Cresent Leo Hardy is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. Representative for from 2015 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Nevada Assembly from 2011 to 2015. He unseated one-term Democratic incumbent Steven Horsford in 2014, then lost his own bid for reelection in the 2016 general election to Democratic challenger Ruben Kihuen. Kihuen then retired after one term due to sexual misconduct allegations, so Hardy ran unsuccessfully for his old seat in 2018, losing to Horsford in a rematch.
Since leaving college, Hardy has pursued a career in business. He is a partial owner of properties in Alaska and Utah as well as in and around Mesquite, Nevada. Prior to entering Congress, he was a partner in a construction company. He was also one of several owners of Mesquite's Falcon Ridge Golf Course, which he personally designed. Hardy began his career in government by serving as the public works director in Mesquite, Nevada. He then became a member of the Virgin Valley Water District and a member of the Mesquite City Council. He was elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 2010.
Hardy ran as a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in, held by Steven Horsford of the Democratic Party, in the 2014 election. Hardy defeated Horsford 48.5%-45.7%. Hardy held "a number of community meetings" after being elected. He said "the two issues he heard about most often...were jobs and health care," and these would become his priorities in office.
2016
Hardy ran for re-election in 2016. Hardy faced two challengers in the Republican primary in June 2016, winning 77.44% of the vote. In the general election, he faced Democratic state senator Ruben Kihuen. Kihuen defeated Hardy with 48.5% of the vote. While Hardy carried six of the district's seven counties, he could not overcome a 24,000-vote deficit in Clark County. After initially supporting Donald Trump's presidential bid, Hardy said in October 2016 he would not vote for Trump.
2018
In January 2018, Hardy announced his candidacy for his old congressional seat after Republican Las VegasCity Councilman Stavros Anthony dropped out of the race. He won the June 2018 Republican primary. In August 2018, Speaker of the HousePaul Ryan campaigned for Hardy in Las Vegas. Hardy faced Democratic nominee and former U.S. Representative for the district, Steven Horsford in the general election. Horsford defeated Hardy, winning 52% of the vote to Hardy's 44%. Third-party candidates took the remaining 4% of the vote.
Hardy voted against an amendment to defund Obama's DACA program.
Health care
In 2016, Hardy and Terri Sewell introduced the Rural Health Enhancement and Long Term Health Act, intended to forestall the closure of rural hospitals.
Hardy and his wife, Peri Jean Hardy, have four children and two grandchildren. In August 2016, Hardy was hospitalized after a heart attack that occurred while he was preparing to undergo a colonoscopy. The next day he returned to his re-election campaign. Doctors discovered he had been living with a collapsed artery on his heart, and they inserted two stents to repair it. Hardy said "I actually feel better than I've felt in quite some time."
