All eyes on 4th Congressional District as primary approaches

As voters head to the polls today, the race to watch is the hotly contested GOP primary for Nevada's new congressional district.

Danny Tarkanian has been leading a pack of nine Republicans vying for the 4th Congressional District, but state Sen. Barbara Cegavske has been gaining on him and is aiming for an upset.

Ken Wegner, a Gulf War veteran who has won the GOP nomination three times in a different congressional race in Southern Nevada, has military support that could give him a long-shot chance if the top contenders split the ballots. And international businessman Dan Schwartz, who has slammed Tarkanian in TV ads, is the outsider and wild-card factor in the race.

While the unpredictable House contest is the one to watch, the primary election also sets the stage for a high-stakes battle for the U.S. Senate between U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. They're both expected to breeze to primary victories today.

The outcome of the Heller-Berkley race in November could help determine whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the Democrats maintain control of the upper house.

With no White House contest on the primary ballot and few high-profile races in play, Nevada voters showed little excitement during two weeks of early voting that ended Friday.

Just 11 percent, or 116,913 of the state's 1,058,808 active registered voters, cast ballots or sent in absentee votes. In Clark County, the turnout was less - 10.2 percent voted, or 70,798 of the county's 691,575 active registered voters. Republican turnout was higher than Democratic.

Clark County Registrar Larry Lomax predicted a total turnout of about 18 percent by the end of election day because half of Nevada voters typically vote early. He shrugged off the primary malaise.

"In my job, you don't want excitement," Lomax joked.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. at more than 200 sites in Clark County.

Among the four Nevada congressional races, GOP competition has been fierce to win the right to face departing state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford in November. Horsford had no Democratic primary competition for the new district, which covers nearly half the state, including the northern part of Clark County, a part of Lyon County and all of five other rural counties, including Nye.

Tarkanian launched his House bid after conducting a poll that showed him far ahead of any competition, thanks to his high name recognition as the son of former University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian. He also has a base of support after three failed campaigns, including losing the GOP U.S. Senate primary in 2010.

Tarkanian has been aggressively campaigning and has the backing of hundreds of members of the tea party movement. He also signed a pledge not to raise taxes.

During the campaign, Cegavske focused on reaching out to more than 10,000 voters to tout her credentials as one of the most conservative state lawmakers. She voted against all of the biggest tax hike packages in the past decade. It could take only 6,000 to 7,000 votes to win the race.

Schwartz, using more than $200,000 of his own money, attacked Tarkanian in TV ads, painting him as a perennial loser. Schwartz also raised questions about the front-runner's business acumen after Tarkanian and his family were hit with a $17 million judgment in a real estate deal gone bad.

The other congressional races have been tame by comparison.

n In the 3rd Congressional District in Southern Nevada, U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., and departing state Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, a Democrat, are both expected to easily win their parties' nominations and face one another in the fall. The district is almost evenly divided by party registration.

n In the 1st Congressional District in urban Las Vegas, five Republicans battled for the right to face former U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., including naval officer Chris Edwards, the most aggressive campaigner. Titus faced no primary competition in the district that is 2-to-1 Democratic by registration.

­­n In the 2nd Congressional District covering Northern and rural Nevada, three little-known Democrats were competing to face U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., in November.

In the Nevada Legislature, the primary results will set in motion a contest between the two political parties for control of the state Senate, where Democrats now have an 11-10 seat edge.

As many as five state Senate primary races are significant.

n In District 1 in North Las Vegas, incumbent Sen. John Lee has spent nearly $170,000 trying to hold off tougher-than-expected challenger Patricia Spearman in the Democrat primary.

n In District 5 in the Henderson area, former Henderson City Councilman Steve Kirk has his party's endorsement and a lot of political experience. But that hasn't stopped fellow Republican Dr. Annette Teijeiro from waging a solid campaign, but one without a lot of financial support.

n In District 9 in southwest Las Vegas, Republican Senate candidate Mari Nakashima St. Martin is facing a tough battle against bottled water businessman Brent Jones, who questioned her experience for the office. She has the party's endorsement and more money.

n In District 11 in Spring Valley and west of the Strip, Democrat Aaron Ford has his party's endorsement and more money than 81-year-old retired Assemblyman Harry Mortenson, D-Las Vegas.

n In District 18 in northwest Las Vegas, two incumbent Republican Assembly members, Richard McArthur and Scott Hammond, are facing off in what has been a bitter primary. McArthur contends he is more conservative, but the Senate Republican Caucus has endorsed Hammond.

Meanwhile, Laughlin residents will be asked whether to turn the town 100 miles south of Las Vegas into its own city.

Proponents of cityhood want to get out from under the thumb of Clark County government.

Naysayers argue becoming a city is not financially feasible and taxes would increase as services, already provided by the county, are cut.

City revenue would come from property taxes, consolidated taxes and other municipal fees. The largest portion of consolidated tax revenue comes from the casino corridor, which has declined to leave the county's control and would not become part of the proposed city.

Laughlin voters also will select a mayor and four City Council members.

If the cityhood question passes, the Legislature can still repeal the charter if it determines the city isn't financially solvent or opt to delay incorporation from the July 1, 2013, target date.

Review-Journal reporters Ed Vogel and Kristi Jourdan contributed to this story. Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter.