Steven Horsford..pay to play scheme

Society’s Rule: The public has access to elected officials
Horsford’s Rule: You have to pay to access elected officials

Steven Horsford has a history of ignoring the rules the rest of society follows. So it’s no surprise that Horsford created and orchestrated a plan to “pimp Democratic leaders in the legislature for cash,” according to a 2010 column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Horsford allegedly ran a full-fledged pay-to-play scheme out of the state Capitol, selling access to his fellow Democrats in exchange for campaign contributions.

“The bigger the check, the better the access,” according to the Review-Journal. “This package seemed to be designed for johns looking for quantity.”

Horsford was shamed into returning more than $100,000 after the scheme in the face of public scrutiny.

But the damage was done. The Review-Journal called Horsford’s pay-to-play debacle “a new low in Nevada.”

“Horsford has one set of rules for you and another set for himself. You could ask him about it yourself, but under Horsford’s pay-to-play scheme, you probably couldn’t afford access to him.” – NRCC Spokesman Daniel Scarpinato