Political novice out fundraising Bilbray-Axelrod in Democratic primary for Clark County Commission

Hunter Cain, a veterans advocate who works in the military department of Grand Canyon University, is winning the money race against Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod in the Democratic primary for Clark County Commission District C, which is being vacated by Democrat Ross Miller. 

The winner will take on the Republican who prevails in a three-way race among April Becker, Gail Powers, and Tom Wagner. 

This is Cain’s third run for office. In 2020 he came in second in the Democratic primary race for Commission District C to Miller, who went on to win the general election. In 2022, Cain ran unsuccessfully for county recorder.

A foster parent, Cain says it’s no wonder the foster population is disproportionately represented in the jail. He says he’s seeking election to help the county address social issues such as what he says is a failure to retain foster homes

“The Department of Family Services is trying to appeal to the 21-year-old saying, ‘Hey, if we pay you a little bit more money, and instead of 10 weeks of classes, we’ll just break it down to two weekends.’ At the same time, they’re calling us glorified babysitters. That’s the mentality that the county has. Let me get in there and do something a little bit different.” 

He also wants to establish a department of veterans services at the county.

Cain has earned a number of associate degrees and two bachelor degrees, one in administration and management from the University of San Diego, and another from UNLV, according to his Ballotpedia entry and website .

Bilbray-Axelrod is the daughter of former U.S. Rep. Jim Bilbray. She served four terms in the Nevada Assembly. She cites her experience as a lawmaker and her ability to bring people together to forge solutions as her motivation for running.

In 2023, as chair of the Education Committee, Bilbray-Axelrod co-sponsored legislation that allows local governments to appoint four non-voting members to school boards in Clark and Washoe counties. The bill was touted as a means of addressing perceived dysfunction and conflict among elected school board members.

Money game 

Bilbray-Axelrod raised about $19,000 in contributions last year, and another $60,000 in the first quarter of 2024. She has roughly $58,000 on hand.

Her largest contribution is $10,000 from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 525.

She has $5,000 contributions from Olympia Companies, the developer of Southern Highlands, and from Key Reid. Reid’s father, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, served in Congress with Bilbray-Axelrod’s father. 

Cain raised just under $197,000 in the first quarter of 2024, with more than half of it from in-kind contributions. He has $84,000 on hand.

The bulk of his support comes from the Armed Forces Chamber, of which he’s a member. “In the veteran community, I’m very well-known,” says Cain, who served in the Army from 2001 to 2010.

The founder of the Armed Force Chamber, Andre Haynes, contributed $5,000, his first contribution in excess of $100. Haynes’ wife, Patsy Brown, also contributed $5,000, her only contribution to a political race other than the $100 she contributed to her own campaign as a Republican running for public administrator in 2022.

Haynes’ daughter also contributed $5,000 to Cain, as did his daughter-in-law, the first contributions for both women.

“I’m glad they did it now. It’s a great time to start when you’re young,” Haynes said during an interview with the Current.

Joaquin Perry-Edwards, a member and employee of the Chamber, according to Haynes, also contributed $5,000 to Cain. Edwards went to prison after he pled guilty in 2001 to second-degree murder of his 3-week old son. He admitted to slamming his fist into the infant’s chest, causing the baby’s heart to rupture.

“His inspiring journey of overcoming and rebuilding resonates deeply with me,” Cain said of Edwards during an interview with the Current, adding he welcomes support from a diverse community. “I have in the past, and aspire to extend similar support to other veterans in need, ensuring they receive a hand up, not a handout.”

Cain, a disabled war veteran who receives a stipend from the government, loaned $20,000 to his campaign. “I could probably put another $25,000 into there. But after that, I would probably just say no. I’m trying to raise funds.”

His foster and adopted children have contributed another $5,000.

By comparison, Becker, the fundraising frontrunner on the Republican side, has raised $329,000, a third of which came from companies owned by her husband, Matt, while $60,000 is from political action committees connected to Laborers’ Union 872. 

Spreading the wealth 

The Clark County Commission is regarded as one of the most powerful boards in the state, with the Las Vegas Strip in its jurisdiction.

Cain suggests Clark County offer perks to make special events such as the Formula One race more palatable to locals.

“Why can’t we work with the Regional Transportation Commission to offer free bus rides for locals to various events? Say ‘We know this is inconvenient for you. We support you. We love you.’ Or seriously discounted tickets? Everyone was excited for the Super Bowl but unless you have $8,000 to $10,000 for a ticket, then most of you aren’t going,” he says. 

Bilbray-Axelrod suggests the county work creatively to incorporate into the festivities those businesses harmed by the race preparations.

“Why wouldn’t we have put a private event in Battista’s Hole in the Wall?” she says of a restaurant that lost business because of F1 disruptions. “There’s so many thoughtful out of the box ways that we could have made the community as a whole do well with all this money coming in. I just think that we’re maybe a little blinded by the light and idea of what F1 was.”

The two Democrats disagree on providing public subsidies to stadiums.

“I don’t think enough is done right now,” says Cain. “I think we’re in such a rush to build every stadium and get every team and every event here, that we’re neglecting the people that live here.”

As a state lawmaker, Bilbray-Axelrod voted in favor of providing $380 million in public assistance for the $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat A’s baseball stadium on the Strip. She says it’s important to extract promises for community benefits.

Gimme shelter

Clark County is in the throes of a housing crisis that has left low- and moderate-income families struggling to find shelter they can afford.

Bilbray-Axelrod says she doesn’t think rent control is the answer. She prefers solutions that would allow more residents to become homeowners.

“It is a very nuanced argument. I think it’s very easy to say that the rents are too damn high, which I would agree with. However, you don’t want to live in a community where you have a majority of renters. We know that that doesn’t help the community in the long run.”

Cain favors rent control, but says he doesn’t know at what percent rents should be capped.

He declined to say whether he supports inclusionary zoning, the practice of requiring developers to include a low-income or workforce component to their developments or contribute to a fund to do so.

Bilbray-Axelrod says she supports inclusionary zoning as well as industry-specific workforce housing for teachers and other professions. 

“When you’re offering up prime real estate, it’s important that the community benefits as well. And that’s going to look at a lot of different ways including parks and open spaces, but also affordable housing,” she says, adding she has no desire to stifle growth. “We’re going to continue to grow. We just need to make sure we’re doing it intelligently. We’re not looking at sprawl. We’re looking at smart development.”

She also supports the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, which is championed by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and would open 30,000 acres of federal land in Hidden Valley near Sloan, 16 miles southwest of Las Vegas, to developers.

“I trust Catherine,” Bilbray-Axelrod said of Cortez Masto. “The devil is always in the details. So I’d like to see what actually comes out.”

Cain said he doesn’t have enough information on the legislation, which is endorsed by Clark County.

“Clark County needs to think outside the box,” he says, adding he supports a “massive increase in property tax” on second homes to support social services and public safety. “That would prevent a lot of these corporations from being able to buy up homes like it’s nothing.”

Bilbray-Axelrod says the county needs to get a grip on short-term rentals, which remove housing stock from the market.

“Unfortunately, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Short-term rentals are here. They just need to be regulated,” she says, adding “the county needs to do more to protect neighborhoods and protect the value of homeowners and renters.”

Cain disapproves of using urban housing stock for short-term rentals. He suggests the county should allow construction of STRs near recreation areas such as Lake Mead and Kyle Canyon.

“But I think that maybe not in the main city area,” he said. He suggests couchsurfing as an option in urban areas. “It doesn’t cost anything.”

Early voting begins Saturday. Primary Election Day is June 11.