Berkley, Gibbons tops in campaign funds

Brendan Riley

Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001 | 11:17 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nevada Reps. Shelley Berkley and Jim Gibbons already have amassed a combined $1.1 million for re-election battles that won't be determined until November 2002.

And Democrat Dario Herrera has jumped out to a more than 3-to-1 lead over Republican Jon Porter in early campaign dollars for the battle to win Nevada's new, third congressional seat.

Newly filed Federal Election Commission reports show that Berkley, D-Nev., representing the 1st Congressional District, had $515,200 in cash on hand as of July 1; while Gibbons, R-Nev., representing the 2nd Coingressional District, had $588,359.

Gibbons had most of his money on hand at the start of 2001, and didn't net a lot when his recent expenses were deducted from recent contributions.

Berkley, on the other hand, started with little in January -- just $23,348 -- and wound up with her big total thanks to major fund-raising efforts since then.

Both are viewed as hard to beat in the 2002 elections -- and the campaign warchests suggest that major money sources appear to share that opinion, judging from the size of their contributions.

The latest contributors to Berkley's campaign include gambling and casino entities such as MGM-Mirage, $30,000; IGT, $10,000; Mandalay Bay, $6,000; Station Casinos, $14,000; Boyd Gaming, $10,000; Mike Gaughan of Coast Resorts, $10,000; and Tom and Mary Kay Gallagher of Park Place, $10,000.

Las Vegas business executive Steve Cloobeck and other family members gave $20,000; members of the Greenspun family, who own the Las Vegas Sun, gave $15,000; members of the Maloof family, owners of the Fiesta hotel-casino in Las Vegas and the Sacramento Kings, gave $16,000.

Bette Sawyer, widow of former Gov. Grant Sawyer, gave $5,000. Berkley also got $5,000 apiece from the Free Cuba PAC and from Mike Sloan of Circus Circus.

Numerous national unions gave tens of thousands of dollars, including the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees for $10,000. And trial lawyers gave $11,000.

Gibbons' recent contributors included MGM-Mirage for $25,000; the National Rifle Association, $1,000; Phillip-Morris for $2,000; and former Nevada governor and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt and his daughter Michelle for $3,000.

Herrera, a one-term state assemblyman and one-term Clark County commissioner, filed a report with the FEC showing that he has $266,857 in cash on hand midway through 2001. He actually raised $362,844, but had nearly $100,000 in expenses.

Porter, a state senator who ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Berkley last year, collected $81,245 in contributions and reported no expenses.

Herrera's early contributors included Mandalay executive Mike Ensign - father of Republican U.S. Sen. John Ensign - and other Ensign family members for $10,000.

In Porter's case, he got $5,000 from cash-flush Rep. Gibbons, whose district was kept a Republican stronghold during the 2001 reapportionment and redistricting by state lawmakers.