Wave of ads on health care in Nevada target Reid

By Lisa Mascaro

Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009 | 2 a.m.

If it seems like your television set is bombarding you with health care reform ads, you’re not imagining it.

Las Vegas has had more commercials running on health care than any other major television market this year, with Reno not far behind, as advocacy groups try to position their messages before a singular audience: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the people he represents in Nevada.

One million dollars has been spent in Nevada this year on issue-based ads, a good portion of that on the debate over health care reform, said Evan Tracey, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group, a nonpartisan research firm.

“The groups are trying to stay in front of the leader,” Tracey said. “One of the reasons Vegas is at the top of the list is Harry Reid.”

Most of the advertising spots in Nevada have been positive toward health care reform as groups highlight Reid’s efforts as leader to bring about legislation. But the state has seen its share of ads urging viewers to call Reid’s office in opposition to the bills working their way through Congress.

Tracey believes the groups use the ads as double-edged calling cards with Reid: Groups can point to the support they are giving Reid back home but also hint at their ability to run opposing ads if health care negotiations go south.

Because Reid is up for reelection in 2010 and is considered vulnerable by Republicans, the health care battle also becomes a proxy for the campaign ahead and a referendum on President Barack Obama’s signature policy priority.

Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a nonprofit consumer health care advocacy group, said his organization is running ads in Nevada showcasing Reid because “we want him to feel encouraged.”

“We obviously felt doing ads in Nevada would be a help because of the role Sen. Reid has been playing and will continue to play,” Pollack said.

The ads are being run in conjunction with Pollack’s unlikely allies at PhRMA, the pharmaceutical lobby, as the two organizations have partnered on a national campaign to advance health care reform.

Their Nevada ad shows an image of the Capitol building and suggests that while so much of Washington is engaged in “bickering and partisan gridlock,” Nevada is fortunate to have Reid working “towards consensus, bipartisan health care reform.”

Pollack said his group has never endorsed or opposed candidates for office, and isn’t about to start now.

“What we’re trying to make sure happens is that meaningful health care reform gets adopted,” he said. “We want to make sure that people understand what a positive role he is playing, because there’s no doubt others are going to try to criticize him and we want to set the record straight.”

The attack ads are just as swift and pointed.

An ad from Patients First, a project of the conservative Americans for Prosperity, uses alarming warnings that have become increasingly common from those opposed to health care reform.

The ad asks viewers to consider what will happen to their family’s health care if Washington gets involved, and says, “Do you trust Washington with your life?”

The ad began in early July and ran for a week in both the Las Vegas and Reno markets. A similar version ran in 11 other states with Democrats who are moderate or face tough reelection battles in 2010.

“We are concentrating on senators we feel need to hear from their constituents who oppose government-centered health reform,” said Patients First spokeswoman Amy Menefee. “Obviously Sen. Reid is an important player, so that’s why we advertised in Nevada.”

Will the ads have an effect on how Nevadans’ view health care reform and their senator who is at the center of the process?

A Democratic strategist said that given Reid’s role in leading the bill through the Senate and his upcoming reelection, “it’s not a surprising they’re running a lot of ads.”

“There are major challenges facing this country right now and health care is at the top of the list,” said the strategist, who spoke on the condition that he would not be identified. “There’s a lot of noise out there and clutter on the airwaves, but at the end of the day Democrats know we have a really special window to get this done.”

The ad wars are likely to continue as the health care debate moves into fall. The House and Senate have pledged to pass a bill before year’s end.

“For everything the folks in Nevada have seen so far, they’ll probably see more of it,” Tracey said.