Heck accuses Breeden of ducking debate in state Senate race; Reid denies any role in ads

State Sen. Joe Heck, R-Henderson, on Monday accused his opponent, Democrat Shirley Breeden, of hiding from a debate on the issues and asked for help smoking her out from an unlikely ally: U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Reid called Heck personally more than a week ago to offer assurances that he was not behind the state Democratic Party's pummeling of Heck in campaign ads. Heck revealed the conversation Monday, and Reid's office confirmed that it occurred.

The ads, which Heck decries as misleading, haven't let up, while Heck says Breeden has declined at least two offers from neutral groups to hold public debates.

"I appreciated the fact that he (Reid) took the time to call me from Washington to tell me he has nothing to do with the misleading campaign against me," Heck said. "I hope he would be able to use his position in the party to convince my opponent to come out and debate. I've got a platform I'm running on. Whether people like it or not, I'm willing to defend what I believe in."

A spokesman for Reid said the Senate majority leader has his hands full on Capitol Hill, particularly with the economic crisis. "He is not in the business of micromanaging campaigns, and he wanted to make sure Senator Heck was aware of that," Jon Summers said.

Because Reid was never involved in the state Senate campaign to begin with, he does not intend to interfere now, Summers said.

Breeden could not be reached for comment. Senate Minority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said he was "surprised that Senator Heck is whining to the media instead of directing his attention to the voters."

Horsford said Breeden spends nearly every day connecting personally with potential constituents in Senate District 5, which covers a large swath of Henderson and eastern Las Vegas.

"She's decided that the best way to run her campaign is to focus on the voters in her district, because she understands that in the end, they're the ones who decide who gets elected," Horsford said.

If just one Republican incumbent loses in November, Horsford will become the majority leader in the state Senate. The state Democratic Party has focused its efforts on Heck and Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, both of whose districts are trending Democratic in voter registration.

The ads have been landing in mailboxes for weeks. They accuse Beers of hating children and being in league with pornographers, and charge Heck with being more concerned with taking care of industry cronies than his constituents.

One flier says that Heck "Voted 'No' to Cervical Cancer Screenings." Heck did oppose a bill that would have required insurance companies to cover a cervical cancer vaccine, saying it would have driven up the cost of health insurance and that he wasn't sure of the vaccine's efficacy. Cancer screenings weren't part of the discussion.

"What this is really about is educating voters about the records of the Republican incumbents," said Travis Brock, executive director of the state Democratic Party. "The fact remains that Senator Heck, a physician, repeatedly voted against a bill to require insurance companies to cover the cervical cancer vaccine. He's more interested in protecting insurance companies than the health of Nevada women."

Heck has mailed fliers of his own to voters, but sources say neither his campaign nor the Republican Party can afford to match the Democrats' efforts this far from the election.

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