduct undermines both community confidence and the integrity of law enforcement as a whole.

The current system also does not impact all communities equally. Minority communities have been disproportionately affected by policing practices, sentencing disparities, and over-incarceration.

Law enforcement should be focused on community safety, not militarization. He supports ending the militarization of local police departments and redirecting resources toward social services, mental health support, and community-based solutions that address the root causes of crime, as well as following a model of community policing. A safer Nevada is built not just through enforcement, but through stronger communities and real opportunities.

Tighe supports renegotiating the Colorado River Compact to ensure Nevada is able to retain and utilize a fair share of its own water resources. Nevada can not be locked into outdated arrangements while other states continue to expand their usage.

Tighe also supports expanding water recycling and reuse and using market-based pricing that encourages heavy users to conserve while keeping basic household water needs affordable. Water policy should reward conservation rather than simply imposing one-size-fits-all restrictions.

Nevadans should also have the freedom to manage water on their own property. Tighe supports removing unnecessary barriers to rainwater capture, greywater reuse, and other decentralized systems that allow homes and businesses to reduce their dependence on the public water supply.

Tighe strongly opposes any effort to revive nuclear testing in Nevada or to use the state as a dumping ground for nuclear waste. For decades, Nevada has been disproportionately targeted for federal nuclear policy, most notably through the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. Nevadans have consistently rejected this project, and Tighe will fight to ensure that Nevada is not forced to store nuclear waste from other states against the will of its people.

Nevada should not bear the environmental and public health risks of decisions made elsewhere.

Tighe also opposes the Thacker Pass lithium mine, particularly given its location on land that rightfully belongs to local tribal nations and is tied to cultural significance. Any project of that scale must respect tribal sovereignty, historical claims, and the voices of the communities most directly affected.

In District 21, Tighe supports preserving Pittman Wash as a flood-control corridor, wildlife habitat, recreational space, and important part of Henderson's natural landscape.

Tighe will also fight to restore and defend tribal land rights by honoring existing treaties and agreements, as well as exploring the restoration of additional lands to tribal nations where appropriate. Tribal communities should have full authority over their lands and resources, and Nevada must recognize and respect their sovereignty.

Nevada must also have a greater voice in the management of its land. Tighe supports transferring appropriate federal lands to state, local, tribal, or private ownership while preserving genuinely important wilderness, recreation, wildlife habitat, and public access.

Tighe is also committed to securing strong private property rights for all Nevadans, including full respect for tribal sovereignty and land rights. Property owners—not distant regulators—should have greater freedom to use and develop their land responsibly. Local communities should be empowered to make decisions that reflect their needs, not one-size-fits-all mandates imposed from the state.

Local zoning rules, lengthy permitting processes, minimum lot sizes, parking requirements, and restrictions on multi-family housing make new homes more expensive and prevent the market from responding to population growth.

Tighe supports statewide zoning reform that expands what property owners are allowed to build. Nevada should legalize duplexes and accessory dwelling units by-right in residential areas, make it easier to build townhomes and small multi-family developments, and prevent local governments from using unnecessary zoning restrictions to artificially limit housing supply. Parking mandates also increase the cost of housing by forcing developers to build parking regardless of whether residents actually need it.

Tighe supports abolishing state and local parking minimums, allowing property owners and developers to determine how much parking their projects actually require.

Our current healthcare system combines some of the worst features of government bureaucracy and corporate bureaucracy. Patients face complicated insurance networks, opaque prices, enormous administrative costs, and restrictions on who can provide care—all while employers are expected to serve as the gateway to health insurance. Tighe supports expanding real competition in the healthcare market by removing unnecessary regulations and barriers that limit access to care.

Patients should have more choices—not fewer—when it comes to selecting providers, treatments, and insurance options.Losing or changing a job should not mean losing access to healthcare.

Price transparency is also essential. Patients need to know the cost of care upfront, not receive surprise bills weeks later. By requiring clear pricing and encouraging direct-pay and cash-based care models, Nevada can reduce costs and give patients more control over their healthcare decisions.

Tighe also supports expanding access to community-based care, including urgent care clinics, telehealth services, independent practices, and union-supported clinics that provide care directly to workers and their families. These models can reduce strain on hospitals and make care more accessible, especially in underserved areas.

Tighe supports expanding the ability of qualified nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals to practice to the full extent of their training; making it easier for qualified providers to enter Nevada; protecting telehealth; and eliminating unnecessary restrictions that prevent new clinics and healthcare services from competing.

Mental healthcare should be treated as healthcare. Nevada should expand the supply of qualified mental-health professionals, support community-based and outpatient treatment, and make it easier for people to receive voluntary care before reaching a crisis.

Tighe also supports protecting emergency and essential healthcare access in rural and underserved Nevada, where simply creating theoretical consumer choice means little if there is no doctor, clinic, or hospital within reach.

