LAS VEGAS -- In Southern Nevada's two most competitive congressional races, Republican Rep. Joe Heck and Democrat Steven Horsford entered this election year with substantial fundraising advantages over their chief opponents.
Heck, the incumbent from the 3rd Congressional District, entered 2012 with $835,475 cash on hand compared to only $185,542 for Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, a Democrat. Through Dec. 31 Heck raised $1.06 million and spent $379,632 while Oceguera raised $237,107 and spent $51,565.
Heck's most prolific donors came from the gaming industry ($102,200), health professionals ($100,605) and leadership political action committees ($88,082), according to OpenSecrets.org, a website run by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C. His top contributors were linked to the Las Vegas Sands ($30,000), Brady Industries ($25,000), Peppermill Casinos ($17,300) and MGM Resorts International ($15,000).
Oceguera attracted nominal support from gaming, law firms and finance companies. Station Casinos donors gave $10,000 to Heck and $2,500 to Oceguera.
In the new 4th Congressional District, state Senate Majority Leader Horsford leads Republican state Sen. Barbara Cegavske with a cash-on-hand advantage of $304,400 to $100,223, according to their latest filings with the Federal Election Commission. Horsford raised $341,186 last year and spent $36,786, while Cegavske raised $101,127 and spent only $903.
Horsford received heavy early backing from organized labor, including $5,000 each from political action committees representing the Communication Workers of America, International Union of Operating Engineers, International Association of Firefighters, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Laborers' International Union of North America, Service Employees International Union, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and United Steel Workers. He also received $20,000 from MGM Resorts International and $5,000 from the Congressional Black Caucus.
Cegavske received $5,000 from the Las Vegas Sands PAC, whose owner, Sheldon Adelson, has been in the news for his heavy support of another political action committee advocating the candidacy of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
With this week's withdrawal by state Sen. Ruben Kihuen from the 1st Congressional District race, fellow Democrat and former Rep. Dina Titus now faces only nominal opposition in her bid to replace Rep. Shelley Berkley, who is running for U.S. Senate. Titus entered this year with $326,198 cash on hand and drew her heaviest support from leadership PACs ($17,000), and industrial and building trade unions ($10,000 each).
Republican Rep. Mark Amodei isn't yet facing any major opposition in his bid to continue representing the 2nd Congressional District. He entered the year with $54,324 cash on hand, having spent $792,519 after raising $846,843. His largest donations have come from leadership PACs ($50,000), gaming ($48,134) and lawyers ($32,307).
