Porter has some catching up to do

Friday, Feb. 4, 2000 | 10:24 a.m.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has spent more on operating expenditures for her re-election campaign than Republican opponent Jon Porter has raised.

But Porter's camp says the $200,793 the candidate has raised -- as filed with the Federal Elections Commission in his campaign finance report this week -- is pretty good for the short time State Sen. Porter has been in the race.

"The outpouring of support we have received in less than two months has been great -- $200,000 raised in just six weeks is excellent," Josh Griffin, Porter's campaign manager, said Thursday.

"She (Berkley) has had a year's jump on us, but if we keep raising money at this pace we'll do all right. However, in the final analysis, this won't be a race about money."

Porter is expected to formally announce his candidacy for the House of Representatives in early March, Griffin said.

According to his financial report through Dec. 31, Porter raised $132,195 from individuals and $64,500 from Political Action Committees and businesses. He has spent $30,479 on operating expenditures. At the start of the year, Porter's campaign had $170,456 cash on hand.

During that period Berkley had raised $947,805. She has spent $217,987 in operating expenditures through the end of last year. She had $761,202 cash on hand as of Jan. 1, after receiving $617,326 from individuals and $330,480 from PACs and businesses.

In the U.S. Senate race, former two-term congressman John Ensign has outspent Las Vegas attorney Ed Bernstein 5 to 1, according to their campaign finance reports.

Republican Ensign, a veterinarian who narrowly lost to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in 1998, has raised more than $2 million and spent $343,022, his report says. Ensign has received $721,154 from PACs and businesses and $1.3 million from individuals. He had about $1.9 million cash on hand.

Democrat Bernstein has raised $400,075 and spent $16,694, his report says. He received $355,565 from individuals and $28,010 from PACs and businesses. He started the year with $383,381 cash on hand.

The two are seeking the seat of retiring Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev.

Bernstein, who hasn't officially announced he is a candidate, began exploring his candidacy after Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa dropped out last fall.