The goal should be simple: guarantee that every Nevadan can receive healthcare while giving patients and providers as much freedom as possible in how that care is delivered. Universal access should be the floor—not a government monopoly.

Get Money Out of Politics

Our government should not be for sale. Tighe supports overturning Citizens United, prohibiting corporate spending in elections, stronger disclosure requirements for lobbying and political spending, restrictions on politicians trading individual stocks, and eliminating taxpayer-funded corporate subsidies and bailouts. He supports constitutional and legislative campaign finance reforms that prevent corporations and wealthy interests from purchasing political influence while protecting the political speech of individual Americans. Voters deserve to know who is financing their elected officials and influencing public policy.

Expose Corruption and Protect Whistleblowers

No politician, billionaire, government official, or politically connected individual should be above the law. Tighe supports the full lawful disclosure of government records concerning Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, independent investigations into credible allegations of criminal wrongdoing or official misconduct, and accountability wherever the evidence leads. Transparency must be balanced with protecting victims, witnesses, and legitimate due-process rights. I also support stronger protections for whistleblowers who expose fraud, abuse, unconstitutional surveillance, and corruption within federal agencies.

Term Limits and Congressional Accountability

Public office should be a temporary responsibility, not a lifelong career. Tighe supports a constitutional amendment establishing congressional term limits, ending special privileges for elected officials, and requiring greater transparency in congressional spending. Members of Congress should not receive preferential treatment or exemptions from laws imposed on ordinary Americans.

Restore Federalism

The federal government has accumulated powers never intended to be exercised from Washington. Tighe supports enforcing the Tenth Amendment, returning authority over education, healthcare administration, land use, and other primarily local matters to states and communities wherever constitutionally appropriate. Decisions should be made as close to the people affected by them as possible.

Defend the Bill of Rights

Tighe supports the freedoms protected by the First Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms, due process, protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, and the constitutional limits on government authority. The federal government should not censor lawful speech, pressure private platforms to suppress dissent, punish peaceful protest, or conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans. Tighe opposes mass domestic surveillance, indiscriminate data collection, and government programs that undermine digital privacy. Tighe is pro-life and supports legal protections for unborn life, with exceptions when the mother's life is threatened or when medical emergencies require intervention, including management of a miscarriage or fetal demise.

Defend Our Immigrants

America has always benefited from people seeking freedom, safety, and opportunity. Tighe supports expanding lawful immigration, reducing bureaucratic obstacles, and creating accessible pathways for people who wish to live, work, and contribute to our communities. Border security should focus on genuine threats such as human trafficking, violence, and organized crime, rather than treating peaceful immigrants as criminals. Tighe supports abolishing ICE and replacing its functions, where necessary, with narrowly limited, accountable processes that respect due process and constitutional rights.

End the War on Drugs

The federal War on Drugs has fueled mass incarceration, empowered criminal organizations, and violated individual liberty without eliminating substance abuse. Tighe supports ending federal marijuana prohibition, repealing criminal penalties for peaceful adult drug possession, and treating addiction primarily as a public health issue rather than a justification for incarceration. Government should focus on protecting people from violence, fraud, trafficking, and other conduct that harms others.

Criminal Justice Reform

Tighe supports ending civil asset forfeiture without a criminal conviction, eliminating qualified immunity as a barrier to accountability for constitutional violations, reducing mandatory minimum sentences, and expanding opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry. Law enforcement must be accountable to the communities it serves. He supports pardoning people convicted of nonviolent offenses and ending the lasting legal designation of 'felon' once a person has completed their sentence, so they can fully reintegrate into society.

End the Federal Reserve System

The Federal Reserve exercises enormous influence over the value of our money, interest rates, and the broader economy while remaining insufficiently accountable to the American people. Tighe supports auditing the Federal Reserve, ending its privileged role in monetary manipulation, and pursuing its eventual abolition through an orderly transition to a sound-money system. Americans should be free to use alternative currencies, including precious metals and digital assets, without unnecessary federal interference.

Abolish the IRS

Our federal tax code is unnecessarily complicated, invasive, and riddled with exemptions and privileges benefiting politically connected interests. Tighe supports replacing the existing federal income-tax system with a simpler, more transparent consumption-based model, using the FairTax as a starting point for reform. The FairTax model would replace federal income and payroll taxes with a national retail sales tax on new goods and services, accompanied by a household prebate designed to offset taxes on basic necessities. Tighe seeks to abolish the IRS and ultimately repeal the 16th Amendment.

Economy

Washington cannot continue spending money it does not have and passing the consequences to future generations. Tighe supports a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, comprehensive audits of federal agencies, and a long-term plan to reduce the national debt. He also supports removing unnecessary federal barriers that drive up the cost of housing, transportation, food, and energy.

