At the same time, the authors accused Laxalt of exploiting his Basque heritage by holding an annual fundraiser billed as a "Basque Fry." This year's event featured Kellyanne Conway, counselor to Trump; Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the Trump acolyte and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; and Dana Loesch, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association. In jeans, work books and a shirt monogrammed with his campaign logo, Laxalt aimed "to project an image of authenticity, of a deep family tie to Nevada and its history," his family members observed. "But it's all fake, all props paid for by someone else." The event was put on by the Morning in Nevada PAC, whose donors include the NRA.



His family members also took aim at Laxalt's career as a lawyer and attorney general. They pointed to a performance evaluation that described Laxalt as a "train wreck." They said his time in statewide office "has been little more than a four-year publicity tour for his current campaign for governor." He describes his tenure differently, saying that he has used his role as attorney general to "protect those who most need protecting" and citing his efforts to reduce the sexual assault kit backlog.



There is scarcely an issue on which his family members spared him - from health care to public land to education. But most of all they impugned his character and intentions, writing of his "self-serving political purposes" and "servitude to donors."



They claimed not to be motivated by partisanship, saying they would be "proud" to have a family member, Democrat or Republican, running for office, "so long as we believed that they would be good for Nevada." The column is narrowly focused on Laxalt, not mentioning his opponent. But its individual authors have previously spoken out in support of Sisolak, as well as donated to his campaign - endorsements that the Democratic candidate has publicized on social media.



The Republican's aunt, Kevin Marie Laxalt, a professor at Great Basin College in Elko, Nevada, appeared earlier this month in an ad for Sisolak. Meanwhile, the candidate's cousin, Monique Laxalt, said she and others felt "an obligation to speak out ... lest there be any misunderstanding that because he carries our family name, he represents our family's values."



Sisolak's most recent campaign finance disclosure shows that members of the Laxalt family have donated hundreds of dollars to his campaign.



Steve Sisolak tweeted "Thank you, Dr. Kevin Marie Laxalt, for standing behind my plan to put Nevada families first. #NVGov"