Laxalt was born in Reno, Nevada, the son of Pete Domenici, a Republican U.S. Senator from New Mexico, and Michelle Laxalt. He is the grandson of former Republican Nevada Governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt. Laxalt's mother raised him as a single parent. Laxalt's paternity was not publicly acknowledged by his parents until 2013. At that time, Domenici acknowledged that Laxalt was his son and was born as a result of an extramarital affair.
In 1997, Laxalt was arrested for driving under the influence after he was pulled over and taken to a Virginia police station, where he was found to have a high blood-alcohol content. Laxalt was treated for alcoholism at the Hazelden Foundation near Minneapolis.
Also revealed for the first time in September 2018, Laxalt was issued eight traffic tickets — including five for speeding— between 1996 and 2006 in Virginia and Maryland, where he spent most of his life before moving to Nevada in 2011. One citation was for driving 82 mph in a 55 mph zone in August 2003. Laxalt was fined $140 and ordered to appear in court, but did not show up and did not pay the fine until August 2018, 15 years later.
Early career
Laxalt first worked for then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs John R. Bolton, before joining the office of Virginia U.S. Senator John Warner. After leaving Washington, Laxalt worked for the law firm Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie at its Reno office until 2014, when he left the firm to concentrate on his bid for Attorney General. He opposed the full repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell" in 2010.
After practicing with Lewis Roca Rothgerber, Laxalt considered a campaign for Nevada Attorney General. In January 2014, he announced his candidacy. Laxalt was the Republican nominee in the general election, and overcame issues including negative performance evaluations from his law firm which were leaked to the press and claims that he was a carpetbagger too new to Nevada to be considered for statewide office. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Ross Miller and minor-party candidate Jonathan Hansen.
Career as Attorney General
Laxalt was sworn in as the 33rd Attorney General of Nevada on January 5, 2015. His inauguration made him the youngest Attorney General in the United States at the time of his election.
Office organization
Laxalt created the Office of Military Legal Assistance, a program that provides Nevada's military members with pro-bono legal representation, and the Federalism Unit that challenges federal regulations including the Environmental Protection Agency's Waters of the United States Rule and the Bureau of Land Management's Sage Grouse Plan.
Gun issues
In 2017, Laxalt spoke at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. In his speech, Laxalt criticized a bill passed by the Nevada Senate, comparing the bill to the film Minority Report, saying the bill was based in “a concept called pre-crime” and would allow the government to “take your second amendment rights based merely on suspicion or threat.” In 2018, months after the NRA published a video calling greater adoption of these laws, Laxalt recommended that the legislature consider such a law in 2018, though he would not comment on if such laws were constitutional. Laxalt was slated to speak at the NRA's 2018 annual conference until his photo was mysteriously removed from the event website, days after the Parkland shooting, raising questions about what happened and whether he still planned to attend.
Restrictions on reproductive choice
As attorney general, Laxalt signed Nevada onto at least four known lawsuits supporting abortion restrictions or pro-life entities in other states. Laxalt signed onto two lawsuits supporting bans on the most commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure. Republican pro-choice Governor Brian Sandoval's office said it was not consulted before Laxalt signed Nevada onto the Texas abortion ban brief. In the Supreme Court case Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, Laxalt signed an amicus brief in support of a Texas TRAP law that imposed medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion clinics in order to curb the availability of abortion providers. The Supreme Court found the restrictions were an unconstitutional violation of the prohibition on placing an “undue burden” on the right to obtain an abortion.
Koch network support
Laxalt signed onto a California lawsuit to support keeping secret the identities of the donors to one of his biggest political backers, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, backed by the GOP megadonors Charles and David Koch. Laxalt opposed a multi-state investigation into ExxonMobil's alleged role in downplaying climate change, condemning it as an attempt to stifle an “ongoing public policy debate” over human-caused global warming. Laxalt took legal action to keep fraud investigators from scrutinizing groups connected to the Koch network, which went on to spend $2.5 million to support Laxalt's governor campaign.
Successor
Laxalt did not run for re-election, choosing instead to run for Nevada state governor; he was succeeded by Democrat Aaron Ford on January 7, 2019.
2018 gubernatorial campaign
Laxalt was the Republican nominee for Governor of Nevada in the 2018 election, defeating four other candidates to win the nomination. Laxalt lost to Democratic nominee and chair of the Clark County Commission Steve Sisolak in the general election; Sisolak become the first Democrat to win the governorship in 20 years. Asked if there were any gun violence prevention measures Nevada needs to implement to prevent another October 1st tragedy, Laxalt responded “You know, I think it's important to slow down on this October 1.” Laxalt was asked what he would do if elected to put in place the initiative voters passed to enact universal background checks and responded “I wouldn't change anything as governor.” Asked if he would propose a referendum to put Nevada's abortion law up for a vote, Laxalt responded “We are going to look into it.”
Endorsements
President Donald Trump
An endorsement of Laxalt for Nevada Governor was announced on June 12.
Governor Brian Sandoval's decision not to endorse
Incumbent Republican Governor Brian Sandoval did not endorse a candidate in the election to succeed him, saying he would not "support a candidate that is going to undo anything that I put forward." During Sandoval's tenure as Governor, he and Laxalt had disputed over tax policy, environmental regulations and gambling regulations.
Laxalt was endorsed by Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro in November 2017 after he announced his candidacy. Laxalt faced scrutiny for declining to disavow Antinoro's campaign support. Antinoro was accused of rape in 2014. A 2016 independent investigation found that Antinoro sexually harassed his top deputy. Storey County Administrator Austin Osborne said in a deposition that “numerous…more than 10” complaints including sexual harassment allegations were filed against Antinoro. After the sexual harassment investigation, Antinoro faced a recall election. In April 2018, Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center called on Laxalt to rescind the endorsement and to investigate multiple allegations of sexual harassment against Antinoro. In May 2018, Laxalt dismissed criticism of his refusal to reject the endorsement or denounce Antinoro as “political theatrics.” Laxalt was scheduled to campaign with Antinoro at the end of May 2018 but Antinoro announced he would not attend after the event was picked up in media. In July 2018, Laxalt released the long-awaited investigative report into Antinoro and announced that he would not pursue criminal charges. The investigation was criticized for not interviewing Antinoro, alleged co-perpetrators or multiple rape victims. After the investigation concluded, Laxalt announced he would no longer campaign with Antinoro or use his endorsement. An October 2018 letter showed that the Attorney's General office met with former deputy sheriff Melanie Keener in early 2016, at which time the deputy shared details of Antinoro's history of sexually harassing employees.
