Candidates display similarities, contrast

Molly Ball

Monday, Oct. 4, 2004 | 10:54 a.m.

They went to the same college and graduated a year apart. They go to the same church, where they see each other every Sunday.

And they are fighting tooth and nail for the same seat in the Legislature.

But there is little chance that voters will confuse Chad Christensen, the Republican incumbent in Assembly District 13, and Justin Jones, his Democratic challenger.

"Between Chad and I, I think there's some significant differences," Jones said. And it goes well beyond the fact that Christensen is blond, while Jones has brown hair.

Christensen faces the staunch opposition of many in the gaming industry, while Jones enjoys the monetary rewards of gaming's approval. Christensen also must defend himself against campaign-finance violations, which Jones calls proof of dishonesty and Christensen calls an honest mistake.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Valley's growth has ballooned the district's population. There are now more than 60 percent more registered voters in District 13 than there were in 2002, when Christensen was first elected.

The enormous district includes Mount Charleston and parts of Summerlin that lie outside the Las Vegas Beltway. It has more than 55,000 registered voters, of whom 45 percent are Republicans and 38 percent are Democrats. Its size makes it a logistical challenge for two candidates trying to conduct an old-fashioned door-to-door campaign.

Christensen, 34, was elected to his first term in 2002. He is an independent sales consultant who attended middle school in Las Vegas. The Assembly is his first elective office.

Jones is a 29-year-old attorney who specializes in business litigation. He grew up in Colorado and Utah, moving to Las Vegas after law school. He has no other political experience.

Both major candidates attended Brigham Young University and are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The biggest player in this race is the gaming industry, which has put up enough money to be considered Christensen's second challenger.

Christensen's $47,000 in contributions through Aug. 31 included $3,200 from a few small gaming companies or owners.

But Jones, who received $100,000 in the same period, got more than $40,000 from gaming companies and the Fertitta family, owners of Station Casinos. Gaming-related companies -- consultants, public-relations firms, law firms and others whose names are linked with the industry -- gave almost $10,000 more.

"Gaming definitely wants me to go away," Christensen said. "It's because of my record -- when I campaigned the last time, I made some promises, and I kept those promises, and a number of those were very difficult promises to keep."

During the 2003 session, Christensen refused to get on board with the gross-receipts tax plan the casinos supported, despite personal pleading from Lorenzo Fertitta, chairman of the Nevada Resort Association and president of Station Casinos.

To Christensen, he was just being true to his principles.

"I'm a fiscal conservative," Christensen said. "When they proposed the largest tax increase in Nevada's entire history, I was the critical vote keeping an IRS-style tax out of this state."

The big gaming companies had given Christensen thousands of dollars during his 2002 campaign. If they thought he was in their pocket, they were wrong, he says.

"It's unfortunate, and I don't harbor any ill will for gaming," he said. "They just got bent out of shape because they didn't get exactly what they wanted. They really couldn't believe we didn't just roll over for them."

But Lesley Pittman, spokeswoman for Station Casinos, said it was Christensen who was unwilling to compromise on taxes.

"We just didn't feel he was taking his role up there seriously," she said. "He didn't have a response when we asked him for ideas on tax issues."

Station hosted a fund-raiser for Jones in February. But the gaming industry has not campaigned on Jones's behalf, as it has in other races, such as Republican Senate candidate Joe Heck's primary defeat of incumbent Ann O'Connell.

Gaming interests are funding Jones not to take revenge on Christensen, but because they believe Jones would be a better legislator, Pittman said.

Jones doesn't want to stand quietly on the sidelines, hoping votes simply fall off Christensen and onto him, but he's also at pains to avoid being labeled gaming's candidate.

"I decided to run against Chad. Nobody put me up to this job," Jones said. The gaming industry "saw I was a good candidate and decided to support me."

Jones is also hammering away at another potential liability for Christensen: his campaign-finance troubles. In April, an investigation by the Secretary of State found that Christensen failed to detail campaign loans, expenses and contributions, and he was fined $4,500.

Last month, Jones filed a complaint alleging further violations, pointing to $3,500 that Christensen's campaign apparently lent the candidate in January. According to Christensen's financial report, he repaid the interest-free loan in August.

The Secretary of State's office is set to hand down its ruling on that charge this week, spokesman Steve George said.

Jones trumpets Christensen's violations and alleged violations as proof of dishonesty. "I was knocking on doors in Summerlin, and there are Republicans who say they wouldn't vote for a Republican who can't add," Jones said.

"It's a question of integrity," he added. "Chad went up to the legislative session last time and talked about being in favor of fiscal responsibility, but it's clear from his record that he doesn't know the first thing about fiscal responsibility."

Christensen, however, portrays his opponent as blowing out of proportion what are essentially clerical errors because he has no other ammunition.

"My opponent has tried to turn this into a scandal, but it's such a nonissue," Christensen said. "He has to keep something like this out in the open - he has to keep me in trouble. My boys do that to each other when they're mad at each other."

In the end, Christensen said, voters will ignore all the rumors and allegations and focus on the two candidates, where he believes their choice will be a clear one.

"He's a trial lawyer; I'm a small business owner," Christensen said. "I'm here to ensure that we make this state the place to do business."

Christensen said his platform is the Republicans' Contract With Nevada, a seven-point promise that includes no new taxes and a cap on property taxes. He also promises to improve education and health care and to focus on economic growth.

Jones said the district needs a candidate who can think for himself and present original solutions. He said his priority would be education.

"We need to fund textbooks for our schools," he said. "I was a guest lecturer at Centennial High School a couple months ago, and I was astonished. This is one of the wealthiest high schools in the valley, and they couldn't take their books home and they've seen music and other programs cut."

Jones also promises to work for affordable health care, diversifying Southern Nevada's economy, increasing public safety and protecting the environment.

A third-party candidate, Libertarian Debra Dedmon, is also seeking the seat. Dedmon, 33, says she will fight for smaller government and more personal freedoms.

Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, says none of Christensen's opponents -- the Democrat, the Libertarian, the gaming industry or Christensen's own accounting troubles -- have succeeded in damaging the credibility of a competent legislator.

"That race is important to us," Hettrick said. "Chad is aware of what he needs to do, and he's working hard to do it."

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