Ensign holds donation lead

Tuesday, July 18, 2000 | 10:15 a.m.

Former Rep. John Ensign, the leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Nevada, came out of June with nearly twice as much cash on hand as chief Democratic rival Ed Bernstein.

Ensign, a veterinarian who served two terms in the House, ended the first half of 2000 with $1.77 million in cash on hand, compared to $1.01 million for Bernstein, an attorney.

Ensign continued his fund-raising prowess with $836,005 in net campaign donations for the second quarter of the year, while Bernstein managed only $236,648, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The cash-on-hand margin would be greater for Ensign were it not for the fact that Bernstein has contributed so much money to his own campaign. After borrowing $505,000 from personal accounts earlier in the year, Bernstein added $383,000 of his own money to his campaign on June 30, or $888,000 total.

With both men now hitting the television airwaves on a regular basis, Ensign outspent Bernstein $841,206 to $616,824 from April through June.

The winner in November will replace Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., who is not seeking re-election.

Ensign's individual contributions over the past three months included $2,000 each from Mirage Resorts Inc. President Bobby Baldwin and Station Casinos vice president Scott Garawitz.

The former congressman also received $1,000 each from Station Casinos executive vice president Scott Nielson and chief financial officer Glenn Christenson, Fiesta hotel-casino President Brian Chilton, state Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, former Sen. Paul Laxalt, R-Nev., Anchor Gaming President Michael Rumbolz and Alex Spanos, owner of the National Football League's San Diego Chargers.

Leading political action committee donations to Ensign included $5,000 each from Apria Healthcare of Costa Mesa, Calif., Georgia Pacific Corp., Defend America, Restoring the American Dream, Changing Tide Committee of Littleton, Colo., American Association of Orthodontists, Americans for Free International Trade, National Propane Gas Association and American Resort Development Association.

Bernstein received $2,000 each from movie producer Steve Tisch, Stratosphere hotel-casino attorney Andrew Blumen and Hard Rock hotel-casino owner Peter Morton, $700 from Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, and $500 from Clark County District Judge Jack Lehman.

The top PAC contributions to Bernstein included $10,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, $9,100 from Sen. Harry Reid's Searchlight Victory Fund, and $5,000 each from the Laborers International Union, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Boyd Gaming, United Food & Commercial Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and United Auto Workers.