STATE SENATE DISTRICT 4

Senate Minority Leader Steven Horsford, a Democrat, faces challenges from Republican Sharon Gobel and Independent American Stan Vaughan in the race to represent Senate District 4 in the November election.

Horsford, who is finishing his first four-year term in the Senate, became minority leader after the decision of longtime state Sen. Dina Titus to run for Congress. He is working to bring Democrats into the majority in the Senate for the first time since 1991. Republicans hold a 11-10 edge.

Gobel, who previously ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat in Senate District 5 in 2002, said she is running against Horsford because he is not focused on the needs and concerns of the district.

"He has lost focus on the issues that matter most to the people in Senate District 4," she said.

One example is safety at the North Las Vegas Airport, where two recent crashes highlighted the concerns of residents in the flight path, Gobel said.

Horsford said several issues he has pursued as a lawmaker, expanding all-day kindergarten, raising the minimum wage and making sure doctors are held accountable for the hepatitis C outbreak, were all driven by constituents.

"I'm a guy that represents my community," he said. "I grew up here, I work in the district. Everything I do relates to the community I work and live in."

Gobel said that if she is elected, she would work to make health insurance affordable by seeking to provide plans tailored to the needs of individual employees. Not all of the coverages required by the Legislature are needed by all workers, she said. Providing the coverages people really need would lower costs, Gobel said.

Gobel, an opponent of new taxes to solve the state's financial problems, said she would have to examine every program to determine what cuts should be made to balance the budget.

Vaughan, who could not be reached for comment, is a 22-year local resident who has run for public office several times, including North Las Vegas City Council in 1999 and the Nevada Assembly in 2006.

Horsford said the budget challenge will be difficult but must be approached in a way that preserves core programs and services, including education, health care and public safety.

"Just because revenues are down doesn't mean we can't cut responsibly," he said.

The approach used by Gov. Jim Gibbons this year, to cut across the board, was irresponsible, Horsford said.

With the budget problems, expanding health care coverage to more Nevadans will be a legislative priority, he said. More needs to be done for those living with catastrophic illness and seniors who want to remain in their homes rather than live out their lives in convalescent homes, Horsford said.

Contact reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.