(CNN) Twelve family members of Nevada Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt spoke out against him in an op-ed Tuesday, criticizing his lack of a true connection to the state and questioning his qualifications for the role.

"We are writing as members of the Laxalt family who have spent our lives in Nevada, and feel compelled to protect our family name from being leveraged and exploited by Adam Laxalt, the Republican candidate for governor," the dozen of Laxalt's cousins, second cousins and aunts write in the op-ed, published in the Reno Gazette-Journal.

"As this Election Day nears, we feel compelled to speak publicly about why we believe that Adam Laxalt is the wrong choice for Nevada's governorship."

The family members first reference how Laxalt was born in Reno but grew up in Washington, DC, and began a Nevada political career a year after he moved back in 2013.

"Aside from the occasional short visit, Adam never knew the state or its people," the family members write. "Perhaps if he had, he would stand for Nevada's values rather than for those of his out-of-state donors."

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