The stories told by the candidates’ bank accounts

By Amber Phillips

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014 | 8:39 a.m.

Two and a half weeks out from the election, Nevada's congressional candidates are trying to send a message to voters with the amount of money they raised this summer.

Nevada's federal lawmakers — and those who hope to become federal lawmakers — filed campaign finance reports Wednesday detailing money raised July through September.

The filing deadline comes as candidates are shaping their image with voters through advertisements and debates.

They hope the money raised will also signal their strength as a candidate to voters and donors before the final campaign finance filing Oct. 23. But that plan backfired for some.

Here are four takeaways from Nevada's federal midterm candidates' campaign finances:

Bilbray struggles to raise money against Heck

Once again, Rep. Joe Heck, a Republican vying for a third term to represent Henderson and Boulder City, has a lot more money than his Democratic challenger, political adviser Erin Bilbray.

About $1 million more.

Heck raised about $442,000 this summer, about half from individuals and half from big businesses.

That money cushioned the $621,000 he's mostly spent on TV ads, and he finishes this report with $1.2 million on hand.

By contrast, Bilbray raised just $173,000 this summer and finished September with $110,000 in the bank.

In total, Bilbray has raised $1.08 million this election cycle; Heck has raised $2 million. ​

This was supposed to be Nevada's most competitive congressional race this election cycle. But the numbers tell a different story.

They underscore the trouble Bilbray has had convincing donors in Nevada's gaming industry, independents and Washington Democrats she can beat Heck. Her campaign, however, continues to be optimistic.

The candidates will debate Thursday for the first of three times. The debate will be aired at 7:30 p.m. Friday on PBS.

Horsford does not have a serious challenger

In July, Rep. Steven Horsford, a Democrat vying for a second term to represent North Las Vegas and central Nevada, showed strong fundraising numbers, while his Republican opponent was in debt.

The numbers tell the same story this cycle.

Horsford raised about $274,000 this summer and has about $442,000 cash in the bank to spend on TV ads and a digital outreach strategy.

By contrast, Assemblyman Cresent Hardy raised $91,600 and has spent almost all of it. That leaves him with $38,000 to pay an equal debt for campaign consultants. Expect his fundraising numbers to be even lower after he took heat in late September for a "47 percent" comment.

The real story in this race is who gave money to Horsford, a rising star in the Democratic party.

Horsford and his Democratic colleagues peppered each other's campaigns with $2,000 donations, the Washington, D.C., equivalent of making friends. And he raised 70 percent of his money from big-business political action committees like JP Morgan Chase and Northrop Grumman, likely because he sits on the House Finance Committee.

The donations suggest Horsford is making a name for himself and shaping Nevada's newest congressional district as his. He also gave about $50,000 to Nevada Democrats to bolster his state colleagues.

Titus, Amodei play it safe against unknown challengers

Lawmakers representing Nevada's two safest districts aren't getting too comfortable in their re-election campaigns against lesser-known candidates.

Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat representing Las Vegas, raised about $150,000 and has about $277,000 cash on hand.

She raised about 60 percent from political action committees and unions. Like Horsford, she also gave about $60,000 to Nevada Democrats.

Titus' Republican challenger, Dr. Annette Teijeiro, is financing much of her own campaign. She raised $11,000 this quarter.

Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican representing North Las Vegas, raised $213,000, half from individuals and half from big-name defense companies like Boeing and Sierra Nevada, as well as trucker, farmer and cattle rancher political action committees.

His Democratic challenger, attorney Kristen Spees, did not raise enough money to file a campaign finance report with the Federal Elections Commission.

Heller gives big to Senate Republicans

Sen. Dean Heller, a first-term senator, is not up for re-election until 2018. But that didn't stop him from raising money for his political action committee, HellerHighwater (get it?) and passing it on to Republicans trying to take control of the Senate in November.

Heller gave $50,000 to Republican PAC Targeted State Victory, a substantial number that bolsters the already $400,000 his team says he's donated to Republicans this cycle.

That puts Heller at odds with his Nevada colleague, Sen. Harry Reid, who is fighting to keep Democrats in control of the Senate.