2012 Voter Guide: Nevada 3rd Congressional District

An ugly and expensive race has broken out in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, and why not?

Registration in the district is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, making incumbency dicey for any candidate.

Two years ago, Republican Joe Heck barely beat then-U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat who in 2008 defeated the previous incumbent, Jon Porter, a Republican.

Recent polls give Heck the edge to win a second term, but he's getting a fight from Democratic challenger John Oceguera, the departing speaker of the Nevada Assembly. The two candidates - and political action committees working on their behalf - have traded blows in a series of negative ads and follow-up spots in which they shame each other for their respective attacks.

Heck said voters have an easy choice to make between two "clear and distinct visions" for the economy and the nation as a whole.

He said Oceguera's approach is based on his time in the state Legislature, where "he never met a tax increase he didn't like, and he manipulated the system for his own benefit."

The latter is a reference to Oceguera continuing to draw some pay as an assistant fire chief in North Las Vegas while he was in Carson City serving in the Legislature.

For his part, Heck said he would continue to be "laser-focused" on creating jobs and bolstering the economy, especially in Nevada.

Specifically he pointed to bills he introduced to streamline federal workforce training programs, increase foreign tourism by speeding the process for getting travel visas, and create a federal program that would insure fresh loans to foreclosed owners.

The Henderson physician is also an active member of the Army Reserve with a combat deployment in Iraq under his belt.

He said partisan fighting gets media attention because conflict sells, but Congress is not as divided as the coverage suggests. "We need to focus on common ground," Heck said.

Oceguera said he wants to go to Washington to get things moving again.

"We've got to get the economy back on track, get people back to work and balance the budget the right way with the right priorities," he said.

The Nevada native said voters are tired of all the partisan bickering that is keeping them from getting the help they need. "I think Congressman Heck is part of that problem," Oceguera said.

He criticized Heck for once referring to Social Security as a "pyramid scheme" and accused the congressman of wanting to cut education spending and turn Medicare into a voucher program.

Oceguera said 12 years in the state Assembly and more than 20 as a firefighter taught him to be a problem solver.

"In the fire department, we don't pull up to a burning building and argue about what to do," he said.

He said he wants to see the federal government invest more in education, small businesses and the nation's infrastructure. He said projects such as an interstate highway linking Las Vegas and Phoenix can be funded with public-private partnerships and without adding to the nation's debt.

As for the accusations of double-dipping, Oceguera insists he used unpaid leave and vacation during most of his time in the Legislature and worked weekends for the fire department to make up for the one day a week for which he was paid.

Oceguera makes no apologies for his career or his full retirement from the fire department last year at age 43. He's worked hard all his life and earned anything he has gotten, he said.

Both Oceguera and Heck easily won their primary races.

Tom Jones of the Independent American Party and Jim Murphy, a nonpartisan candidate, round out the Nov. 6 ballot.

For Murphy, the race is personal. The 80-year-old Boulder City resident said he decided to make his first run for elected office because Heck never responded to repeated requests for help.

It's a long story, but basically Murphy said his son lost his job as a commercial pilot when he was "railroaded" by his employer and then unfairly labeled as unfit to fly by federal regulators.

Murphy said he tried to go to Heck for help, but he never got so much as a postcard from his elected congressman. For his part, Heck insists his office tried to help Murphy's son and has documentation to prove it.

Murphy knows he won't win, but he's hoping to be heard.

"I have no use for this guy," he said of Heck. "The only way I'm going to have a platform is to run for office."

Despite some built-in name recognition, Tom Jones knows he is "a real long shot" as well. He just hopes his candidacy will introduce voters to some new viewpoints and help grow the Independent American Party.

"We need some more choices," he said. "People are getting tired of voting for the lesser of two evils."

Jones said he decided to run because of the legacy of crushing debt and eroding freedom that his children and grandchildren are due to inherit. "We have to get back to the Constitution," he said.

As for his famous name, he said that when he ran for state Senate in 2010, he rewrote Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" as "What's New Democrat?" but it didn't help him win and hasn't really gotten very many hits on YouTube since.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.