Housing woes push into 2020 debate from Nevada and beyond

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The need for affordable housing is gaining attention in the 2020 presidential campaign as Democrats step up with ideas to restrain prices.

The issue hasn’t dominated the campaign like health care or immigration has. But it represents the seeds of a growing debate as high rents and home prices spread from expensive cities such as Los Angeles and New York to once-affordable pockets like Las Vegas, Reno and beyond.

By one Harvard analysis, houses are out of reach of most families in one-seventh of the metro areas in the United States.

Among the Democratic presidential candidates, Bernie Sanders would spend $2.5 trillion over the next decade to improve public housing, combat homelessness and establish national rent control. Elizabeth Warren would spend $500 billion over 10 years to build housing units.