End the Forever Wars

Tighe opposes unnecessary foreign military interventions, undeclared wars, and attempts to impose political systems on other nations through force. Congress—not the President alone—must approve America's wars.

Bring American Troops Home

Tighe supports reducing unnecessary overseas military deployments, reassessing foreign bases and security commitments, and bringing American service members home wherever their continued presence is not essential to defending the United States. He supports ending U.S. military and financial aid to Israel and opposes blank-check foreign assistance. A strong defense does not require a permanent military presence in every corner of the world.

Defend the Constitution at Home

The military should not be used as a substitute for civilian law enforcement, nor should Americans be sent into foreign conflicts without proper constitutional authorization. Tighe supports strengthening congressional oversight of military operations, protecting civil liberties during national emergencies, and respecting the constitutional limits on executive war powers.

Tighe supports consolidating existing federal healthcare coverage programs into a unified Medicare for All-style public insurance system that guarantees access to essential medical care. Unlike a compulsory single-payer model, Tighe's proposal would allow individuals to opt out of public coverage and purchase private insurance or pay directly for care. Americans who prefer their existing private insurance should be free to keep it, and patients should have broad freedom to choose their doctors and healthcare providers. The goal is universal access without eliminating private alternatives, restricting medical choice, or creating a government monopoly over healthcare. A unified public system should reduce administrative duplication, simplify enrollment and coverage, and establish a transparent, sustainable funding structure.

Government regulations frequently protect established insurers, hospital systems, and pharmaceutical companies from competition while increasing costs for patients. Tighe supports allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines through appropriate interstate agreements or federal reforms, expanding direct primary care, protecting independent medical practices, and removing unnecessary barriers to telemedicine. I also support reforming certificate-of-need restrictions where applicable, encouraging new healthcare facilities, and reducing unnecessary licensing barriers while maintaining legitimate patient safety standards. Patients should have more choices, not fewer.

Healthcare is one of the few industries where patients routinely receive treatment without knowing what it will cost. Tighe supports enforceable hospital price transparency and upfront pricing requirements, including clear disclosure of cash prices, negotiated insurance rates, and patient out-of-pocket estimates for scheduled services. Patients should be able to compare prices, understand their bills, and make informed decisions before receiving nonemergency care. I also support greater transparency in pharmaceutical pricing, hospital billing, and the practices of pharmacy benefit managers.

Make Social Security Voluntary

Americans should have greater control over their retirement savings. Tighe supports protecting benefits already earned by current retirees and workers while establishing an opt-out pathway from Social Security for individuals who prefer independently managed retirement arrangements. A voluntary system could allow workers to direct retirement contributions into personally owned accounts or other qualifying retirement plans rather than relying exclusively on federal promises.

Make Polluters Pay

Environmental protection should begin with a simple principle: no one has the right to poison another person's air, water, or property. Tighe supports strong legal remedies for individuals, communities, and property owners harmed by pollution, including lawsuits seeking compensation, cleanup, and injunctions against ongoing harm. Corporate polluters should not receive special legal immunity or be permitted to shift the costs of environmental damage onto taxpayers. Tighe supports reforming laws that shield polluters from liability while ensuring environmental claims are grounded in credible evidence and due process.

Honor Tribal Treaties and Restore Indigenous Lands

The federal government has repeatedly violated treaties and agreements with Native American nations. Tighe supports honoring valid tribal treaties, protecting tribal sovereignty, respecting treaty-reserved hunting, fishing, and water rights, and addressing historical land dispossession through lawful land restoration and negotiated transfers. Where appropriate, federally controlled lands should be returned to tribal stewardship, particularly where treaty obligations, historical claims, or cultural significance support restoration. Tribal nations should have meaningful authority over decisions affecting their lands, sacred sites, natural resources, and communities.

Protect Our Natural Heritage

Tighe supports preserving national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, critical habitats, and ecologically significant public lands. Not every acre of public land should be opened to commercial development. Some landscapes are too ecologically important, culturally significant, or irreplaceable to sacrifice for short-term financial gain. Tighe supports science-based conservation, habitat restoration, wildlife corridor protection, and responsible management of public lands to preserve biodiversity and recreational access for future generations. Conservation decisions should involve local communities, scientists, and tribal nations rather than being dictated exclusively by distant bureaucracies.

Energy Freedom

Americans deserve affordable, reliable, and increasingly clean energy. Tighe supports eliminating unnecessary barriers to nuclear power, geothermal energy, solar, wind, and other energy technologies while ending subsidies and preferential treatment that distort competition. Government should not pick energy winners and losers. Consumers, innovators, and communities should have greater freedom to develop and adopt technologies that meet their needs. Energy development must still respect property rights, environmental safeguards, and tribal treaty obligations.