In Nevada Senate race, Cortez Masto misleads about Laxalt’s record against opioid companies

In the tight Senate race in Nevada, Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has criticized campaign contributions from drug and oil companies to her Republican opponent Adam Laxalt.

A 15-second Facebook ad focuses on Laxalt’s track record as Nevada’s attorney general from 2015 to 2019. 

"While other states took multiple drug companies to court over the opioid epidemic, Adam Laxalt took their campaign cash and used his office to block local attempts at holding one of the worst offenders accountable," a narrator says in the ad. "Laxalt’s only in it for himself."

Laxalt received campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies from 2014 to 2018, when he was first running for attorney general and then for governor. He also pushed against the city of Reno’s plans to sue opioid manufacturers. But the ad implies, without evidence, Laxalt did this as a result of campaign contributions. The ad also leaves out that Laxalt’s office was involved in investigations against opioid companies. 

Laxalt’s political career started in January 2014 when he launched his campaign for attorney general, a race he won. In 2017, Laxalt announced he would be running for governor. He won the Republican primary in June 2018, but lost to his Democratic opponent, Steve Sisolak, in the general election.

Nevada’s campaign contributions database shows that between 2014 and 2018, Laxalt received $20,250 from Pfizer, Mallinckrodt and Purdue Pharma — all companies that manufacture opioids. Cortez Masto’s campaign pointed PolitiFact to this database as backup for the ad’s claim. 

In June 2017, Laxalt announced his office was part of a bipartisan group of 41 attorneys general investigating the role of drug manufacturers in the opioid epidemic. The group did not identify any companies by name at the time. 

On Sept. 19, 2017, Laxalt and the other attorneys general issued subpoenas to the opioid manufacturers Endo, Janssen, Teva/Cephalon, Allergan and Purdue Pharma. They also demanded information from opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.   

A few months later, the city of Reno began exploring the possibility of independently suing opioid manufacturers. Laxalt reached out to Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve to discuss how this possible legal action could affect the multistate investigation, according to reporting by the Nevada Independent. 

On Nov. 6, 2017, Schieve responded that the city likely had different concerns and ideas from the state over what a settlement should look like. 

Laxalt told Schieve in a subsequent letter that the city’s effort might "unintentionally, undermine Nevada’s position in the multistate investigation." The letter was co-signed by the state’s top consumer advocate, Ernest Figueroa.

Laxalt said the attorney general’s office had more experience in multistate litigation and had already undertaken investigations and lawsuits over deceptive marketing and sales.

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"We should avoid actions that would let the companies under investigation pit Nevadans against Nevadans," Laxalt wrote.

However, the letter did not say the attorney general’s office would block the city’s efforts. 

Schieve replied that Laxalt’s effort to deter the city’s lawsuit is "unsupported, and unfortunately pits ‘Nevadans against Nevadans’ when in fact the more claims being pursued by Nevada localities, the larger recovery may be achieved."

In May 2018, Laxalt filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma L.P., which manufactures OxyContin, an opioid medication. Laxalt accused the drug company of deceiving consumers about prescription opioids. (This lawsuit involved only Nevada, not the multistate investigation.)

This was the first lawsuit filed by Nevada against an opioid manufacturer, according to a news release from Laxalt’s office.

On Sept. 18, 2018, the city of Reno sued Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers and distributors, including Mallinckrodt. 

Laxalt said he welcomed Reno to "the ongoing fight to curb Nevada’s opioid epidemic" spearheaded by his office.

In June 2019, Aaron Ford, who succeeded Laxalt as attorney general, dropped Laxalt’s lawsuit against Purdue and filed a larger one, naming 40 defendants, including Mallinckrodt.

Cortez Masto claimed Laxalt took "campaign cash" from drug companies "and used his office to block local attempts at holding one of the worst offenders accountable," while other states sued "multiple drug companies to court over the opioid epidemic."

The ad contains an element of truth: Laxalt received more than $20,000 from drug companies between 2014 and 2018. Laxalt in late 2018 discouraged Reno’s mayor from suing drug manufacturers.

But the ad leaves a misleading impression; Laxalt did not "block" the effort. 

Laxalt said he worried the city’s action could undermine an ongoing investigation by a multistate coalition that included Nevada. Separately, Nevada sued Purdue Pharma, alleging deceptive practices. 

Reno ultimately sued the opioid companies, and Laxalt supported the move. 

We rate the claim Mostly False.