Dems defend Conklin

Erin Neff

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 | 11:18 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Assembly Democrats again came to the defense of one of their Las Vegas freshmen Tuesday, pointing out that voter fraud indictments related to his District 37 race do not allege that he did anything wrong.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said the group press conference was necessary because of "some irresponsible and reckless comments coming out of Dan Burdish and George Harris and the like."

Freshman Assemblyman Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas, won the District 37 race in November by only 134 votes over Republican Francis Allen.

On Friday a Clark County grand jury indicted Gary Horrocks, a tavern owner who lost in the Republican primary to Allen, on 60 felony counts of voter fraud stemming from 12 illegal votes in the District 37 general election. The indictment alleges Horrocks sent in the illegal absentee ballots.

Burdish and Harris are Republican activists in Las Vegas who helped Allen compile data on alleged vote fraud to contest the election. The challenge was dismissed by lawmakers in February.

But Burdish this morning said he did not implicate Conklin in any way.

"I do not believe Marcus Conklin had any knowledge, or any involvement in, the fiasco that was supposedly perpetrated by Gary Horrocks in Assembly District 37," he wrote in an e-mail to Assemblywoman Chris Giuncuigliani, D-Las Vegas and released to the media. "Despite any statements by others to the contrary, I have no knowledge that any voter fraud that happened in this race involved Marcus Conklin."

Democratic leaders stressed Tuesday -- as they had at the start of the legislative session -- that Conklin had nothing to do with the voter fraud.

Nevertheless, Conklin has amassed nearly $40,000 in legal bills defending his win against the challenge.

"Quite frankly, I'm a little disappointed that someone would associate me with this," Conklin said of the fraud.

The Legislature found that the 12 fraudulent votes noted in the indictment were the only ones with any problems of 160 alleged to be tainted in the contest.

The remaining 148 votes were examined by Conklin's attorney, who got affidavits to prove the votes were legal. Since the 12 votes could not reverse the outcome of the election, an Assembly panel upheld the results.

Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said statements attempting to link Conklin to the fraud were "starting to get reported."

"They are spinning this as a victory for them," Buckley said.