Follow the Money: Congressional, Senate hopefuls roll in cash during first three months of 2018
Frontrunners in some of Nevada’s top congressional races are becoming increasingly clear after release of the year’s first round of campaign finance reports.
Candidates for Nevada’s four congressional seats and U.S. Senate seat reported their fundraising totals and spending over the first three months of 2018 on Monday, the Federal Election Commission’s filing deadline for quarterly campaign finance reports.
The numbers indicate several candidates breaking away from the pack in fundraising ahead of the state’s June primary and hint towards which congressional hopefuls will have a leg up on making it past the primary and onto the 2018 general election ballot.
In the state’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen outraised Republican Sen. Dean Heller, though Heller still holds an advantage in cash on hand. Heller is the only Republican senator up for re-election in a state won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, and many expect it to be one of 2018’s top races.
Republican Danny Tarkanian’s last-minute switch from an insurgent bid against Heller to the 3rd Congressional District in March made him the favorite in that race, after no clear frontrunner in a crowded field of Republicans hopefuls emerged forward. Tarkanian holds a significant financial advantage over his primary foes, including state Sen. Scott Hammond and former television reporter Michelle Mortensen. Whoever wins will likely take on wealthy philanthropist Susie Lee, who has more than $1 million in available campaign funds and raised more than $500,000 so far this year.
In the state’s 4th Congressional District, former Rep. Steven Horsford leads primary competitors including state Sen. Pat Spearman after raising about a quarter million dollars over the fundraising period. On the Republican side, former Rep. Cresent Hardy — who lost in 2016 — reported raising more than $191,000 over the period.
The other two incumbents — Democratic Rep. Dina Titus and Republican Rep. Mark Amodei — handily outraised their respective opponents and appear set for relatively easy re-election bids.
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Heller and Rosen are close in fundraising totals, with Heller raising about $4.8 million over the course of the cycle so far and Rosen raising $4.2 million, according to the most recent totals on the FEC’s website. As of the end of the last quarter, Heller had about $4.3 million saved up in the bank ahead of a difficult general re-election battle, while Rosen had stored up $1.8 million.
Rosen reported last week that she had raised nearly $2.6 million during the first three months of the year and ended the quarter with $3.5 million in the bank.
Heller’s campaign told The Washington Examiner on Monday that it raised just over $1.1 million over the fundraising period and had $4.4 million available cash on hand after spending $950,000 through the quarter. Although Heller’s report wasn’t immediately available online, several affiliated fundraising bodies affiliated with the incumbent senator filed fundraising reports on Sunday and Monday that hinted at the senator’s full fundraising totals.
More than $84,000 was raised by the Heller Senate Victory Committee, a joint fundraising organization composed of Heller’s campaign, his Heller Highwater leadership PAC, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Nevada Republican Central Committee.
Large donors to that campaign include Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert Bigelow and his wife Diana who combined gave $20,000, another $10,000 from Hitchcock Automotive namesake Frederick Hitchcock and $10,000 from Caesars Entertainment’s corporate PAC.
The Heller Victory Committee, another joint fundraising committee supporting Heller’s primary campaign account and his leadership PAC, reporting raising $47,500 over the quarter, while spending nearly $29,000 and ending with $28,000 on hand. The largest single donor was Florida attorney Kenneth Slater, who gave the committee $10,000, and $5,000 contributions came from several PACs including some affiliated with tobacco giant Reynolds American, broker-dealer LPL Financial, Blue Cross and Blue Shield PAC, AT&T, US Travel Association and investment firm Investment Company Institute.
The Heller Highwater PAC, a so-called leadership PAC, raised $12,000 in January and February, including $5,000 from PACs affiliated with energy storage company FuelCell Energy and Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, a trade group representing securities firms and banks. At the end of February, the PAC had more than $268,000 in available cash on hand.
Rosen’s leadership PAC, Smart Solutions PAC, has taken in just $2,500 in January and February of 2018, and had roughly $5,400 cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
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Lee and Tarkanian are far ahead of the other candidates in terms of fundraising totals in the race to represent the 3rd Congressional District, the open seat being vacated by Rosen. Lee reported raising more than $500,000 so far this year and ended March with more than $1 million on hand, while Tarkanian raised $367,000 and has nearly $730,000 on hand.
Tarkanian’s campaign said in late March that he would report raising $450,000 but told the Independent last week that he had to return some checks previously written for the Republican businessman’s U.S. Senate campaign. However, the campaign exceeded its projection that it would end the quarter with “just under” $700,000 in the bank. Tarkanian spent about $145,000 over the last three months, including $2,250 on radio ads, $9,535 on a media consultant, about $7,020 on compliance consulting and reporting and $5,000 on a strategy consultant.
Tarkanian received five $5,400 contributions — from homemaker Alicia Coffey of Yorba Linda, CA; homemaker Maria Galvan of Las Vegas; the secretary and treasurer of Hi-Tech Development in Las Vegas, Pejman Rahimi of Las Vegas; Komar Investments president Kosti Shirvanian of Newport Beach, CA; and chairman of private equity firm S3 Capital Sam Solakyan of Glendale, CA — along with 74 $2,700 contributions.
