Nevadans’ campaign contributions revealed

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1998 | 11:16 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Big tobacco companies made healthy campaign contributions to Rep. John Ensign, who opposed any bill to raise their taxes.

Sen. Harry Reid, who beat Ensign in the general election, enjoyed strong support from political action groups of organized labor.

Ensign, a Republican, and Reid, a Democrat, submitted their campaign contribution and expense reports Tuesday to Secretary of State Dean Heller. Reid spend $4.3 million on the campaign this year while Ensign said he paid out $2.5 million.

Also filed were the reports of the state Democratic and Republican parties. Democrats shelled out $5.1 million and Republicans spent $4.5 million. Most of the money went for the federal races in Nevada with emphasis on the Reid-Ensign contest.

Election experts estimate more than $12 million went into the Senate race, which is still under way with a voting recount.

Ensign, when he filed for election, said he opposed any increase in the cigarette tax as was being proposed in Congress. And House Republicans blocked legislation to penalize tobacco companies.

Ensign reported $8,000 in contributions from the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. employees' political action committee, $4,500 from the political action committee of Phillip Morris Companies and $5,000 from the R.J. Reynolds political action committee.

Ensign said he collected $1.8 million this year and had a balance of $348,299 as of Nov. 23.

Reid received $9,000 from the United Mine Workers, $5,000 each from the political action committees for bricklayers and social workers, $5,000 from "People for American Way Voter Alliance," and $1,000 from Americans for Democratic Action.

In the two weeks before the election, he put $100,000 of his own money into the campaign. But the report shows he has been repaid $75,000, leaving $25,000 outstanding.

For this year, his campaign received $2.6 million. He had campaign funds left over from previous years. As of Nov. 23, his campaign was reported to be $48,085 in the red.

Reid's biggest expenditure was more than $370,000 to Carat ICG of Los Angeles for media work. Ensign shelled out $122,000 to David Weeks & Co., of Austin, Texas, for consulting and media production.

The Democratic and Republican parties spent much of their money on the "negative" advertisements that filled the television screens during the final weeks of the campaign. The state Democratic Party reported receiving $561,000 from the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee to be used on behalf of Reid. It received $55,480 from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the House race in Las Vegas.

The Democrats reported collecting $5 million this year and ending up $76,408 in the black.

Republicans said they received $4.5 million and spent $4.5 million, leaving a balance of $18,516. More than $100,000 was received from the Republican Senatorial Committee.

Among those contributing $5,000 to the Republican Party were Milton Schwartz, who owns Yellow-Checker cabs in Las Vegas; Ted Day, of Reno; Assemblyman John Marvel, of Battle Mountain, and Bruce James, of Incline Village, who entered the GOP race against Ensign and then pulled out. The R.J. Reynolds political action committee chipped in $2,000 to the Nevada GOP.

Contributors of $5,000 to the Nevada Democratic Party included the American Federation of Teachers, Emily's List and organized labor's COPE.