Boggs McDonald launches campaign for seat in Congress

Erin Neff

Friday, Oct. 12, 2001 | 10:01 a.m.

Although Nevada's 1st Congressional district stretches for more than 20 miles through a variety of neighborhoods, Lynette Boggs McDonald will launch her campaign for that seat today from the heart of Las Vegas' minority community.

Political analysts agree if the Republican Las Vegas City Councilwoman is to beat incumbent Shelley Berkley, she'll have to pull Democrats over to her side.

This evening when Boggs McDonald kicks off her campaign at the Doolittle Center in West Las Vegas, she'll have her first convert.

Joe Neal, a veteran state senator who has significant clout in the black community, has already pledged his endorsement, bucking his own party in favor of the candidate he thinks will better serve African Americans.

Now other black politicians are balancing on a fence between party and race as Boggs McDonald looks to them for support.

"With the challenges that my constituents face, I have no other choice but to listen to her as it relates to them," said state Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas. "It crosses party lines in that respect, but I'm also a Democrat."

Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence Weekly said voters are less inclined to cast ballots along racial lines than they are along political ones.

"(Voters) want to see what you can get done for them," said Weekly, who was elected to a ward that is 51 percent white.

Weekly said he thinks Boggs McDonald is a formidable candidate with significant contacts in the black community. Still, he said, "you'll have black people who will not vote for her."

And he may be one of them.

"I'm a Democrat, and I've never voted for a Republican before," Weekly said. "I support her and I will not say that I won't endorse her, but I am a Democrat and I want to support my party.

"It's very important for Democrats to keep those seats in Congress," he added.

Williams said Boggs McDonald made an excellent presentation to the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus three weeks ago about her work in the black community and what she would do if elected.

"I think she's a very good candidate," Williams said, but declining to endorse her, added: "I'm not sure if either candidate will ask for my endorsement."

Williams said elected black Democrats will have to make the choice they believe is best for their constituents -- whether to favor race or party.

Neal, he added, has already made up his mind, publicly criticizing Berkley.

"He has not been happy with the leadership Shelley has brought to the table," Williams said.

Numerous attempts to reach Neal were unsuccessful, but Boggs McDonald confirmed that Neal, who has served in the Senate since 1973, has pledged his endorsement to her.

"I think it's a mistake," said state Democratic Party Chairman Terry Care, who also is a state senator. "But everybody knows you can't tell Joe Neal what to say or what not to say."

Weekly added: "Joe has been in politics a long time. He can do that. I don't have a lot of political history."

Berkley said this morning, "The events of the last month have shown that there are far greater challenges than partisan politics."

Berkley said there would be time later to comment on the campaign. But her spokesman, Michael O'Donovan, downplayed Neal's endorsement.

"Joe Neal also likes Yucca Mountain," O'Donovan said.

Tim Mooney, a veteran political foot soldier for the GOP who will manage Boggs McDonald's campaign, said courting blacks, who are predominantly Democrat, "is one of the key elements on our road to victory."

But Mooney said he is confident Boggs McDonald will be able to tell her story on her own with messages targeted to specific parts of the district.

At Nellis Air Force Base, he said, Boggs McDonald will discuss her father's military service and how she was an "Army brat." She can discuss her time as a student and employee when talking at UNLV and can focus on her work in predominantly-black West Las Vegas when talking to groups in that community.

Boggs McDonald has headed the effort to build a new St. James Catholic Church in West Las Vegas.

"She is uniquely representative of the whole community," Mooney boasted.

The new district lines - redrawn this Spring by the Legislature - encompass 35,000 more Democrats than Republicans. There are 80,000 registered black voters -- almost exclusively Democrat -- in the district.

Although Berkley's strongest base of support in past elections has been in West Las Vegas, Boggs McDonald will start today to try to erode it.

Boggs McDonald said she hopes she can count on support from Williams and Weekly, as well as from former Las Vegas City Councilman Frank Hawkins, a black Democrat who now runs a successful community development company.

Care said that while Democrats are not taking any race for granted, he is confident in Berkley's abilities.

"In the end voters are more inclined to vote for the candidate who represents their best interest," Care said. "I frequently go to local events, and Shelley Berkley's always there.

"She's very good about staying in touch with her constituents," Care added.

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