Carlton looking hard at challenging Porter
The field of potential Democratic opponents for Rep. Jon Porter shifted last week with state Sen. Dina Titus’ announcement that she won’t run for the seat.
If not Titus, then who?
State Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, said she’s definitely considering it.
"My husband and I have been talking about it for a while," she said. "We might try it. I don’t think it’s too far fetched."
Carlton, a waitress at the Treasure Island resort, said she wants to talk it over with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and her supporters at home before she makes a decision.
"He’s my congressman, and I don’t like some of the things he’s done," she said of Porter. "Maybe we need a waitress in Congress, not an insurance guy."
Carlton is in the middle of her third state Senate term. Because of term limits, she cannot run again once her current term ends in 2010.
Also still in the ring is Rep. Shelley Berkley’s husband, Dr. Larry Lehrner. He said last week he was still "exploring" the idea.
"I do have a long-standing interest in public policy," the Las Vegas nephrologist and former Republican said. "I’m very concerned that the country is pretty seriously on the wrong track, especially with regard to Iraq and health care."
Lehrner lives with Berkley in the 1st Congressional District, which Berkley represents, while Carlton’s home in her state Senate district is within the boundaries of Porter’s 3rd Congressional District. Federal rules do not require members of Congress to live in the districts they represent.
Already making a bid for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd Congressional District is Andrew Martin, an accountant and political newcomer.
Robert Daskas, a county prosecutor also said to be interested in running, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.
The seat is a major target for the Democratic Party nationally. According to a poll conducted in April, just 37 percent of Porter’s constituents in the divided district viewed him positively.
Porter’s spokesman, Matt Leffingwell, declined to comment on specific potential opponents but said, "We expect to have another strong challenger, and we look forward to a substantive debate on the issues."
LEAVING THE LEGISLATURE
At least one seat in the Legislature will be up for grabs in the 2008 election. Freshman Assemblywoman RoseMary Womack, D-Henderson, is not planning to seek re-election in Assembly District 23, although she is planning to hang around Carson City.
Womack said her husband of 14 months moved with her to Carson City for the legislative session and ended up getting a permanent job offer too good to pass up. A 65-year-old retired real estate agent and nonprofit worker, Womack said she will split her time between Henderson and Carson City until her term in the Assembly ends, then move to the capital permanently.
During the last election cycle, the Democrats had a hard time recruiting a candidate for the seat formerly held by Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins. The candidate they did get, it turned out, wasn’t cut out to be a legislator by her own admission.
"It’s not as far-reaching as I’d like it to be, or maybe it’s too far-reaching," Womack said of the legislative process. "I’ve always been a part of nonprofits, where you go out and do things in the community. Here, you never see the effects of what you’re doing."
Womack said she had a successful session, getting legislation passed to allow electronic license renewal for real estate agents, increase mileage payments for police department witnesses and regulate corporate intermediaries. And she said she would continue to serve her constituents.
"I certainly don’t want them to feel like I’ve abandoned them," she said. "They deserve good representation."
Registered Democrats make up 44 percent of the voters in District 23, while registered Republicans constitute 36 percent. Womack, who entered the race relatively late, won the seat by just 2 percentage points.
Nevada Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirsten Searer said Democrats will be working hard to keep the seat, which has been in Democratic hands since it was created in 1992.
HELLER UNDER FIRE
The political arm of Defenders of Wildlife bought radio time in Reno last week to criticize Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev.
The Washington-based environmental group also set up a Web site charging that Heller, who sits on the Natural Resources Committee, "has his head stuck in the sand" because he voted against two bills this spring designed to combat climate change.
Heller was one of five Republicans targeted by the group that helped defeat the committee chairman, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., last fall.
"With Heller, we are trying to put him on notice," the group’s political director, Mark Longabaugh, said. "He is new to the committee, and we are trying to let him know early in his tenure the public is demanding action on global warming."
"This is an East Coast liberal environmental group that, frankly, I don’t think has any connection to Nevada," Heller responded. "The ultimate goal of this group is to shut down mining, close down our public lands and stop all hunting and fishing. I would argue most Nevadans don’t share those values."
RUNNING NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson isn’t concerned that all his time on the presidential campaign trail is taking him away from his home state.
The executive director of the New Mexico Republican Party, Adam Feldman, put out a news release during Richardson’s campaign swing through Nevada last week accusing Richardson of "ducking" his gubernatorial duties and not taking his job seriously.
In an interview, Richardson noted that Feldman appears to be very much in the minority.
"I think New Mexicans have given me license to campaign for president," Richardson said. "I still am in touch with my state. I’m back there. I have a good lieutenant governor who’s running the state. … I’m the most popular today that I’ve ever been. I’m at 74 percent, probably because I’m away."
Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this report. Contact political reporter Molly Ball at 387-2919 or MBall@reviewjournal.com.
