Attendees at Carson City Heck event demand Heller endorse Trump

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who showed up at Tuesday’s Carson Republican Women’s Club luncheon to support Joe Heck’s senate bid, was instead faced with angry attendees demanding he endorse and vote for Donald Trump.

Heller has so far refused to support Trump saying he’s in a uncomfortable situation and isn’t there yet.

An audience member charged that Heller not endorsing Trump means he is supporting Hillary Clinton who Seaton said she hates and “would kill my family.”

There were several others who made even stronger comments about Clinton.

Afterward, Heller said the comments were disappointing. He said the 70 or so who attended the luncheon at the Gold Dust West were entitled to their opinion and to disagree with him but “some of those comments have no place in the discourse.”

“We need you there,” said Ken Gray. “I don’t care how loony he is, we need him in that seat.”

Heller fired back pointing to Trump’s statements denigrating women, Muslims, veterans, immigrants and the disabled. He also made it clear he would never vote for Clinton.

But on Nevada’s ballot, Heller has an alternative choice. Nevada permits voters to vote for “None of the Above.”

The comments started after Heck said he started out not backing Trump but has since decided to endorse him.

“There are many things he has said that give me pause,” Heck said. “But there are things she has done that terrify me.”

That prompted Seaton to demand Heller’s stand on Trump saying Nevadans voted for Trump in the primary and it’s Heller’s obligation to support him.

Heller said he’s hoping to get to where he can back the candidate, “I’m not there yet. This is a man who denigrates human beings,” he said.

One woman in the audience said the crowd would remember this when Heller runs again in 2018.

It was Heck who finally ended the attack on Heller, asking if there was anyone in the audience who wanted to ask a question about issues. When no one raised a hand, he effectively closed off the subject that had, by that point, consumed nearly all of his question and answer time.