Heck knocks O’Connell out of race

Kirsten Searer

Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004 | 10:52 a.m.

Physician Joe Heck knocked out one of the Legislature's most famous fiscal watchdogs in the Republican primary.

Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, has served in the Legislature since 1985 and is regarded as a fiscal conservative. However, she drew the ire of the gaming industry last year when she worked against the proposed gross receipts tax supported by gamers.

Many had predicted a tight race, but Heck pulled out a 5 percent win, 52 percent to 47 percent.

"We had the much more aggressive grassroots campaign," Heck said, adding that his campaign knocked on about 25,000 doors.

The get-out-the-vote work hit high stride the past few days as grassroots experts Billy Rogers and Jim Ferrence coordinated phone banks and door-to-door campaigns.

For the past few weeks residents in O'Connell's district have been pummeled with television, radio and mail ads on O'Connell and Heck's behalf.

Many came from the Citizens for Fair Taxation, a group funded mostly by the gaming community. Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, a supporter of O'Connell's, estimated that the group spent close to $1 million to attack O'Connell.

The group's finance reports are not yet posted on the Internet.

O'Connell called it an "overkill of negative campaigning" and said it sends a message of what the gaming companies are willing to do to politicians who oppose them on issues.

"That alone gives you an idea of how serious they are about getting rid of anybody who tries to stand up against them," she said.

Heck called the gaming industry's entrance into the campaign "unfortunate" because he wanted to focus on the issues and does not think O'Connell is a tax and spender.

He said he will not be a candidate beholden to gaming, saying he has much broader support through family, friends and supporters such as Sheriff Bill Young. Heck has consulted Metro Police on terrorism prevention measures, and Young endorsed him several months ago.

Heck said people shouldn't call him the gaming candidate, just as they didn't call O'Connell, who drew much of her support from developers, the development candidate.

O'Connell focused her own grass-roots campaign in the past weeks. Her mail pieces tended to attack gaming -- instead of her opponent -- since they were the ones going after her, she said.

The Citizens for Fair Taxation attacked her mostly for her support of the Care-Amodei bill, which looked at a variety of other revenue measures from property taxes to service taxes.

The winner of the race will face Democrat Richard Fitzpatrick and Libertarian T. Rex Hagan in the Nov. 2 general election.

With a growing number of registered Democrats in the district, Heck said he will take the general election seriously.

"The days where it was thought that the winner of the Republican primary in District 5 is a shoo-in are over," he said.