Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Candidates file in congressional race to succeed Heller

Updated Wednesday, May 25, 2011 | 2:11 p.m.

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Greg Brower

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Mark Amodei

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Nancy Price

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Kate Marshall

CARSON CITY – Two Republicans and a former Republican turned Democrat filed on the opening day to run for Congress to succeed Dean Heller who was named to the U.S. Senate.

In addition, state Treasurer Kate Marshall, also a Democrat, submitted her declaration of candidacy, saying she has the “fiscal discipline” needed in Washington.

State Sen. Greg Brower, former Sen. Mark Amodei, both Republicans, and Nancy Price, a Democrat who says she was a former Republican, signed in Wednesday to run in the district that encompasses all of Northern Nevada and a part of Clark County.

This is the opening day for filing with the Secretary of State and it extends to June 30.

The Nevada Supreme Court will decide whether there will be a wide-open field at the special election Sept. 13. Carson District Judge Todd Russell sided with the Republicans that each major party must nominate the Democrat and Republican candidate.

Democrats favor an open field in this district that has never elected a Democrat. They feel the number of candidates will split the GOP vote and give them a better chance of winning. They and the state Attorney General’s Office appealed the Russell ruling to the Supreme Court.

Brower, now in the session of the Legislature, said he would not accept money from lobbyists. But he has collected other campaign funds.

There is a law that prohibits a member of the Legislature from accepting campaign funds while in session. But Brower says he has legal opinions from the state Attorney General’s Office and the Legislative Counsel Bureau that the federal law supersedes Nevada law. And that federal law allows the acceptance of campaign funds.

Brower, 47, was former U.S. Attorney for Nevada and is now in private law practice in Reno.

Price, the Democrat, said she grew up as a Republican but she switched to help her husband Bob to run for the Assembly. Bob, a Democrat, served 20 years in the Legislature.

Price lost to Heller in the last election.

Amodei served in the Assembly from 1997 to 1998 and then in the state Senate from 1998 to 2010. He said he resigned effective today as state Republican Chairman.

Marshall is in her second term as treasurer.

CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to say Marshall is in her second, not her first term, as state treasurer. | (May 25, 2011)

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