The estranged wife of Rep. Steven Horsford is accusing the Nevada Democrat of bullying and intimidation.
Sonya Douglass’s charges against the congressman come a bit over a week before Horsford faces voters in the northern Las Vegas area and rural central Nevada 4th Congressional District. Horsford and two Nevada House Democratic colleagues, Reps. Susie Lee and Dina Titus, each face tough reelection fights in the Silver State, which, along with tight Senate and governor races, has turned into a premier 2022 electoral battleground. Republicans are focused on capturing all three seats in their bid to win a House majority on Nov. 8.
Douglass’s criticisms of Horsford came in an emoji-filled Twitter thread on Sunday.
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I had no intention of posting anything and kept quiet the entire campaign. To think I would even want to mention his name is ridiculous. Who looks through the trash after you’ve taken it out? But I don’t respond well to bullying or intimidation so here we are.
— Sonya Douglass, EdD (@drsonyadouglass) October 30, 2022
But through it all, I am stronger, wiser, and happier than I’ve ever been in my entire adult life. ?? I pray my journey encourages others to trust God and accept nothing less than the peace, respect, and love we all deserve.???❤️
— Sonya Douglass, EdD (@drsonyadouglass) October 30, 2022
Douglass, a professor and the director of the Black Education Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City, has for some time been unenthusiastic about Horsford’s reelection bid. On March 24, she implored Horsford not to run for another term, nearly two years after he admitted to having an on-and-off affair with a woman 15 years his junior starting in 2009, when she was a 21-year-old college senior.
Horsford, the first black member of Congress from Nevada, in May 2020 admitted to carrying on a long-standing affair with a former intern for Harry Reid, the late Democratic Senate majority leader. The woman, who goes by the pseudonym “Love Jones,” began sharing her story on the Mistress for Congress podcast. She has also shared screenshots of messages with Horsford dating back to 2018.
Seven months ago, Sonya Douglass asked for privacy for herself and her three children. But now she’s again publicly chastising her husband’s behavior.
Horsford, in a statement from his campaign on Wednesday, apologized to his wife.
“Sonya has been in my life for over 22 years. We are blessed with three beautiful and remarkable children. I publicly apologize to Sonya, whom I have hurt, our children, and our family, and take full responsibility for my actions,” Horsford said in a statement issued by his campaign.
“Like many people who experience difficulty in their marriages, it’s painful when it ends. I messed up a very good thing with Sonya. We are now working through the final terms of our agreement and have made every effort to do so amicably and in the best interests of our children and their happiness.”
Horsford’s Republican opponent, Sam Peters, earlier called on the Democratic lawmaker to resign.
“The fact that a sitting congressman, disgraced by an admitted 10-year-long affair, is now embroiled in a circumstance so ugly that he is attempting to force his wife to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, with $10K fines for the mere mention of the affair that he is responsible for, is disgraceful and draws to question his character, his trustworthiness, and his ability to serve in his capacity as a congressman,” Peters said in a statement issued by his campaign.
“More than that, there are now allegations from these public comments by his wife that he has been bullying and using intimidation tactics — and potentially violence,” Peters said. “This is NOT behavior becoming of an elected official, nor does it reflect credibility on the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Peters is an Air Force veteran and insurance firm owner and has pitched himself as a pro-Donald Trump conservative and ardent supporter of the former president. Peters lost a House Republican primary bid in 2020 but is now running in what seems to be a more favorable political environment.
Horsford, in his campaign statement, said his Republican opponent is trying to exploit a delicate family situation.
“My opponent, who has gone through divorce proceedings himself, is weaponizing this deeply personal moment in a desperate attempt to save his floundering political campaign. I’ve remained committed to the work on behalf of my constituents and will continue to do so,” Horsford said.
Horsford’s new district has a Democratic tilt. In 2020, President Joe Biden would have beaten Trump there 53% to 44.8%. That gives the congressman some political breathing room over the current iteration of his district, where Biden only prevailed over Trump 50.9% to 47%.
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Horsford has an up-and-down record in House elections. Horsford in 2012 was state Senate majority leader and nabbed Nevada’s new 4th Congressional district upon its creation, covering most of northern Clark County and some rural areas reaching into central Nevada.
Horsford, though, fell prey to House Republicans’ strong year in 2014, when they gained 13 seats during then-President Barack Obama’s second midterm wipeout. Horsford lost to GOP challenger Cresent Hardy. The Republican hold on the district lasted only a single House term and Hardy lost two years later to Democrat Ruben Kihuen. His House career, too, only lasted two years because he declined a reelection bid due to sexual misconduct allegations. That opened a return for Horsford in 2018.
