Heck captures O’Connell’s seat

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004 | 11:25 a.m.

After knocking out the incumbent in the primary, Republican Joe Heck posted a 13-point victory over Democratic candidate Richard Fitzpatrick in the Senate District 5 race in Tuesday's general election.

Heck, 43, a part-time emergency room doctor, ran as a fiscal conservative who promised to guard against new taxes.

Heck won with 48,431, or 55 percent of the vote; Fitpatrick garnered 37,108, or 42 percent.

Heck said the state should do more to promote programs for low-income residents, find more federal funds for health care, and invest in preventive medicine that could keep patients out of expensive hospital rooms.

Partnerships with private care facilities could help prevent emergencies such as the one in July when Clark County's emergency rooms filled up, in part because of mental health patients taking up beds, Heck said.

Heck attributed his victory to a long and aggressive campaign during which he and his supporters knocked on more than 35,000 doors.

"We were out campaigning since March because I had a primary race and my opponent didn't," Heck said. "The primary gave us name recognition, and so much momentum he couldn't overcome."

Heck upset longtime Sen. Ann O'Connell in the primary with his aggressive grass-roots campaign and some help from the gaming industry that attacked O'Connell in a series of critical ads reminding voters that she co-sponsored a tax bill.

Many called the painting of O'Connell, a senator since 1984, as a tax-and-spend candidate strange because she had a long-standing record as one of the Senate's most fervent fiscal watchdogs. And the tactics had some fallout with endorsements. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, one of O'Connell's biggest advocates, didn't issue an endorsement in the general election.

Other past O'Connell supporters opted to endorse Fitzpatrick, including the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and the Retail Association of Nevada.

Heck said that while he was concerned there might be some backlash from Republicans upset with O'Connell's defeat, he was hopeful he could pick up enough undecided voters and Democrats to offset any losses.

The Republican was surely helped by the voter registration advantage his party held. Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 3,400 in District 5, which is largely made up of the northwestern part of Henderson plus unincorporated land south of McCarran International Airport.

Fitzpatrick, 57, a high-tech consultant, spent eight years in the Michigan state legislature during the 1980s, and said he was a true independent who would work to diversify the economy and be a watchdog over the state's investments in computers and technology.

Fitzpatrick said he established a reputation as a true independent in Michigan, sometimes going against traditional Democratic forces such as labor unions.

Hagan, 43, an electrical engineer, said he wanted to prevent cities and counties from using eminent domain to take property for private development and also wanted to repeal all of the taxes passed in the 2003 session.