Porter passes major test

Kirsten Searer

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004 | 10:56 a.m.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., survived his first major challenge on Tuesday, carrying a 14-point win over Democratic challenger Tom Gallagher.

"I'm honored, but we've got a lot of work to do," Porter said soon after Gallagher called him to concede the race.

Porter received 161,176 votes, or 55 percent of the total, to Gallagher's 119,564 votes, or 40 percent.

During the campaign, Gallagher, a forming gaming executive, had portrayed Porter as a rubber stamp for Republican leadership instead of a voice for the 3rd Congressional District. Gallagher financed much of his campaign himself, loaning his campaign about $750,000 of his own money.

Between the candidates and their parties, millions of dollars were spent on the race. It was billed as one of the top opportunities in the nation for Democrats to pick up a House seat.

But Porter launched a series of apparently effective negative ads calling Gallagher a carpetbagger and a failed gaming executive who took home a large bonus while resort employees were being laid off.

Porter also touted the millions of dollars he brought to the Clark County School District and frequently said that he helped stop Congress from designating Yucca Mountain as an interim nuclear waste site.

Ultimately, it was too much to overcome. Gallagher conceded the race around 11 p.m., saying he had just called Porter to tell him, "Congratulations, you get to go back to Washington and work your tail off for the citizens of the 3rd Congressional District."

Gallagher added, "I'm going to spend the whole time here, continuing to work on the issues I thought were so important."

Porter said Gallagher was pleasant when he called to concede.

"It was with great respect for each other," Porter said. "I thanked him, I appreciated his call."

It was a smooth end to a campaign that sometimes turned nasty. Gallagher said he was "disappointed that the campaign went as negative on the other side as it did," but said he had no regrets.

Porter declined to talk about the tenor of the campaign, saying, "it was a spirited campaign but tonight's about looking forward to the future."

His biggest concerns, he said, will be to continue getting federal education funding for Nevada, fighting Yucca Mountain and strengthening homeland security.

Gallagher alluded to possible future political work, saying, "We're not going anywhere -- we're going to stay in this community and we're going to do some good things."

Asked whether that meant another run for office, Gallagher wouldn't give a definite answer, saying only, "I will be very active in the community, just as I was before."

Porter supporter Jim Edwards, a retired veteran who spent 24 years in the Army, attended the state Republican Party's event at Mandalay Bay partly to support Porter. He said he helped Porter's campaign because Porter "supported President Bush when it was not necessarily popular here."

Sun reporter Molly Ball contributed to this story.