Races solidify as file deadline passes

Tuesday, May 16, 2000 | 11:20 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Filing for political office in Nevada closed Monday with a flurry of minor party candidates jumping into races but with the focus continuing on the contest for the U.S. Senate pitting Republican John Ensign against Democrat Ed Bernstein.

"It lined up pretty much as expected," political scientist Eric Herzik said. "There were no blockbusters."

This year the political landscape is filled with unknowns or perennial candidates who never win.

There are four candidates from minor parties in the contest for the U.S. Senate; three running for the First Congressional District and five in the Second Congressional District.

And some incumbents didn't draw any challenges. For instance, Chief Justice Bob Rose and Justice Myron Leavitt escaped opposition on the Nevada Supreme Court. Five of the 52 state legislators up for re-election are unopposed.

"Incumbents have an advantage and when times are good, they have a greater advantage," says Herzik, chairman of the political science department at the University of Nevada, Reno. And a handful of incumbents in the Legislature who have opposition face only splinter party candidates.

Two of the minor parties that filed candidates still must qualify for the ballot. The Green Party and Citizens First, which is an offshoot of Ross Perot's Reform Party, must gather 4,098 signatures on a petition before July 7, to have their candidates qualify.

On the final day of filing, two Democrats -- Ronald Moers who was a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and Clay Baty who was running for Congress in District 2 -- dropped out. Moers then entered the race for the state Senate in District 5 in Clark County.

The contest to succeed Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., who is retiring, drew a field of eight candidates. Ensign, a former two-term GOP congressman, faces only minor opposition from fellow Republicans Richard Hamzik and Fernando Platin, Jr., in the Sept. 5 primary election before going against Democrat Bernstein, who pioneered the use of television advertising for lawyers in Nevada.

Also Monday, Reform Party candidate William J. Grutzmacher filed for the U.S. Senate post. Grutzmacher, a retired engineer, is an avowed anti-communist and pro-Christian activist in the areas of abortion, education and gay marriages.

Ensign, a Las Vegas veterinarian who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate two years ago, already has raised $2.7 million. Bernstein has contributed $500,000 of his own money to his campaign.

Nevada's two congressional seats are up for election.

Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., drew major opposition from state Sen. Jon Porter, a Republican from Boulder City in the First Congressional District, which includes the core of Las Vegas and some border areas.

Nancy Price, a former regent at the University and Community College System of Nevada and who ran for Congress unsuccessfully two years ago, filed on the final day to oppose Porter in the primary election in September. Jim Blockey is the third GOP candidate in the race.

No other Democrat filed against Berkley, who is seeking a second term.

"Given the immediate past history, the Berkley-Porter race should be close," said Herzik. But he added Berkley has a 30,000 Democratic voter majority in the district.

In the Second Congressional District, which covers all of Northern Nevada and some rural areas of Clark County, Republican Rep. Jim Gibbons, after a third term, does not face a name challenger. The only other Republican is Mitchell Tracy of Las Vegas who filed on the final day. The only Democrat is Tierney Cahill, a schoolteacher from Reno.

This election features a pair of brothers running for Congress in Las Vegas and Northern Nevada. Christopher Hansen is out to unseat Berkley. And Daniel Hansen is running against Gibbons. Both are members of the Independent American Party.

Nevada Supreme Court Justice Nancy Becker was the only one of the three justices up for election to get an opponent. Day Williams, a Carson City attorney, filed on the final day, saying there should be a representative of the capital city on the court. Ely attorney Gary Backus filed last week saying rural Nevada needs somebody on the court.

Williams, 45, is engaged primarily in civil law practice. He was admitted to practice in Nevada in 1991 after graduating from the University of Arizona law school in Tucson. He spent a year as a law clerk for Justice Bob Rose and then went into private practice.

Before entering law school, he was a photographer working for two Reno casinos and an Arizona company.

At present five of the seven members, including Becker, are from Las Vegas and the remaining two are from Reno.

In the Legislature, all of the 10 senators up for election drew opposition. But in the Assembly, Democrats Mark Manendo and Harry Mortenson, both of Las Vegas, Sheila Leslie of Reno and Marcia de Braga of Fallon did not draw any opponents. The only Republican to get a free ride was John Carpenter of Elko.

Republicans controlled the Senate 12-9 in 1999, and Democrats held the majority in the Assembly 28-14.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, received opposition from two minor party candidates -- Lois Avery of Natural Law and Kent Cromwell of the Libertarians. Both Avery and Cromwell have run a number of times in the past without success.

Sen. Joe Neal, D-Las Vegas, author of the controversial initiative petition to raise the gaming tax is challenged by two other Democrats, Uri Clinton and Christopher Montanez. Clinton, who is a Clark County mediation specialist, was a leading candidate for appointment to the Las Vegas City Council last year.

Some incumbents received opposition from only minor party candidates.

Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons, R-Reno, the wife of Congressman Gibbons, received opposition from Independent American Doug Brozyna; Assemblywoman Merle Berman, R-Las Vegas, is challenged by Harold Sims of Citizens First; Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, drew Rollo Miller of Citizens First as an opponent.

And Jill Derby, chairwoman of the university board of regents, did not receive opposition and will win her third term.