NRCC wrongly says Jacky Rosen ‘refused’ to say if she supports Sanders or Clinton. She’s pro-Clinton

Republicans are hoping to tie the increasingly fraught battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination to down-ballot Democrats.

That’s the case in Nevada, where the National Republican Congressional Committee is running automated telephone calls telling voters that Democratic candidate Jacky Rosen hasn’t committed to supporting either Sanders or Clinton.

“Jacky Rosen has refused to tell us whether she supports Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton,” the recorded call says.

So has Rosen, a synagogue leader who was recruited by Sen. Harry Reid to run for the state’s 3rd Congressional District, refused to weigh in on the presidential race?

In a word — no.

Rosen, who announced her candidacy in January, told Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston on May 12 that she caucused for Clinton back in February.

“I caucused for Hillary, and it looks like she’s going to be the nominee, and I’m proud to stand on the ticket with her,” she told Ralston. (This comment starts at 20:30.)

NRCC spokesman Zach Hunter said in an email that there was a difference between caucusing and endorsing, and that Rosen has generally been dodgy on the issue.

“In 2016 when you have such a divide in the Democratic party as it barrels towards a contested convention, the difference is significant,” he said in an email.

It’s true that Rosen has done few media interviews since announcing her candidacy, but it doesn’t appear that she’s really been asked about who she’s endorsed for president.

Articles in the Laughlin Nevada Times and Las Vegas Sun don’t mention a presidential endorsement from Rosen.

Associated Press political reporter Michelle Rindels interviewed Rosen on April 27 for an upcoming story and confirmed that the candidate openly supported Clinton.

It is curious as to why Rosen didn’t speak up about her presidential preference before Nevada’s presidential caucus in February, despite announcing her candidacy back in January.

The Clinton campaign in the state didn’t appear to tout her endorsement, and she doesn’t appear on a campaign list of “100 Nevada women for Hillary” from November 2015.

But her endorsement of Clinton on Ralston Live was straightforward.

“She spent eight years in the White House, she was a senator, she’s traveled all around the world talking to world leaders,” she said. “And she’s a mom and a grandma and I really think she has a lifelong experience in doing this, having a calm, cool, collected head, being analytical and those are the kind of things that are important to me.”

Our ruling

The NRCC says Democrat Jacky Rosen “has refused to tell us whether she supports Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.”

PolitiFact was unable to find an instance where Rosen refused to answer questions about her presidential preference. Rosen has said on at least two occasions, one publicly and one to a reporter, that she supports Hillary Clinton.

We rate this claim Pants on Fire!

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