2004 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
November 2, 2004
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 3 Nevada seats to the United States House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Nevada |
|---|
|
|
The 2004 congressional elections in Nevada were elections for Nevada's delegation to the United States House of Representatives, which occurred along with congressional elections nationwide on November 2, 2004. Nevada has three seats, as apportioned during the 2000 United States census. Republicans held two of the seats and Democrats held one.[1][2]
Statewide
| Party | Candidates | Votes | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | +/– | % | |||
| Republican | 3 | 420,711 | 53.16 | 2 | 66.67 | ||
| Democratic | 3 | 333,912 | 42.19 | 1 | 33.33 | ||
| Libertarian | 3 | 20,119 | 2.54 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| Independent American | 2 | 16,691 | 2.11 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| Total | 10 | 791,433 | 100.0 | 3 | 100.0 | ||
By district
Results of the 2004 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada by district:
| District | Republican | Democratic | Others | Total | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| District 1 | 63,005 | 31.12% | 133,569 | 65.98% | 5,862 | 2.90% | 202,436 | 100.0% | Democratic Hold |
| District 2 | 195,466 | 67.15% | 79,978 | 27.48% | 15,635 | 5.37% | 291,079 | 100.0% | Republican Hold |
| District 3 | 162,240 | 54.46% | 120,365 | 40.40% | 15,313 | 5.14% | 297,918 | 100.0% | Republican Hold |
| Total | 420,711 | 53.16% | 333,912 | 42.19% | 36,810 | 4.65% | 791,433 | 100.0% | |
District 1
Incumbent Democrat Shelley Berkley, who had represented the district since 1999, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 53.7% of the vote in 2002.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Shelley Berkley, incumbent U.S. Representative
Eliminated in primary
- Brian Kral, playwright and instructor at Community College of Southern Nevada[3]
- Ann Reynolds, bookkeeper and member of the LaRouche movement[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shelley Berkley | 27,765 | 83.2 | |
| Democratic | Ann Reynolds | 3,208 | 9.6 | |
| Democratic | Brian Kral | 2,412 | 7.2 | |
| Total valid votes | 33,385 | 100.0 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 1,252 | 3.6 | ||
| Total ballots | 34,637 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Russ Mickelson, former Air Force pilot and retired Defense Department employee[3]
Eliminated in primary
- Lewis Byer, business manager and nominee for Clark County Treasurer in 2002[3][4]
- Francisco Tamez, chemical technician
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Mickelson | 11,868 | 63.5 | |
| Republican | Lewis Byer | 4,806 | 25.7 | |
| Republican | Francisco Tamez | 2,026 | 10.8 | |
| Total valid votes | 18,700 | 100.0 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 619 | 3.2 | ||
| Total ballots | 19,319 | 100.0 | ||
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jim Duensing, radio talk show host
Independent American primary
Candidates
Withdrawn
- Brad Barnhill
General election
Endorsements
Newspapers
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[6] | Safe D | October 29, 2004 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] | Safe D | November 1, 2004 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shelley Berkley (incumbent) | 133,569 | 66.0 | |
| Republican | Russ Mickelson | 63,005 | 31.1 | |
| Libertarian | Jim Duensing | 5,862 | 2.9 | |
| Majority | 70,564 | 34.9 | ||
| Total votes | 202,436 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Finances
Campaigns
| Candidate (party) | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelley Berkley (D) | $1,653,330 | $1,248,297 | $605,152 | |
| Russ Mickelson (R) | $17,982 | $17,662 | $319 | |
| Jim Duensing (L) | Unreported | |||
Outside Spending
| Candidate (party) | Supported | Opposed |
|---|---|---|
| Shelley Berkley (D) | $229 | $0 |
| Russ Mickelson (R) | $92 | $0 |
| Jim Duensing (L) | $0 | $0 |
District 2
Incumbent Republican Jim Gibbons, who had represented the district since 1997, ran for re-election. He was re–elected with 74.3% of the vote in 2002.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jim Gibbons, incumbent U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor in 1994
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Angie Cochran, business owner
Eliminated in primary
- David Bennett, computer systems programmer[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Angie Cochran | 18,319 | 50.6 | |
| Democratic | David Bennett | 17,859 | 49.4 | |
| Total valid votes | 36,178 | 100.0 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 60 | 0.2 | ||
| Total ballots | 36,238 | 100.0 | ||
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Brendan Trainor
Independent American primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Janine Hansen
General election
Endorsements
Newspapers
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[6] | Safe R | October 29, 2004 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] | Safe R | November 1, 2004 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Gibbons (incumbent) | 195,466 | 67.2 | |
| Democratic | Angie Cochran | 79,978 | 27.5 | |
| Independent American | Janine Hansen | 10,638 | 3.7 | |
| Libertarian | Brendan Trainor | 4,997 | 1.7 | |
| Majority | 115,488 | 39.7 | ||
