Sen. Dean Heller says he 'can't win' unless more Republicans register to vote in Nevada

During a candid moment, Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) admitted he knows that if he wants to win re-election this November, voter turnout needs to be very low.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal obtained audio of a speech he gave to the Nevada Republican Men's Club on Tuesday, where he warned the audience that he "can't win" if there are "100,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans" in Nevada. Right now, Democrats outnumber Republicans in Nevada by about 59,000, the Nevada secretary of state's office reports, and "if we can get that number below 50,000, I can't lose," Heller said. "I can't lose. Because the ratio of voter turnout in a non-presidential year — we're in a non-presidential year — the tendency of Republicans to vote is higher than the other party."

Despite previously going back and forth on the Affordable Care Act, Heller told the audience he's all in on replacing it, and also said Congress must find "relief for DACA recipients." He predicted that in November, Republicans will "end up with 53, 54 seats," and praised President Trump, saying he thinks "this country is heading in the right direction."

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