Incumbents leading in early results

Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Early returns indicated six state Assembly incumbents involved in primary battles in Clark County were headed for victory and would move on to the Nov. 5 general election.

Tuesday's apparent victors were incumbents Wendell Williams, Morse Arberry Jr., David Goldwater, Max Bennett, Mark Manendo and Sandra Tiffany.

But freshman Republican Assemblywoman Jeannine Stroth in District 5 was losing to fellow GOP candidate Barbara Cegavske in early returns. With about a fourth of the precincts reporting, Cegavske had 45 percent of the vote, compared with 40 percent for Stroth and 15 percent for fellow Republican Harry Pappas. The winner is slated to meet Libertarian Patrick O'Neill in the general election.

Of the 26 Assembly districts in Clark County, 16 held Democratic or Republican primaries.

At stake during the Nov. 5 general election will be control of the 42-seat Assembly, now split 21-21 between the Republicans and Democrats. Clark County residents have a major voice in that outcome since nearly two-thirds of the seats are in Southern Nevada.

The Democrats held a 29-13 advantage during the 1993 session, but a GOP tidal wave felt across the nation the following year evened the score in the lower house. The first-ever tie in the Assembly meant that the Republicans were able to co-chair legislative committees with the Democrats. Numerous bills were killed because of the tie.

In primaries involving GOP incumbents, Bennett was defeating David Tarrants 66 percent to 34 percent in District 14 to meet Democrat Ellen Koivisto, and Tiffany was besting Scott Hammond by the same margin in District 21 for the right to face Democrat Fred Kirschner and Independent American candidate Christopher Hansen.

In Democratic primaries, the incumbents who were winning were:

* Williams over Anyika Kamal by 76 percent to 24 percent in District 6 for the right to face Republican Arlene Southard.

* Arberry, 41 percent, over Louise Banks, 32 percent, and Marion Bennett, 26 percent in District 7 for the right to face Republican Chester Richardson.

* Goldwater, 66 percent, over Davis, 24 percent, and Johnson, 10 percent, in District 10 to face Republican Bill Lance and Libertarian Paul Conte.

* Manendo over Suzann Denton-Pratt 74 percent to 26 percent in District 18 to meet Republican Robert Groenert.

In other primaries:

* District 1, Democrats Tom Collins over Joseph Bobko 80 percent to 20 percent, and Republicans Jeff Knight over Anne DiMartini 58 percent to 42 percent (Collins faces Knight in the general).

* District 2, Democrats John Ponticello over Philip Lupo 76 to 24 percent, and Republicans Merle Berman over Mary Owensby 53 to 47 percent (Ponticello meets Berman in the general).

* District 3, Democrats John Lee over Robert William Durler by 75 to 25 percent to face GOP Assemblywoman Maureen Brower and Libertarian Lewis Roesberry.

* District 13, Democrats John Lowes over Dan Pastorius by 57 to 43 percent to face Republican Assemblyman Dennis Nolan.

* District 14, Democrats Ellen Koivisto, 51 percent, over Mark Clarke, 27 percent, and Sam Bowler, 22 percent, to meet GOP Assemblyman Max Bennett.

* District 16 Democrats Dario Herrera over Glenn Fruehan by 60 to 40 percent, and Republicans Stefan Ivanov-Steel over Chopin Kiang by 68 to 32 percent (Herrera faces Ivanov-Steel in the general).

* District 18, Republicans Robert Groenert over Bob Bencivenga by 57 to 43 percent to face Democratic Assemblyman Mark Manendo.

* District 20, Republicans Kathy Von Tobel over Richard Bowler by 61 to 39 percent to meet Democrat Randy Bridges.

* District 22, Iris Bletsch over Patrick Mervine by 57 to 43 percent to face Democratic Assemblywoman Gene Segerblom;

* District 23, Republicans Andrew Michael over Jim Born by 56 to 44 percent to face Democratic Assemblyman Richard Perkins.

* District 42, Republicans Chris Denning over Steve Capps by 57 to 43 percent to meet Democrat Harry Mortenson and Libertarian Calvin Nash.

Members of the Assembly serve two-year terms, and meet as the lower house of the state Legislature every odd year. The next session will occur the first half of next year.