Porter files to run for new House seat

Erin Neff

Thursday, May 16, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.

Buoyed by an endorsement from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, state Sen. Jon Porter on Wednesday filed to run for Nevada's new congressional seat.

Porter, who turned 47 today, said he hopes to bring common-sense leadership to Washington.

"My history and public service has been seeking solutions to problems," Porter said shortly after filing amid 25 supporters at the County Government Center. "It is really about having common sense."

Porter is a former city councilman and mayor of Boulder City and has served in the state Senate since 1995.

A businessman who manages Farmer's Insurance office in Las Vegas, Porter said balancing business with public service has shown him ways in which government can assist the private sector.

Porter said since his first bid for office in 1983 he has worked to manage Southern Nevada's booming growth, approve funding for the construction of new schools and transportation needs.

He is a founding father of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and said he is also committed to veteran's needs.

"Being a good congressman is about knowing what it takes and trying to make a difference," Porter said.

Porter will face Democrat Dario Herrera, the chairman of the Clark County Commission, and Independent Pete O'Neil in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District -- a new seat created because of Nevada's population growth.