Porter advances to face Berkley

Greg Tuttle

Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2000 | 11:36 a.m.

Jon Porter got the job done Tuesday, winning the Republican primary against two lesser-known and under-funded party challengers for a chance to run against Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.

But the question now for Porter, the state senator from Henderson and former Boulder City mayor, is whether he can ride this primary victory to success at the Nov. 7 general election.

The 1st Congressional District is a key race that could swing the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives currently enjoyed by a slim majority of Republicans.

"It's really just begun," Porter said late Tuesday of his campaign, which has the slogan, "Getting the job done."

Porter won the chance to advance by garnering 18,678 votes, or 65.11 percent of the ballots, according to unofficial election results. Nancy Price received 5,313 votes, or 18.52 percent. Jim Blockey came in third with 4,696 votes, or 16.37 percent.

Berkley said Tuesday night she is prepared for a showdown with Porter. With no primary opponent, Berkley has only recently engaged her campaign engine fueled by a bankroll of nearly $1 million.

Berkley said she will concentrate on the issues that separate herself and Porter during the upcoming campaign, including her support for women's rights, health care and education. Her stand on issues such as increasing the minimum wage and protecting Social Security will accent her attempt to return to Congress for a second term.

"We have dramatically different opinions on all those issues," Berkley said of Porter Tuesday night before catching a late-night flight back to Washington, D.C.

Through mid August, Porter had raised $855,730, according to federal campaign reports. The three-way primary forced his camp to spend $572,548, leaving him still in a fund-raising mode as the general election approaches.

Porter said he hopes to raise $300,000 to $400,000 more to fund his campaign through early November.

Porter also issued a challenge to Berkley Tuesday, asking to meet her in several debates.

"I know she has a busy schedule, but I've offered to fly to Washington, D.C.," he said. "I look forward to seven or eight debates on the issues."

Among those issues, Porter said a prescription drug plan and education issues rate high on his priorities.

While the outcome of the primary may not have been a surprise, Blockey displayed a spirited campaign he said centered on his conservative values. A 45-year-old math teacher, Blockey spent $65,378 as of Aug. 24, according to federal campaign finance reports. Blockey said he takes pride in his efforts to reach out to voters through his door-to-door campaigning.

"We went in standing for the same things we went out with, less government and conservatism," Blockey said.

But the surprise of the race may have been the second-place showing made by Price, who spent less than $4,000 on her campaign as a moderate Republican in a field of conservative choices. A chief master sergeant in the Air National Guard, Price bucked a majority of Nevada politicians by supporting a national effort to ban college sports betting. She also came out in favor of licensing and registering all handguns.

Price could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

Berkley said Price may have done even better at the polls had she raised more money and led a more aggressive campaign.

"She did virtually nothing and got 20 percent," Berkeley said of Price's campaign.

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