Numbers suggest rush of campaign spending

WASHINGTON -- Heading into the final weeks of a hard-fought race, the candidates for Congress from suburban Las Vegas appear to be planning a rush of late spending before Election Day.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., will have more than $800,000 available for buying television ads and other needs, his campaign said Tuesday.

A report to be filed with the Federal Election Commission today will show Porter, a three-term incumbent, has raised $2.5 million for a re-election bid.

Porter's available cash-on-hand as of Oct. 1 was $835,950, according to his campaign spokesman Matt Leffingwell.

Democratic opponent Dina Titus raised "more than $600,000" between July and the end of September, spokesman Andrew Stoddard said.

Her campaign planned to release her report when it is filed with the FEC, Stoddard said.

The numbers announced so far suggest that Titus, a state senator and University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor, will once again have out-raised Porter during a segment of their campaigns. Porter added $416,442 from late July through the end of September, Leffingwell said.

But Titus entered the race only in May, conceding a big financial head start to the incumbent.

The money raised by the candidates tells only part of the story in the race for the 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses Henderson, Boulder City, Laughlin, parts of North Las Vegas and Summerlin and much of unincorporated Clark County.

The national Democratic Party also has run ads supporting Titus and criticizing Porter while the conservative advocacy group Freedom's Watch has sponsored commercials bashing Titus and backing Porter.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.