Former Assembly speaker Oceguera announces run for Congress
Former Democratic Nevada Assembly Speaker John Oceguera is running for Republican U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy’s seat.
Oceguera emailed supporters on Thursday, telling them he’s running for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District.
Oceguera was elected as a state legislator in 2000, serving until reaching term limits in 2012. He also has had a career as a North Las Vegas firefighter and was an assistant chief when he retired in 2011.
“Serving Nevada families has not only been my career, it’s my passion,” Oceguera said in an email to supporters Thursday morning. “It’s why I served as a firefighter and paramedic in North Las Vegas for 20 years, took on the tough fights as Speaker in the Nevada State Assembly, and brought people together in Carson City to make life better for Nevada families. And it’s why I know I can do a better job in Congress than Cresent Hardy.”
Hardy, also a former assemblyman, is in his first term in Congress. A Hardy campaign spokesman declined comment, saying its policy isn’t to comment each time a candidate enters the race. Hardy won the 2014 election, beating Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Steven Horseford.
Oceguera is a senior vice president at Strategies 360, overseeing its Nevada branch. The company does public policy and lobbying work. Oceguera, a registered lobbyist, represented seven different clients during the 2015 state legislative session, including the Nevada Mortgage Lending Association and the Coalition of Appraisers in Nevada.
He ran unsuccessfully in 2012 for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District seat, losing to incumbent Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev.
Oceguera will face other Democrats in the primary election, including former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores and state Sen. Ruben Kihuen. Las Vegas philanthropist and Democrat Susie Lee is also running.
“I don’t see that we’re going to be attacking each other,” Oceguera said of the Democratic field. “I think our positions will be fairly close as far as policy positions.”
Oceguera will be pointing to his long roots in Southern Nevada, where he’s a fourth-generation state resident, his firefighting career and time in the state Legislature.
The sprawling district goes north from the Las Vegas area and includes the 704,000 acres in Nye and Lincoln counties that are expected to be designated as the Basin and Range National Monument by President Barack Obama.
Oceguera said he supports that move to protect the area, saying it’s important to balance protections with the ability of people to enjoy the area.
The National Republican Congressional Committee sent out a statement Thursday focusing on Oceguera’s lobbyist background and the crowded Democratic field.
“Lobbyist John Oceguera has already run one failed congressional campaign and is now at it again, adding his name to an already crowded Democrat primary,” Zach Hunter, a spokesman for the committee, said in a statement. “Whoever emerges as the eventual Democratic nominee will be bloodied, broke, and playing catchup to compete in the general election.”
Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.
