Nevada Democrats briefly mentioned in book detailing Biden’s decline

Sen. Jackie Rosen, D-Nev., speaks during a Women for Biden-Harris organizing event at SEIU headquarters, Local 1107, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Las Vegas. The event was part of a nationwide program to organize and mobilize female voters. Photo by: Steve Marcus

A newly published book has sparked fresh debate about former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity issues from last summer, which preceded his withdrawal from the presidential race shortly after a campaign event in Las Vegas.

"Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, details how the former president sometimes forgot a face or his place in important conversations.

He bowed out of the race in July to pave the way for then-Vice President Kamala Harris to pursue the presidency, but she was defeated by President Donald Trump.

It’s a sensitive topic for Democrats, especially after Biden’s office announced Sunday he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, both Democrats from Nevada, are briefly referenced in the book. The Sun has reviewed a copy.

Rosen’s name emerges when detailing the pushback then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., received from Democratic senators during a lunch in July about Biden’s struggles.

“Those up for reelection in competitive states — Jon Tester of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Jacky Rosen of Nevada — were already being dragged down by the unpopular incumbent, and they feared the debate would be like an anvil,” Tapper and Thompson wrote in the book. “The White House had done nothing to assuage fears.”

Rosen commended Biden’s legacy when he made the decision to drop out, lauding his efforts including gun violence prevention and lowering prescription drug costs. She had refrained from urging him to step away from the race. 

A spokesperson for her campaign said at the time that she was “focused on her own reelection.”

Cortez Masto is mentioned as the book recounts remarks Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., directed at his peers at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s headquarters in July. Fetterman had been steadfast in supporting Biden until the end.

When Fetterman asked his peers how many of them were with Biden, only Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois raised their hands and the book said, “Maybe Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto?”

The book draws parallels between American politics and Greek tragedy, revealing the behind-the-scenes machinations during Biden’s campaign that led to Harris replacing him with fewer than four months remaining before the election.

In Nevada, that culminated in Trump becoming the first Republican to win the state in 20 years with 751,205 votes to Harris’ 705,197. 

During that period, pressure mounted within the party for the incumbent to withdraw from the race following his widely criticized first and only debate performance of the year. However, Nevada’s congressional Democrats notably refrained from joining these calls. For them, the singular focus remained preventing Trump from returning to the White House.

“I’ve known and worked with President Biden for a long time. His performance in last week’s debate was not his best,” said Rep. Dina Tius, D-Nev., in a statement last year. “Here in Nevada, we are focused on protecting women’s reproductive freedoms and the Biden administration’s work to help us cope with the pandemic and the resulting high unemployment.” 

Titus’ name is not mentioned in the book.

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., who was one of the last people to see Biden before he left the race, also isn’t mentioned in the book. At the time of calls for Biden to drop out, Horsford had been among one of the stronger voices in the state supporting Biden. 

“President Joe Biden is the nominee and has been selected by millions of voters across this country, including voters here in Nevada,” Horsford posted on his personal X account in July. “They know President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for them. Like me, they don’t want to see Donald Trump back in the White House.”

We reached out to Rosen and Cortez Masto for comment.