Lee received 12 $5,400 contributions — from Las Vegas producer and director Robin Greenspun; Las Vegas attorney Jay Brown; former executive director of Crop Trust, an international food security organization, Morgan Fowler of Rhinebeck, NY; Chapman University assistant professor Karen Gallagher; writer Amy Goldman Fowler of Rhinebeck, NY; nurse Lisa Howe of Newton Center, MA; investor Clay Kenan Kirk of New York, NY; Luann Longtin of Potomac, MD; Marie McKellar of Dobbs Ferry, NY; RMR Capital managing member Russell Rosenblum of Las Vegas; Steelman Partners CEO Paul Steelman of Las Vegas; and Yates/Tishman executive William Gully Yates of Biloxi, MS — and 35 $2,700 donations.
She also received $5,000 from nine different organizations or PACs, including from Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s All for Our Country Leadership PAC, the New Democrat Coalition PAC and five different union PACs. She spent about $147,000 over the quarter, including $4,900 on office rent, $5,750 on a digital consultant and about $107,000 on payroll.
Meanwhile, none of the other three top Republican contenders managed to crest a $100,000 fundraising total this quarter. State Sen. Scott Hammond raised about $87,000 and has $102,000 in the bank; former television reporter Michelle Mortenson raised about $37,000 and has about $88,000 saved; and former Clark County Republican Party Chairman David McKeon raised about $11,000 and has about $7,000 on hand.
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Steven Horsford, the first person to represent the district after his election in 2012, far outraised his Democratic primary opponents. He reported raising $250,060 last quarter and spending $60,062, leaving him with $189,998 cash on hand.
Some of his major donors include tennis star Andre Agassi, who gave $5,000, and MGM Resorts International President Bill Hornbuckle, who gave $5,400. He also collected $5,000 each from the Committee for Hispanic Causes, the Congressional Black Caucus and the American Crystal Sugar Company.
He has support from political heavy-hitters, including Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, whose campaign gave him $2,000, and the Unite Here Tip Campaign Committee, which is associated with the Culinary Union’s parent organization, Unite Here.
His other Democratic primary foes are far behind.
Amy Vilela, a progressive Democrat who has support from groups aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders, reported raising $75,741 in the first quarter. She spent $79,661, leaving her with $25,898 cash on hand.
Next in line was Democratic state Sen. Pat Spearman, who reported raising $70,924 last quarter and spending $42,987 of it. That leaves her with $27,537 cash on hand.
Among her donors are her state Senate colleagues David Parks and Julia Ratti, the progressive veterans organization VoteVets, NV Energy’s political action committee and the Laborers’ International Union of North America, affiliated with the pro-Raiders stadium Laborers Union.
Sierra Vista High School principal and political newcomer John Anzalone, a Democrat, reported raising $54,495 in the last quarter, plus loaning his campaign $29,240. He spent $8,352, leaving him with $75,434 cash on hand in the home stretch of the crowded primary.
Many of his donations came from fellow educators.
Allison Stephens, a member of the Nevada Board of Regents and the state’s Democratic National Committeewoman, filed her candidacy late in the reporting period and did not file a quarterly report.
Cresent Hardy, who held the seat for one term after being elected in 2014, is the clear Republican frontrunner and reported raising $191,550 in the last quarter. After spending $1,605, he has $189,945 and no formidable primary opponents to speak of.
Major individual donors include casino executives Michael Gaughan and Anthony Marnell III, as well as members of the Herbst family that owns Terrible Herbst. He also has backing from prominent politicians, including PACs affiliate with Sen. Dean Heller and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and received money from the campaigns of former Rep. Joe Heck and Rep. Mark Amodei.
Other Republicans in the race have raised small quantities or haven’t reported fundraising. William Bill Miller Townsend has raised only $200, plus a $15,000 loan from himself. David Gibbs, Jeff Miller and Kenneth Wegner did not file a quarterly report.
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Incumbent Democratic Rep. Dina Titus reported bringing in just over $86,000 during the reporting period, while spending $46,000 and ending the period with more than $379,000 in the bank — an increase of more than $30,000 compared to the last reporting period.
Titus brought in more than $51,000 from individual contributors, including more than $6,400 in unitemized contributions, which are under $200 and aren’t required to be publicly reported. She received $35,500 from various PACs, including groups associated with several unions, Allegiant Air, Union Pacific and the National Cannabis Industry Association. Her campaign also reported transfering $10,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and $250 to Las Vegas judicial candidate Elana Lee Graham.
The only other candidate in the race to file a report with the FEC was Democratic candidate and high school teacher Reuben D'Silva, who reported raising over $19,000 and spending nearly $22,000, ending the period with about $8,300 left in available cash.
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Incumbent Rep. Mark Amodei led the field in fundraising in the state’s only Northern Nevada congressional district, raising $155,400 over the three month reporting period. The Republican congressman reported spending $99,852 over the period, and has $288,214 left in his campaign account.
The bulk of Amodei’s donations came from itemized donations ($87,000), but he also took in a substantial amount from PACs — $67,750. One of his top donors was Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White, who reported contributing $5,000 to Amodei. UFC’s parent company Zuffa also gave the Republican $5,000 through an affiliated PAC.
Fellow Republican Sharron Angle, a former state Assemblywoman who’s mounted several unsuccessful bids for higher office, reported raising $9,874 over the reporting period, while spending only $526, giving her just over $9,400 in cash on hand.
Only two Democrats appeared to have filed campaign finance reports for the April reporting period. Clint Koble, a a rural business advisor with the Nevada Small Business Development Center, reported raising just over $11,000 boosted by $4,700 in funds from the candidate. Fellow Democratic candidate Rick Shepherd reported raising $31,050, primarily consisting of a $30,000 loan made to his campaign, and spending nearly $6,000 over the three-month period.
Disclosure: Many Indy donors are mentioned in this story. You can see a full list of donors here.