Goldwater won’t run for House

Friday, Sept. 7, 2001 | 9:49 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, said Thursday he has discarded the idea of running for Congress next year in favor of seeking re-election to a fifth term.

Goldwater, 31, said he decided against running for the new congressional seat in Clark County because it would split the Democratic Party with a divisive primary. But he said he may take a shot at the federal office in the future.

County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera has announced his candidacy for Congress in that district. Herrera is a Democrat.

Republican state Sen. Jon Porter of Henderson is also expected to enter the race.

Goldwater said he had been mentioned as a possible candidate for statewide office, but he said he wanted to continue to be part of the critical state tax-reform debate over the next few years.

He has served as chairman of the Assembly Taxation committee for the past two sessions.

"Critical decisions will have to be made in the next legislative session about how we intend to fund this state over the next decade and where our funding priorities will be," Goldwater said. "I very much want to be part of that debate."

At the 2001 session he authored a bill that sets up the machinery for imposing the sales tax on out-of-state companies that sell items through the Internet to Nevadans. These sales now escape taxation, putting Nevada merchants at a disadvantage.

The bill passed, but the states still must agree on the issue and Congress must approve before the law can be put into effect.

Goldwater also drafted legislation imposing an assessment on electric and natural gas bills to be used to help pay the utility bills of those who cannot afford them. The plan is expected to raise about $10 million a year.