Election 2002: Senate District 9

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002 | 11:14 a.m.

Two of the three candidates for Senate District 9 say they are working toward the same goal -- removing Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio from power and installing a Southern Nevadan in the Senate's top spot.

Four-term Assemblyman Dennis Nolan beat Richard Bunker in the Republican primary despite Raggio, a Reno native, throwing his support behind Bunker.

Terry Lamuraglia, a Democrat who ran unopposed in the primary, also wants to see a shift in power to Southern Nevada, and he doesn't think Nolan can accomplish that goal.

John Lusk, a network engineer and Independent American, is the third candidate in the race.

The race could be a key one in the Democrat's bid to gain control of the Senate. Republicans control the Senate by a 12-9 margin, and Democrats are eyeing both District 9 and Washoe County District 2 as races where they can make up ground.

Nolan, 41, a former safety consultant and paramedic who is starting a career in real estate, says he has long been an advocate of Southern Nevada gaining control of the Senate.

"I've told Bill Raggio that I'd favor having someone else in his position," Nolan said in a recent interview on "Face to Face with Jon Ralston," which airs on Las Vegas ONE, Cox cable channels 1 and 39. "I'll vote against Bill Raggio. It's time we had a change in leadership in the Senate majority."

Lamuraglia, a 47-year-old projects manager for Clark County, agrees that it's time for a change, but doesn't think Nolan can accomplish it from within the Republican Party.

"A vote to retain Bill Raggio will be a vote for Dennis Nolan," Lamuraglia said on "Face to Face." "It keeps in place the Republican leadership: the leadership from Northern Nevada, from Reno, from the rural cow counties of this state."

Lusk, 31, serves as a member of his party's county executive board, and is campaigning on a platform of decreasing the tax burden by reducing the size of government.