For the Assembly

As a reflection of Nevada's electorate, the Assembly resembles a fun house mirror. Over the past decade, the number of registered Republicans and Democrats has remained almost even in this state. But horribly gerrymandered districts have distorted the state's representation, giving Democrats 27 of the Assembly's 42 seats.

Now, after a year of registration gains amid a growing state budget deficit, Democrats are poised to pick up more seats and give the party the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass tax increases and override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Review-Journal offers the following endorsements for Southern Nevada's Assembly seats:

District 1 voters are getting a rematch of the 2006 election, with Republican Linda West Myers challenging incumbent Democrat Marilyn Kirkpatrick. Ms. Kirkpatrick supports merit pay at public schools that achieve specific benchmarks, but only if such bonuses are split equally among all campus employees, because "the custodian is just as important as the teacher." That's nonsense. Ms. West Myers, who has been active in a variety of neighborhood and political issues over the years, wants the state's best teachers to be rewarded, and she supports repealing a state law that prohibits teachers from being evaluated based on student test scores. The Review-Journal endorses Linda West Myers in District 1.

In District 2, Republican John Hambrick faces Democrat Carlos Blumberg and two other candidates for a seat being vacated by the GOP's Garn Mabey. Mr. Hambrick, a retired federal law enforcement agent, wants to put his experience investigating fraud to use in the Legislature. He'll be a reliable vote for a smaller, less-intrusive government. John Hambrick gets our endorsement in District 2.

The District 3 race pits incumbent Democrat Peggy Pierce against Republican challenger Eric Morelli and Libertarian Kristie Turley. The tax-hiking Ms. Pierce is best defined by her enthusiastic support of a Sierra Club lawsuit that delayed the widening of U.S. Highway 95 and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Mr. Morelli, a Las Vegas native, is an enthusiastic first-time candidate who vows to hold the line on taxes and let his constituents decide his legislative priorities. We urge a vote for Eric Morelli in District 3.

Four candidates are vying to replace outgoing Assemblywoman Francis Allen in District 4: Republican Richard McArthur, who beat her in the August primary; Democrat Craig Ballew; and two minor-party candidates. Mr. McArthur is Vietnam War veteran and retired FBI special agent who has lived in the valley for 27 years. He wants to streamline the state's teacher licensure process to put more private-sector professionals into math and science classrooms. Mr. McArthur also favors wholesale reform of the state's public employee retirement benefits by moving future hires into a defined-contribution system. Richard McArthur is the easy choice in District 4.

District 5 voters will choose between Democrat Marilyn Dondero Loop, Republican Donna Toussaint and independent Don Woolbright to replace outgoing Republican Valerie Weber. Ms. Dondero Loop, the daughter of longtime elected official Thalia Dondero, was a public school teacher for 30 years. Her deep connections to the community are laudable, but she is in no way a reformer. Ms. Toussaint has an impressive record of community service, with a focus on neighborhood and homeowner association issues. She wants to make the state's tidal wave of foreclosures a legislative priority. The Review-Journal endorses Donna Toussaint in District 5.

District 8, which pits Democratic Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley against Republican challenger Kevin Child, is a no-brainer. Ms. Buckley, the director of Clark County Legal Services, is widely regarded as the state's finest legislator. Although we disagree with her on issues ranging from government employee pension reform to education policy, the public has no better friend in protecting access to public records and bringing sunshine into the darkest corners of unaccountable bureaucracies. The Review-Journal endorses Barbara Buckley in District 8.

In District 9, incumbent Democrat "Tick" Segerblom faces Republican Jefferson Lee and Independent American John D. Russo. Mr. Segerblom, an attorney and old-school liberal, is the perfect voice for his heavily Democratic district. For District 9 voters, the best choice is "Tick" Segerblom.

District 10 incumbent Joe Hogan, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Mitch Hostmeyer. Voters could not ask for clearer differences between the candidates. While Mr. Hogan is overwhelmingly concerned about the needs of government and believes larger, more intrusive bureaucracies can solve a variety of social and educational problems, Mr. Hostmeyer's focus is on keeping Nevada a desirable destination for job-creating businesses. Mr. Hostmeyer wants to reform teacher licensing and state retirement benefits, and force agencies to implement management by objective to make them accountable for every taxpayer dollar. The Review-Journal endorses Mitch Hostmeyer in District 10.

District 11 constituents can choose between incumbent Democrat Ruben Kihuen and Republican Ken Upp. Few lawmakers are as committed to their constituents' concerns as Mr. Kihuen. "At the end of the day, you can't forget where you came from," Mr. Kihuen says, and voters are most worried about the economy and neighborhood crime. For District 11 votes, Ruben Kihuen is the obvious choice.

District 12 pits incumbent Democrat James Ohrenschall against Republican Dallas Augustine. Mr. Ohrenschall doesn't strictly toe the party line. He's an ardent defender of property rights, he wants rewards for department heads who emphasize efficiency and save taxpayers money, and he nearly stood alone last year in voting against an obviously unconstitutional bill that required petition circulators to collect voter signatures in all 17 counties (a federal judge tossed the law last month). We urge District 12 voters to re-elect James Ohrenschall.

Few lawmakers are as unprincipled and invisible as Republican Chad Christensen. The District 13 incumbent is being challenged by Democrat Andrew Martin and Independent American Leonard M. Foster. Mr. Christensen's tenure has been marked by his disdain for campaign finance laws. Mr. Martin, on the other hand, has a record of helping taxpayers as a fraud examiner and a forensic accountant. The businessman wants to create a state Department of Accountability and use the investigative power of this office to make agencies "justify every dollar." The Review-Journal endorses Andrew Martin in District 13.

The District 15 race has incumbent Democrat Kathy McClain facing Republican Dale Snyder. Ms. McClain, you'll recall, was fired from her job with Clark County after double-dipping during the 2003 session, but later was reinstated by an arbitrator. Such disrespect for taxpayers doesn't surprise Mr. Snyder. He favors a number of common-sense measures to save taxpayers money, from reforming the state's prevailing wage law to cut public building costs to putting all future state hires into Social Security and a defined-contribution retirement plan. Dale Snyder gets the nod in District 15.

In Districts 6, 7, 14, 16 and 17, the Review-Journal offers no endorsement. Tomorrow: endorsements in Southern Nevada Assembly Districts 18 through 42.