Berkley’s husband shuns bid for House

After flirting with a run for a congressional seat in a district that borders his wife’s, Dr. Larry Lehrner, the husband of Rep. Shelley Berkley, has decided not to seek the office.

Lehrner, a Las Vegas kidney doctor who never has run for public office, said Wednesday that the timing wasn’t right to run against Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev. He said he is needed at his medical practice, Kidney Specialists of Southern Nevada, of which he is the managing partner.

A water heater in the practice’s main office corroded and flooded the place about a month ago and will require wholesale renovation of the building because of mold, he said.

"These races are very difficult, and I would have had to focus a significant amount of time on it right away and 100 percent of my time by early next year," said Lehrner, who is a Democrat like his wife. "My partners prevailed on me not to do that under the circumstances."

Although a political newcomer who does not live in the 3rd Congressional District, Lehrner was seen as a potentially appealing candidate because he is a doctor and military veteran.

Berkley represents the 1st Congressional District, which contains the urban Las Vegas area. District 3, which Porter has represented since the seat was created in 2002, covers suburban and outlying areas of Clark County. The 3rd District is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans and is seen as a target for the national Democratic Party.

Porter expects "a strong challenger, and we are preparing for another strong race," his spokesman, Matt Leffingwell, said Wednesday.