More than $4.6 million given to candidates in ‘97

Thursday, Jan. 8, 1998 | 10:35 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A new state political campaign finance law has revealed that more than $4.6 million was donated to candidates last year -- half of which went to Republican gubernatorial candidate Kenny Guinn.

"This is money which the public would not have known about if we had not gotten campaign finance disclosure reform passed," Secretary of State Dean Heller said Wednesday.

Heller, along with Gov. Bob Miller, urged the 1997 Legislature to tighten the laws on campaign contributions.

"The public may now access this information through our fax-back system and learn who is giving how much money to which candidates," said Heller, a Republican, who also is considering a run for governor.

This is the first time the disclosure law has been in effect. Those who collected more than $10,000 from Oct. 1 to the end of the year had to report the contributions by Dec. 31, 1997.

By the end of business Wednesday, 31 candidates had filed disclosure forms with the secretary of state's office.

Guinn received about 40 percent of his more than $2.4 million from Nevada's largest industry -- gaming.

Aaron Russo, also a GOP candidate for governor, didn't get a dime from any Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino. And of the $309,689 Russo collected, $266,529 came from his own pocket.

Heller reported receiving about $7,500.

The tobacco industry has started contributing to legislators, in hopes of heading off any drive to ban smoking in Nevada casinos.

Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Reno, received $1,000 from R.J. Reynolds, a major cigarette maker, and Sens. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, and Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, each were given $500 from the Tobacco Institute.

Brian Krolicki, another GOP candidate for governor, received $5,000 from a California Political Action Committee but gave it back because the group is not registered in Nevada to take part in any political activity.

The law requires that if a candidate collects more than $10,000, he must file a disclosure form. And the candidate must identify those who give him $100 or more. The old law required naming those who gave more than $500.