A political survey from the 90s has come back to haunt Sisolak — and his opponent knows it

Steve Sisolak has revised his opinion on guns, marijuana, same-sex marriage and the death penalty over the past 20 years, forcing the governor’s office hopeful to defend against accusations that he’s flip-flopped on some of the issues most important to Democratic primary voters.

A 1996 “political courage test” published by VoteSmart.org shows Sisolak, then running for a Henderson-area state Senate seat, did not support the decriminalization of medical marijuana, the legalization of same-sex marriages and the expansion of gun control legislation.

The longtime Clark County Commissioner, who faces a tough primary race against fellow Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, has since come out vocally in favor, or at least unopposed, to each of those policies.

Last week, Giunchigliani — running to the left of a better-funded, more moderate Sisolak — seized on the survey as a chance to tout her own liberal bonafides, offering an appeal aimed squarely at the progressive voters expected to decide the pair’s upcoming closed primary race.

“(Giunchigliani) consistently advocated for marijuana legalization and marriage equality, not just when these things became politically easy to support,” her campaign manager Eric Hyers wrote in an email on Friday. “Chris is a leader who doesn't need to read a poll or put her finger in the wind to see what she will say on any given day.”

Sisolak, too, directed his response toward progressive primary voters, stressing his support for women and minority groups without denying that his stances had shifted on some issues.

“This was a survey from 22 years ago,” Sisolak wrote in a statement to the Reno Gazette Journal. “Like many people, you learn and grow as times change. And I think that’s important.”

The VoteSmart questionnaire shows Sisolak did not support same sex marriages in Nevada. He was undecided on the question of whether government funding should be provided to medical facilities that provide abortions.

Today, he says he couldn’t be happier that marriage equality is the law of the land and that reproductive health decisions should be left between a woman and her doctor.

Sisolak also indicated on the survey that he was not opposed to the death penalty — a measure he later told the RGJ was appropriate only in “extreme cases.”

He did not directly answer specific questions about his past positions on that and several other topics.

The questionnaire goes on to show Sisolak did not support an expanded ban on assault weapons, increased state restrictions on firearm sales or the maintenance of existing state gun restrictions. He also opposed easing or repealing those restrictions, indicating only that he would support allowing law-abiding citizens to continue to carry concealed firearms.

That would seem to be odds with statements he’s made on the campaign trail, including tweets that have decried bump stock-modified firearms as “killing machines” in need of an immediate ban.

Spokeswoman Barb Solish said in an email that Sisolak filled out the survey before many of the nation’s worst mass shootings took place, including Columbine, Sandy Hook and October’s 58-person massacre at an outdoor concert venue on the Las Vegas Strip.

“In 1996, even California had yet to implement the first medical marijuana law,” Solish said. “In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law.”

Sisolak in 2013 told the Las Vegas Sun that he supported an assault weapons ban.

In 2016, he urged taking action beyond “thoughts and prayers” while attending a vigil for the victims of a shooting that left 49 people dead and 58 wounded at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

Sisolak’s campaign cited those same remarks as evidence of his support for the LGBT community, adding in a statement that there was still more to be done to protect that and other minority groups.

Giunchigliani’s campaign suspects such remarks amount to little more than political posturing.

“After kicking off his campaign calling himself a ‘moderate’ and ‘middle of the road’ and after months and months of talking about his polls and focus groups, Steve Sisolak is now desperate to convince Democratic primary voters he shares their values,” campaign manager Hyers wrote in an email. “(Giunchigliani) has always supported groups like Planned Parenthood and access to legal reproductive services.

“Unlike Steve, Chris has always stood up to the gun lobby, including being an outspoken advocate for Question 1 to expand background checks.”

Democrats will decide between Giunchigliani and Sisolak in a party primary election scheduled for June 12.

The winner is expected to face either Attorney General Adam Laxalt or state Treasurer Dan Schwartz in a general election on Nov. 6.