Cold shoulders clash in Heck, Oceguera congressional debate

After weeks of trading blows in attack ads, Republican Rep. Joe Heck and Democratic challenger John Oceguera staged a frosty face-off in the race for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.

The two men scarcely acknowledged each other before or after their first and only debate, which was taped Thursday afternoon and later broadcast on VegasPBS Channel 10 .

During the wide-ranging, half-hour debate, they clashed over health care, taxes, abortion and Iran.

In his brief opening and closing statements, Oceguera framed himself as a plainspoken problem-solver who will cut through the partisan bickering in Washington, D.C., to get things done.

"Alls people want is some solutions," said the retired assistant fire chief and departing speaker of the Nevada Assembly. "The fight for the middle class is in my bones. That's why I'm running."

Heck sought to highlight what he called the clear choice facing voters between a "larger and more intrusive government with a broken social safety net" and his vision of a government that repairs and preserves that safety net without burying the private sector in taxes and red tape.

"That is the path to more jobs, more opportunity and more prosperity," the physician and one-term congressman said.

Oceguera largely spoke in broad terms, occasionally stumbling over his words and often returning to anecdotes about his family and his upbringing.

The more polished, less personal Heck hammered away with specifics about Oceguera's record and his own.

On Obamacare, Oceguera said he favored the sweeping measure and its individual insurance mandate as an important step toward bringing down the rising cost of health care. "We don't need to throw the baby out with the bath water," he said.

Heck pledged, if re-elected, to continue his plans for "repealing, repairing and replacing" the president's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

On Social Security, Heck said the program is 25 years away from not being able to provide full benefits and must be reformed.

But Oceguera said Heck has "quadrupled down" on his controversial comments about Social Security being a "pyramid scheme." Oceguera promised, if elected, to defend the program from attempts to privatize it and "turn it over to Wall Street."

The two were mostly in agreement on how best to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions. Oceguera said the United States must stand with Israel and use every tool at its disposal to bring Iran into line, including diplomacy, sanctions and the threat of military force.

Heck was slightly more hawkish, criticizing the Obama administration for failing to draw a "red line" - the exact phrase used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - beyond which Iran's nuclear would not be allowed to continue.

The most heated exchange came at the end, when moderator Mitch Fox asked Oceguera whether he stands behind a recent ad about Heck voting to restrict abortion services to rape victims.

The spot, which Heck described as "another blatant lie," has been dismissed in the media as untrue and unfair. But Oceguera said it accurately reflects Heck's voting record in Congress and the state Legislature, where he has consistently tried to cut funding for women's health care.

Specifically, Oceguera pointed to Heck voting against funding for Planned Parenthood, rape crisis services and vaccines for young women that could help prevent cervical cancer.

Heck's response: "Well, there he goes again with these blatant false statements." He insisted his record is consistent with his belief that federal dollars should not be used to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or where the woman's health is threatened.

He added that some of Oceguera's examples were programs that were folded into large spending bills introduced in the waning hours of legislative sessions. He voted no, he said, because he doesn't think taxpayer money should be approved without sufficient review and discussion.

But Oceguera said the motives didn't matter.

"As the son of a victim of domestic violence, I don't care why Congressman Heck made those votes," he said. "He should have voted the other way."

Recent polls give Heck the edge to win a second term, but registration in the 3rd District is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, making incumbency dicey for any candidate.

Two years ago, Heck barely beat then-U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat who in 2008 defeated the previous incumbent, Jon Porter, a Republican.

Thursday's debate was sponsored by the AARP, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and Century Link.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.