Rep. Jacky Rosen (D., Nev.) frequently references her efforts to build a business as a talking point on the campaign trail, but despite scouring public records, the Reno Gazette Journal found no evidence she "held a state or local business license for the software consulting shop she’s referenced."
The U.S. Senate hopeful ran the one-woman shop from 1993 to 2002, according to her campaign, and has mentioned the business in interviews with C-SPAN, NBC Reno, and other media outlets.
The Gazette Journal reached out to the business’s two main clients, Southwest Gas and Radiology Specialists, but obtained scant details. Southwest said Rosen worked for the company from 1990 to 1991, but could not say whether Rosen consulted for them. Radiology Specialists could not be reached for comment.
According to state officials, Rosen would not have needed to obtain a state license as long as she did not hire any employees. However, local officials in Henderson, Nevada, where Rosen was based, said she would have needed a local license to operate within city limits.
Rosen’s campaign told the Reno Gazette she thinks the requisite local paperwork was filed, but that she no longer keeps those forms.
Rosen is engaged in a competitive Senate race with the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dean Heller. Polling has been sparse to this point, but Real Clear Politics gives Rosen a slight edge at 42 percent of the vote compared to 40.5 percent for Heller.
The Senate race in Nevada is a crucial battleground in the 2018 midterm elections. The Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate, and Democrats are targeting vulnerable GOP seats in states such as Nevada and Arizona.
A number of Democratic incumbents also face tough reelection challenges, including Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), and Joe Manchin (W.Va.).