CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 3

Republican Rep. Jon Porter faces two primary opponents to keep his seat representing Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, while four Democrats are vying for their party's nomination.

The winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries will face four additional candidates in the general election: Independent American Party candidate Floyd Fitzgibbons, Green Party candidate Bob Giaquinta, independent candidate Jeffrey C. Reeves and Libertarian Party candidate Joseph P. Silvestri.

Porter was first elected to the seat when it was created in 2002 because of Nevada's growing population. He is seeking re-election to a fourth term.

A former district manager for Farmers Insurance, Porter was a Boulder City councilman and mayor and served in the state Senate. He said he is running on his record of accomplishments and connection to the community.

"It's a race that is about who can find solutions to problems," he said. "I'm proud to have served the community and found solutions to problems."

Porter emphasized his 20 years as a small businessman, saying, "I have an understanding of what it's like to meet a payroll. I know what it's like to create jobs." He said high gasoline prices and the troubled economy point to the need to take action on energy policy.

Porter, 53, supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and opening up offshore oil drilling. In addition to increased domestic exploration, he said, conservation and renewable energy need to be pursued.

"We are at war, and we need to do now what we did after 9/11," he said. "That is stand together, Democrats and Republicans and the White House, and say, Enough is enough. Let's work together."

Fellow Republican Jesse Law, however, believes that Porter "doesn't get it." Law, 26, who owns a medical staffing agency, said he was upset at votes cast by Porter that he sees as undermining civil liberties, including Porter's votes for the Patriot Act and for reauthorization of federal wiretapping authority.

He said he would work to end corruption in Washington and restore states' rights, including ending federal government involvement in health care, housing and education. Law, who has lived in Nevada for about three years, also would seek to deny government benefits to illegal immigrants.

Carl Bunce, a computer worker in the Clark County School District administration, identifies himself as a "Ron Paul Republican," a believer in the views of the former Republican presidential candidate. His top priority if elected would be to increase congressional oversight of monetary policy and the value of the dollar.

"What is the government supposed to do for us as people?" Bunce said. "If you look at it from a constitutional perspective, the federal government has really overstepped its bounds."

A Kentucky native who has lived in Nevada for more than five years, the 31-year-old also calls for eliminating the Department of Education and strictly enforcing immigration laws. He disapproves of the war in Iraq and would pull American troops out as quickly as possible.

On the Democratic side, the party establishment is backing state Sen. Dina Titus, who has served in the Legislature for 20 years and works as a political science professor at UNLV. Titus was the Democrats' gubernatorial nominee in 2006, losing to Republican Jim Gibbons.

"I'm running because I think we're at a crossroads in American history," Titus said. "We can either go back to the kinds of policies that have gotten us into this fix today, or we can go forward with new priorities."

Titus, 58, favors shifting tax breaks to the middle class and moving toward universal health care "a piece at a time." She noted that she was behind the legislative bill that brought Nevada into the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Titus opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge but said she would support allowing states to decide whether to allow drilling off their shores, as long as the oil produced was sold domestically and some royalties went toward renewable energy. In the long term, she said, major investment in renewable energy, including tax incentives, will benefit Nevada, jobs, national security and the economy.

Titus said she is for ending the war in Iraq as quickly but reasonably as possible, including a timetable for withdrawal.

Carlo "Tex" Poliak has run for office numerous times before as a Republican. Now a Democrat, the Republic Services garbage-truck worker said he had intended to run in the 1st Congressional District but filed for the wrong office by mistake. He said he would be closer to his working-class constituency than the more elite candidates: "I am of the people and for the people."

Poliak's main reason for running is to address the insolvency of Social Security. He said he would begin to do that by eliminating foreign aid, for which he said there is no constitutional provision.

The 68-year-old also favors single-payer health care and a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Fellow Democrat Anna Nevenic has sought the Democratic nomination in the 3rd District twice before. A native of the former Yugoslavia who has lived in Las Vegas since 2000, Nevenic is a part-time nurse who has authored books about politics and parenting.

"I am a very compassionate person, very honest," Nevenic said. "My major concern is the people's needs. That is the only reason I'm running. I see the problems people are facing and my heart breaks."

Nevenic, 61, would push for universal health care, which she said would help businesses and the economy. She would call for an immediate pullout from Iraq, which she said would free up billions in federal spending for infrastructure such as bridges, schools, roads and alternative energy.

Nevenic also calls for reforming education on the European model, eliminating constant testing and empowering teachers while centralizing the curriculum.

Another Democrat, Barry Michaels, also sought the nomination two years ago. He is a felon who says he has turned things around since doing time for fraud in connection with a start-up airline. Michaels still lists his occupation as CEO of Family Airlines, which he says he still hopes to get off the ground.

"Education and health care are my two important issues," Michaels said. "I believe we need some kind of national insurance program to take the cost out of health insurance." Education, he said, should be better funded at the federal level, including full funding for the No Child Left Behind programs.

Michaels, 66, said the government should not be involved in bringing down gasoline prices because the market has created a bubble that will burst naturally.

Porter has raised more than $2 million so far for his campaign, while Titus, who got into the race in April, had raised $575,000 as of the last federal reporting period. None of the other candidates had filed federal campaign finance reports, which are required if more than $5,000 is raised.

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.