Porter plans run for House

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1999 | 11:56 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, estimates he will have to spend $1 million to unseat freshman Rep. Shelley Berkley and says he will bring his ability to build a consensus to Congress.

Porter, now in his second term in the state Senate, formally announced Monday he would enter the race and said he would move into Congressional District 1 Friday.

Porter has lived in Boulder City, which is outside the congressional district. He said, however he has purchased a home in Henderson, part of the district he represents in the state Senate and in Congressional District 1.

Porter, who served six years on the Boulder City Council and was mayor for four years, is in his sixth year in the Legislature. He said he has a "unique knowledge" of the issues in Southern Nevada.

"I'm not running against Shelley. I believe I can offer a consensus approach," Porter said.

"I can work with both sides of the aisle," said Porter, 44, who is district manager for Farmers Insurance.

Berkley, 48, took an opposite tone.

"People of Southern Nevada need somebody to fight for them on gaming, nuclear waste, Social Security, Medicare and education. You need somebody who will be heard over 434 districts. That means fighting for my district."

Berkley said she wasn't surprised by Porter's decision and expects other Republicans to file for the seat. She intends to spend about $1.4 million, the same as in her 1998 campaign. And she raised the issue of residency, saying, "He doesn't even live in the district. As far as I know, Boulder City is not in the district."

Porter said he will close escrow on his new house in Henderson Friday. By election time, he will have lived in the district more than one year. And he has represented the area for six years in the state Senate.

He said he made his decision to run after Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, decided not to challenge Berkley.

Porter faces an uphill battle in the contest. There are 177,470 Democrats in the district compared to 134,162 Republicans and 53,046 nonpartisan voters, according to the latest figures released by Secretary of State Dean Heller.

In his legislative career, Porter has been one of the leaders in the drive to control growth in Southern Nevada. His critics say he's been too cautious, but during the last Legislature he sponsored and passed a bill to create a regional planning coalition to develop a 20-year regional plan for "orderly management" of growth. He introduced and got passed a bill to preserve some of the rural areas in Clark County from commercial development.

Porter, chairman of the legislative study committee on air pollution in Clark County, said he's been an advocate for children, sponsoring a bill to speed up adoptions; co-sponsored the charter schools bill and worked to establish both the veterans home and the veterans cemetery in Boulder City.