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June 4, 2012

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POLITICAL MEMO:

Democrats resurrect nasty attacks against Joe Heck

Targeting a medical issue, foes hope to blunt doctor’s strength

By

Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Joe Heck

Joe Heck

Dina Titus

Dina Titus

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When Republican Joe Heck announced last week that he was dropping out of the governor’s race to challenge Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, it took the state Democratic Party a matter of hours to revive the brutal campaign it waged to oust the emergency room physician from the state Senate last year.

In a news release, the party called Heck a “special interest shill” who opposed, among other things, “coverage for a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.”

The attack recalls a series of devastating mail pieces Nevada Democrats ran in 2008 — and foretells the strategy the party will likely pursue as the debate over health care reform intensifies and spills over into the campaign. Democrats hope to turn Heck’s medical experience against him.

It’s a common political move. In 2004, Republicans cast doubt on Sen. John Kerry’s military service, even though he served on a Swift boat in Vietnam and was awarded three Purple Hearts. In 2008, the party used then-Sen. Barack Obama’s skills as an orator and the record-breaking crowds he attracted on the campaign trail to paint the candidate as a worldwide celebrity, light on substance.

Last year in Nevada, state Democrats spent tens of thousands of dollars on a series of tough — and misleading — mailers targeting Heck. The glossy pieces featured a number of images depicting suffering cancer patients, with the slogan: “Heck Blames Cancer on the Victim.”

They accused him of voting against requiring insurance companies to include cervical cancer screenings. The claim was false. Insurance companies have been required by the state to cover screenings since 1989. The ad seemed to refer to Titus-sponsored legislation from 2007, which required insurers to cover Gardasil, the vaccine for the human papilloma virus, a precursor to cervical cancer.

Heck did vote against that bill, arguing that he opposes new mandates on insurance companies because they increase the cost of coverage. Democrats found their fodder in comments he made at a committee meeting where he said he had “philosophical” objections to mandating coverage of the vaccine because there were preventable risk factors, including multiple sex partners, that sometimes lead to transmission of the disease and then cancer.

The damage was significant. Heck lost by less than 1 percentage point to Democrat Shirley Breeden, who operated under a media blackout for most of the race. The ads were the centerpiece of the campaign.

In 2010 the attacks are likely to come fast and hard from both parties. Titus is a top target for national Republicans, who will surely go after her for contributing to what they say is a government takeover of health care.

Last year, she ran a quiet campaign and won, due in no small part to Obama’s wave of support and a worsening economy, which voters blamed on incumbents.

Now, she’s the incumbent, in a state that ranks second in the nation in unemployment. Economists expect Nevada’s jobless rate to hit 14.75 percent next year.

Another weakness: Titus failed to get to the 50 percent threshold last year. She bested Rep. Jon Porter, the three-term incumbent, with 47 percent of the vote.

The National Republican Campaign Committee sees an opportunity. Last week, the committee promoted Heck’s candidacy and attacked Titus’ record in one fell swoop. Titus turned to her supporters for contributions.

The election is 13 months away.

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