State senator switches parties

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2002 | 11:17 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Sen. Ray Shaffer, D-North Las Vegas, a 19-year veteran legislator, today jumped to the Republican Party, dealing another blow to the state's reeling Democrats.

Shaffer said he could do more for the 110,000 people in his district by joining the majority in the Senate, which with his switch will hold a 13-8 edge. He said he talked with Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, before making the switch.

The change, he said, also will help him get some of his bills passed.

No promises have been made, Shaffer said, but there has been talk he may get a chairmanship, possibly of the transportation committee, in the 2003 Legislature.

Shaffer has been one of the dissidents among Senate Democrats, wanting to change the leadership of Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas. He said he respected Titus, but she did not open up the leadership and did not recognize seniority.

Shaffer and Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, both have been unhappy with Titus, saying she has failed in 10 years to gain seats and put the Democrats in the majority in the Senate.

The change, made at the Clark County voter registrar's office this morning, was another setback for Democrats, who in last week's election lost the new congressional seat in Nevada and all six constitutional offices. The Democrats failed to make any gains in the Senate and lost four seats in the Assembly, where they still maintain a 23-19 majority.

Titus called the defection a surprise. She did know that the Republicans were courting Shaffer before the election, fearing they may lose the majority, she said.

It's hard to understand, Titus said, because Shaffer never says anything at the Democratic caucuses and has never asked for anything he didn't receive.

Raggio said Shaffer was a "welcome addition." He said Shaffer has "good experience and great credentials and he will be able to work with the majority." There were no promises made to get him to switch, said Raggio, who added that Shaffer has "worked well for his constituents."

Titus said the shift won't help the Republicans, since they already have the majority. It will only mean they will get another seat on some committees.

Even with the party switch, Democrats in the Senate will be able to block any tax proposal they don't like. It takes a two-thirds vote, or 14 members, to pass any new taxes or increases in them.

Raggio said the change will mean that Democrats will lose one seat on three committees. The makeup of the Senate's nine committee's has been four Republicans and three Democrats. Three committees will change to a 5-2 GOP majority, he said, adding which committees has not been decided.

Titus said she would expect one of those to be the powerful Finance Committee, but she questioned whether Shaffer would get a committee chairmanship, since three GOP Assembly members moved up to the Senate.

As a Democrat, Shaffer has always gotten seats on the committees he wanted, she said, including the Commerce and Labor Committee, which handles much of the business legislation.

Titus said Shaffer's reasoning about better representing his district doesn't make sense, given that there are about 4,000 more Democrats than Republican in the district.

Shaffer's newly apportioned district includes parts of North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Clark County. It has a Democratic majority in voter registration of 15,975 to 11,390 Republican with 5,050 non-partisan. But Shaffer said the district is shifting toward the GOP.

Shaffer said he has been a lifelong Democrat. His father was a magistrate in Pennsylvania and his mother was a committeewoman, both in the Democratic Party.