Five Things to Know About Nevada’s Republican Nominee for Attorney General Sigal Chattah

Campaign photo of Sigal Chattah

By Keya Vakil

September 2, 2022

Chattah opposes reproductive freedom, wants to make it harder to vote, has smeared teachers as “groomers,” opposes gun safety laws, and made appalling statements about her opponent.

In just over two months, Nevadans will have the opportunity to decide the direction of their state, voting in several key statewide races, including the office of attorney general.

In that race, incumbent Democrat Aaron Ford will face off against Republican challenger Sigal Chattah. Chattah, an attorney and first-time political candidate, has attracted her fair share of controversy and has been described by fellow Republicans as “unhinged,” “unprepared,” and “dangerous.” 

Here are five things to know about Chattah.

1. She opposes reproductive freedom and appeared to endorse prosecuting women who seek abortions

During a debate during the Republican primary, Chattah appeared to suggest that she would prosecute women who seek an abortion. 

“The way I look at it is the same way that we do sentencing enhancements on unborn children, victims of unborn children. I would marry it to that,” Chattah said.

Chattah has since claimed her view was misrepresented and said she doesn’t want to prosecute women. But she’s also said she’s “pro-life,” that “life begins at the time of the fetal heartbeat,” and that “If abortion is healthcare – murder must be population control

Chattah’s opposition to reproductive freedom puts her out of the mainstream with Nevada voters an in many states would pose an immediate threat to abortion. However, abortion is legal in Nevada, and any reversal of state-level abortion protections would require direct approval at the ballot box from voters.

2. Chattah wants to make it harder to vote

Chattah wants to repeal measures that make it more convenient for Nevadans to vote, such as the recent law that automatically provides every Nevada voter with a mail-in ballot. She also opposes Nevada’s ballot collection law, which allows voters–including seniors, disabled voters, those without cars, and those in rural areas—to authorize other individuals to return their mail-in ballot for them.

Chattah claims repealing these measures wouldn’t make it harder to vote, only harder to cheat. In reality, there has been zero proof of widespread voter fraud in Nevada.

3. Chattah has spread the smear that teachers are trying to “groom” children

Like many other right-wing candidates, Chattah has embraced the ugly smear that teachers, school administrators, and Democrats are trying to “indoctrinate” and “groom” children with sexual content in the classroom.

This, to be clear, is not true, but it’s part of a broader conservative push to enact censorship laws that seek to limit how schools can talk about race and sexual orientation and identity in the classroom. 

Chattah and other supporters of these proposals—which follow on the heels of the manufactured controversy over “Critical Race Theory”—depict them as innocent measures to give parents more control in schools. In reality, these efforts muzzle teachers and have created a culture of fear and mistrust among educators in many states who now worry about losing their jobs or having to look over their shoulders when they teach.

4. Chattah opposes gun safety laws

Chattah has repeatedly made clear that she opposes gun safety laws, saying she’d oppose a “Nevada gun grab.” Instead, she wants to imprison more people in a state that already has one of the higher rates of incarceration in the country.

“More incarceration and less legislation would work wonders,” she wrote in a July tweet referencing gun violence in Illinois.

5. Chattah once sent a text message saying Ford, who is Black, “should be hanging from a f***ing crane.”

Chattah later said the remark was “tongue-in-cheek” and had no racial overtones. You can decide for yourself.

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