Dear Neighbors,

The word "change" is one we've heard a lot this election season. National politicians use it in nearly every speech. Yet for all its use, the concept of change has never been more important than it is today in Nevada.

We're ranked near the bottom in so many important categories—education, health care, child and family services—and near the top in the most dubious categories. If ever a state needed change—it's ours.

I'm Allison Copening. I'm not a career politician—far from it. I'm a third generation Nevadan, cancer survivor and community leader who wants to bring about the changes we need so badly.

How important is health care to you? To me, the health and well-being of our children, parents and grandparents is the top priority. I have a personal stake in making sure Nevadans have access to affordable, high-quality medical care. I survived breast cancer and lost a brother to cancer. We must have real leadership on this issue and I will be that leader in the State Senate.

My opponent, on the other hand, is quite proud to have cut our state to the bone. He even brags about it. However, the next time you need a police officer or firefighter to respond to your emergency, ask yourself whether you really want to live in a state that spends as little as possible on vital services.

Our first responders know my opponent. They've tried to work with him for years, but he is only interested in cutting—at all costs. That's why both police AND firefighters have endorsed me as the candidate of choice.

This election is all about the kind of Nevada in which we want to live, raise a family and retire. Do you want a state with substandard schools, bad health care options and no money for building and maintaining roads? Of course you prefer to be proud of your child's school, confident in your doctors and gridlock free on the road.

Change is never easy. Sometimes it's uncomfortable and requires a great deal of courage. In the end, however, it's the only way to move forward and make things better for the future.

As a lifelong resident of this great state, I know the amazing quality of life that once made us the fastest growing community in the nation. My grandfather worked on the
Hoover Dam and my great uncle and aunt opened the first music store in Las Vegas. I have invested my whole life in Southern Nevada and you have my promise I'll never give
up trying to make things better.