Friday, Oct. 11, 2002 | 4:22 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION: Oct. 13, 2002
In the 1st Congressional District, Rep. Shelley Berkley is running for a third term against Republican Lynette Boggs McDonald. Berkley, a moderate Democrat, has been outstanding as one of Nevada's representatives in Washington, including standing up to the nuclear power industry in this state's fight against the Yucca Mountain Project. She also knows that while it's important to pass legislation that creates opportunity for businesses to thrive, workers deserve protection also -- exactly the right balance on economic issues. Berkley also has developed a strong foreign policy record, a huge plus in the post-Sept. 11 world. The Sun endorses Shelley Berkley.
Rep. Jim Gibbons, a Republican, wants a fourth term in the 2nd Congressional District. We sometimes disagree with the congressman on national issues, but he is intelligent, hard-working and an effective voice for the people of his district. The Sun believes Jim Gibbons should be re-elected.
Because of Nevada's population boom, the state has received a third seat in the House. While that is an important gain for the state, unfortunately the voters in that district often have been let down by the campaigns of Democrat Dario Herrera and Republican Jon Porter, who have spent so much time on negative campaigning. Still, Herrera has offered detailed positions on the issues -- and we agree with him on nearly all of them, whether it's passing a prescription drug benefit for seniors, strengthening Social Security, improving our environment or opposing the Yucca Mountain Project. Porter is likable, but in contrast to Herrera, he has run an extraordinarily fuzzy campaign that's been vague on the issues. It's difficult to get a real sense of how he'd vote if he were elected.
If we were to elect Porter, it also would send the wrong message on Yucca Mountain. While Porter opposes Yucca Mountain, we don't believe in rewarding our enemies, which in this case would be House Speaker Dennis Hastert. It was Hastert who led the push in the House to designate a nuclear waste dump in Nevada -- and who is cozy with Porter and vice versa. At least we can tell Washington, through our votes, that we won't stand for being taken advantage of by members of Congress who would jeopardize our safety and our region's future. The Sun endorses Dario Herrera.
For that matter, if we elect both Berkley and Herrera, there is a much better chance that the Democrats will regain control of the House. That would improve the odds that the state could get funding reduced for the nuclear waste dump. Fewer funds could delay the project long enough so that the state could get more time to strengthen its case to federal regulators, showing how dangerous it would be to build it and why the Energy Department shouldn't get a license to open it.
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