Dems reclaim lost seat

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004 | 8:54 a.m.

After a name game in the primary and then name calling in the run-up to the general election, former Democratic Assemblyman John Lee is headed back to Carson City -- this time as a senator.

Lee soundly beat incumbent Republican Ray Shaffer on Tuesday in Senate District 1. Lee finished with 18,858 votes -- 61 percent -- to 11,930 for Shaffer, or 39 percent.

Lee's win gave the Democrats back a Senate seat they lost when Shaffer switched parties two years ago.

"I think the voters in the district were ready for a fresh start," Lee said. "North Las Vegas is becoming a new town."

Shaffer said his party switch played a large role in his defeat.

Shaffer's switch in 2002 to the Republican Party brought him the chairmanship of the Senate Transportation Committee.

The switch stirred Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, who said beating Shaffer was a top priority and helped raise money to unseat the five-term senator.

Shaffer's move across party lines was also a gamble because District 1 is a North Las Vegas district with about 6,700 more Democrats than Republicans.

"I had a Democratic district," he said, following his Tuesday defeat.

Lee, 49, spent three sessions in the state Assembly before unsuccessfully running for state controller in 2002.

His bid to return to the Legislature started with a crowded primary that included Shaffer's wife, Sharon, and attorney Mike Schaefer, among the other Democratic candidates.

Once past the primary, Lee and Shaffer got into a somewhat negative campaign -- marked by a televised debate about a month ago during which Lee called Shaffer a megalomaniac and a liar, and Shaffer said Lee was "a piece of you-know-what."

Lee, owner of a tile and plumbing business, said he wants to bring the district back the integrity he says was hurt by Shaffer's party switch.

The senator-elect also criticized Shaffer for accepting too many free meals from Carson City lobbyists, and leaving Carson City for a vacation in Hawaii before the final vote on an $833 million tax increase.

Shaffer, 72, responded by saying that lobbyists don't take "stupid" legislators out to dinner.

He also said that he knew his vote on the tax increase wouldn't have made a difference.