POLITICAL EYE: Tarkanian calls on Horsford to debate in rural counties

Republican Danny Tarkanian has challenged Democrat Steven Horsford to debate in all seven counties of Nevada's new 4th Congressional District, which stretches from downtown Las Vegas to Ely.

The district the two men are competing to represent covers parts of Clark County and Lyon County as well as all of five rural counties: Esmeralda, Lincoln, Mineral, Nye and White Pine. It covers nearly half of Nevada.

Last month, Tarkanian sent a letter to Horsford issuing the multiple debate challenge, but he never received a response, according to his campaign.

"From the densely populated areas near downtown Las Vegas and North Las Vegas to the forested mountains near Ely to the mines of Esmeralda County to the farms of Lincoln County the people, economies and interests of the district are very diverse," the Tarkanian letter said. "... With the district covering so much area, we owe it to the voters of CD-4 to go to them and ensure that voters in each county are able to see us discuss the issues and present our ideas."

The Horsford campaign said Saturday that the three October debates the two men agreed to in Clark County are enough, especially since two will be televised.

"Steven Horsford has agreed to three debates, with two debates that will be aired on TV statewide, including every county in the district," said Tim Hogan, spokesman for Horsford. "Steven is looking forward to informing the voters of Nevada's 4th Congressional District of the important differences between him and his opponent."

The three scheduled debates for the House seat are: Oct. 4, "Face to Face" on KSNV-TV, Channel 3; Oct. 11, VegasPBS Channel 10; and Oct. 14, Temple Sinai in Las Vegas.

A week later, early voting begins Oct. 20 in Nevada, ahead of the Nov. 6 Election Day.

Ron Futrell, a spokesman for Tarkanian, said the campaign is disappointed Horsford refused to debate in the rural counties of the district.

"This is such a unique and diverse district that the voters deserve to hear directly from the candidates," Futrell said. "The issues in Clark County are not the same as the issues in White Pine County."

Tarkanian made the same point in his letter to Horsford.

"We must not neglect the voters in the other counties," Tarkanian wrote.

"Voters in Esmeralda, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye and White Pine Counties deserve the same opportunity to witness us debating the issues that are important to them."

Tarkanian may have another reason to want to debate Horsford in the rural counties : that's where most Republicans in the district live and where he would face a friendlier audience than Horsford.

A poll last week showed the House race very close with Tarkanian edging out Horsford 45 percent to 42 percent.

The SurveyUSA poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow showed the two men running neck and neck in Clark County where most voters live. Tarkanian was smashing Horsford outside Clark County, 62 percent to 30 percent, the poll found.

Horsford, the Nevada Senate majority leader, needs to raise his profile more in Clark County to shore up his Democratic base. He should have the advantage in the district because his party has a 10 percentage point edge in registered voters over Republicans. But Tarkanian has a higher name ID because of three previous political campaigns. Also, he was a basketball standout at the University if Nevada, Las Vegas where his father, Jerry Tarkanian, coached him.

- LAURA MYERS

SAME-SEX COUPLE FIGHTS FOR RIGHTS

A same-sex Henderson couple is leading a national effort to induce a Pennsylvania-based chain of hospitals to follow a federal mandate requiring hospitals that receive federal funds to respect the visitation rights of gay couples.

Terri-Ann Simonelli and Brittney Leon have spearheaded a move that so far has collected more than 140,000 signatures on petitions to force Universal Health Services to end discrimination against same-sex couples. Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center is owned by the company.

Simonelli and Leon are legally domestic partners in Nevada. The law gives them virtually all the rights heterosexual married couples have, including the right to make medical decisions for each other. But they told the Review-Journal that the hospital in July told Simonelli she would have to obtain a power of attorney before she could make decisions for Leon, who suffered complications from a pregnancy. A hospital spokeswoman refused to respond to a reporter's questions about whether she knew of the domestic partnership law, passed in 2009.

The national gay online publication, advocate.com, and other news outlets, have reported on their efforts. The petition is available at change.org/petition.

"It is time for Universal Health Services to ensure each and every hospital it owns and operates complies to the new laws recognizing visitation and decision-making rights of gay couples," Simonelli wrote on change.org.

Two Nevada legislators have announced they will introduce bills to create driver's license-sized cards that indicate couples are domestic partners and will find ways to publicize to companies that Nevada has a domestic partnership law. More than 3,700 couples have registered as domestic partners.

- ED VOGEL

Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal .com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj. Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.