The voters speak

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006 | 7:36 a.m.

Nevada voters named the war in Iraq as their primary national concern Tuesday, were dismayed by campaign mudslinging and were largely unswayed by allegations that Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Gibbons assaulted a woman.

Dozens of voters were polled by the Sun after they voted in Carson City, Henderson, Las Vegas and Pahrump. Many voted across party lines and took idiosyncratic positions on issues.

Several people felt this year's midterm elections would be the closest in years and potentially could tip the balance of power in Congress, making their own votes especially valuable.

Lawyer Michael Hyte, 29, battled a bad cold - one that would have kept him home in bed on any other day - to get to the voting booth in Green Valley.

"I'm really not feeling well, but it's my duty to go," Hyte said.

Voters said while concerns about the economy and illegal immigration influenced their votes for congressional offices, the war in Iraq was their major concern.

"We've got to get out of Iraq," said Mike Mitchell, an independent from Las Vegas. "We can't vote out (Defense Secretary Donald) Rumsfeld, so we'll vote out the people in Washington. Maybe then they'll get the message."

Paul and Margaret Freidin of Pahrump said they want to see Democrats in Congress become more vocal.

"We need to have Congress do its job and provide oversight to the executive branch," Paul Freidin said.

In the governor's race, the outcome appears to have been largely unaffected by the media storm that followed the allegation that Gibbons tried to force himself sexually on Chrissy Mazzeo, a 32-year-old cocktail waitress, in an Oct. 13 incident in a parking garage.

Many voters said the controversy played little or no role in their decision , with some going so far as to belittle the severity of the allegations.

Such incidents "happen every day," said Paula Beer, a youth juvenile counselor. "It all depends if you get caught or not."

Republicans dismissed the allegations as part of a smear campaign, while many Democrats said their minds were made up to vote for Democrat Dina Titus prior to Oct. 13.

"There were too many other reasons not to vote for (Gibbons)," said Don Edgington, a retired schoolteacher in Carson City.

Wendi Stewart, a lifelong Clark County resident and registered Democrat, found an unusual reason not to vote for her party's gubernatorial nominee.

"It's not that Gibbons won me over so much, it's just that I just didn't like Dina Titus," said Stewart, 27. "She has a Southern accent and she's running for governor of Nevada? Well, we don't have Southern accents here."

Barbara Solomon, a 75-year-old Democrat from Pahrump, said she believes the accusations against Gibbons were a sham designed to sway the election.

"I voted for the one I think is going to do the best job," Solomon said. She voted for Gibbons.

But several Las Vegas voters said the Gibbons scandal had a residual effect on the Clark County sheriff's race between Undersheriff Doug Gillespie and businessman Jerry Airola.

Brian Paco Alvarez, a 32-year-old Democrat from Las Vegas, said he voted for Airola "in part because of the way the cops handled the Mazzeo incident. It was more a vote against the establishment."

Voters were most unified - and strident - in their hatred of negative campaign advertising. Mailers went from mailbox to trash can. Voters turned off the TV or flipped channels to ignore ads, and they resented phone calls. Some welcomed Election Day because it meant an end to the advertising siege.

Voters were appalled by the content of ads. Kathleen Haecker, a 69-year-old from Las Vegas, called the political ads the worst she has seen in her life.

Dozens of voters chastised candidates for offering few solutions to local and national problems.

"They drove me crazy," said Nona Hamblin of Pahrump, a Democrat. "I don't like mudslinging and I don't like negativity. Stick to the issues and be honest."

Kathleen Schneer, a Henderson resident and small-business owner, said party affiliation was less important to her than how candidates conducted themselves.

"I voted for the people who had the least nasty campaigns," Schneer said. "It was dirty tricks everywhere; it disgusted me."

Several voters urged policymakers to enact some kind of reform to clean up campaign advertising. Others expressed concern that the negative campaigns would turn off younger voters.

Voters were, for the most part, not confused by the presence of two anti-smoking measures on Tuesday's ballot.

Health organizations sponsored Question 5, which would ban smoking in all public places except casino floors and in bars that do not prepare food. The casino and resort industry countered with Question 4, which offered less restrictive smoking regulations.

Smokers generally supported Question 4, while nonsmokers supported the stricter ban, Question 5. But less than 10 percent of voters polled confused the two initiatives.

Green Valley resident Jesse Dabney, 21, voted against both Questions 4 and 5.

"I don't think that's something the government should get involved in," Dabney said. If businesses choose to go smoke-free and patrons support them, that will decide the question, Dabney said.

Sun reporters Cy Ryan, Emily Richmond and Mark Hansel contributed to this report.