WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jon Porter practically emptied his campaign bank account in the past two months buying television time in a tightening race to secure his return to Congress, according to finance reports examined Monday.
The Republican incumbent spent $1.48 million in late August and mid-September on media buys that his campaign said will carry through the election. As of the end of September, Porter reported only $188,000 remaining cash on hand, according to a report his campaign filed on Friday with the Federal Election Commission.
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His main opponent, Democrat Tessa Hafen, reported $456,000 on hand for the home stretch until the Nov. 7 elections, including TV commercials, a spokesman said.
Early voting starts Saturday.
Porter chose to lock in television time in advance, spokesman Ryan Temme said.
"We have purchased all our media through Election Day," Temme said. "It is just a different strategy so we don't have to worry about all that stuff in the last few weeks."
The strategy is another sign of what is shaping into a cage match between Porter, a two-term incumbent, and Hafen, a former press secretary to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, according to analysts.
"It shows (the Porter camp) has the money and knows what they want to do with it, and they are not going to leave anything on the table," said Eric Herzik, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
"This race is so contested and bitter now that they are just going to unload all their money," Herzik said. "Hafen has to wait a little because she does not have that much money."
Porter may be running a risk leaving himself little in the bank, said David Damore, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
"If he has only $180,000 left, it doesn't leave a lot," Damore said. "He will have to raise a lot of money this month and spend it as fast as he is getting it in."
Porter raised $345,301 from July 27 through Sept. 30, and $2.4 million overall, according to the FEC.
Hafen reported raising $306,708 over the same period, and a total $1.1 million overall.
Hafen spokesman David Cherry said the Democrat did not expect to match Porter's spending but will have enough money to carry out a game plan.
"She will have enough to be competitive and to be on the air through election day," Cherry said.
The fundraising figures were detailed in FEC finance reports that campaigns are required to file periodically. The latest reports were filed on Friday.
In other contested Nevada races for federal office:
• Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., reported $1.5 million cash on hand after raising $533,441 between late July and the end of September. He has raised $5.71 million for the entire campaign. Democrat Senate challenger Jack Carter had $406,637 available to spend. He raised $424,245 in the most recent reporting period, and $1.55 million overall.
• In the race to fill the open House seat for the Second Congressional District, Republican Dean Heller raised $383,765 from late July and Sept. 30 and $1.29 million overall. Heller reported $279,655 cash on hand. In the same race, Democrat Jill Derby said she had $183,635 cash on hand after raising $340,849 during the reporting period. Derby has accumulated $1.09 million overall.