| Total votes | 291,079 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Finances
Campaigns
| Candidate (party) | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Gibbons (R) | $1,139,202 | $1,171,994 | $412,510 | |
| Angie Cochran (D) | Unreported | |||
| Brendan Trainor (L) | Unreported | |||
| Janine Hansen (IA) | Unreported | |||
Outside Spending
| Candidate (party) | Supported | Opposed |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Gibbons (R) | $804 | $0 |
| Angie Cochran (D) | $0 | $0 |
| Brendan Trainor (L) | $0 | $0 |
| Janine Hansen (IA) | $0 | $0 |
District 3
Incumbent Republican Jon Porter, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was elected with 56.1% of the vote in 2002.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jon Porter, incumbent U.S. Representative[8]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated in primary
- Mark Budetich Jr, Merchant Marine electrician and candidate for this seat in 2002[3]
- Rick DeVoe, mechanic[3]
- Anna Nevenic, writer and peace activist[3]
- Shanna Phillips, high school teacher[3]
- Ron Von Felden, lawyer, Vietnam War veteran and host of a daily talk radio show[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Gallagher | 23,349 | 69.5 | |
| Democratic | Shanna Phillips | 2,573 | 7.7 | |
| Democratic | Anna Nevenic | 2,239 | 6.7 | |
| Democratic | Rick DeVoe | 2,217 | 6.6 | |
| Democratic | Mark Budetich Jr. | 1,833 | 5.5 | |
| Democratic | Ron Von Felden | 1,383 | 4.1 | |
| Total valid votes | 33,594 | 100.0 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 850 | 2.5 | ||
| Total ballots | 34,444 | 100.0 | ||
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Joseph Silvestri, teacher and realtor
Independent American primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Richard Wayne O'Dell, nominee for this seat in 2002
Other Candidates
- Pete O'Neil (Independent), marketing executive and candidate for this seat in 2002 (Withdrawn)
General election
Campaign
Porter was initially seen as vulnerable, given that he was freshman running for re-election in a seat carried by Al Gore 49% to 48% over George W. Bush in 2000 and had befitted from a Democratic candidate hit by ethic issues. In October, Roll Call listed him as one of their 10 most vulnerable incumbents of 2004.[11]
Gallagher pledged not to take any from oil and gas interests and criticized Porter and the Republicans for their ties to the industry, with Porter having received $81,000 from the industry since his first Congressional bid in 2000, saying in a press release "With the generous contributions of big oil and gas to Republicans, it is little wonder that the interests of the energy industry come first while the consumer is stuck with the bill”. Porter however refused saying "My record is very clear in 20 years of service" and his campaign manager described the pledge as a "stunt".[12][13]
The Porter Campaign were able to paint Gallagher as a carpetbagger who had moved from Lake Tahoe to Henderson to run for Congress. Additionally his decision to lay off service-industry employees during Las Vegas’ post-9/11 slump while collecting a bonus worth millions, cost him support from the Democratic base that he never recovered.[14]
Endorsements
Debate
- Complete video of debate, October 22, 2004
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jon Porter (R) |
Tom Gallagher (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon (Las Vegas Review-Journal)[16] | October 26–27, 2004 | 307 (LV) | ±6.0% | 51% | 41% | 1% | 7% |
| Belden Russonello & Stewart (Las Vegas Sun/KLAS-TV/KNPR)[17] | October 16–19, 2004 | 316 (LV) | ±5.5% | 49% | 32% | 2% | 17% |
| Mason-Dixon (Las Vegas Review-Journal)[18] | October 14–16, 2004 | 300 (LV) | ±6.0% | 50% | 35% | 3% | 12% |
| Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group (Gallagher–D)[19] | September 14–15, 2004 | 405 (LV) | ±5.0% | 47% | 44% | – | 9% |
| Mason-Dixon (Las Vegas Review-Journal)[20] | September 13–15, 2004 | 300 (LV) | ±6.0% | 51% | 40% | 2% | 7% |
| Belden Russonello & Stewart (Las Vegas Sun/KLAS-TV/KNPR) | September 2004 | ? (LV) | ±?% | 54% | 33% | – | 13% |
| Mason-Dixon (Las Vegas Review-Journal)[21] | July 20–22, 2004 | 305 (LV) | ±6.0% | 56% | 32% | – | 12% |
| Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group (Gallagher–D)[22] | July 10–12, 2004 | 400 (LV) | ±5.0% | 46% | 40% | – | 14% |
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[6] | Lean R | October 29, 2004 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] | Safe R | November 1, 2004 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jon Porter (incumbent) | 162,240 | 54.5 | |
| Democratic | Tom Gallagher | 120,365 | 40.4 | |
| Libertarian | Joseph Silvestri | 9,260 | 3.1 | |
| Independent American | Richard Wayne O'Dell | 6,053 | 2.0 | |
| Majority | 41,875 | 14.1 | ||
| Total votes | 297,918 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Finances
Campaigns
| Candidate (party) | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Porter (R) | $2,762,871 | $2,653,136 | $128,982 | |
| Tom Gallagher (D) | $2,141,750 | $2,132,518 | $9,231 | |
| Joseph Silvestri (L) | Unreported | |||
| Richard O'Dell (IA) | Unreported | |||
Outside Spending
| Candidate (party) | Supported | Opposed |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Porter (R) | $91,320 | $223,638 |
| Tom Gallagher (D) | $600,924 | $396,971 |
| Joseph Silvestri (L) | $0 | $0 |
| ichard O'Dell (IA) | $0 | $0 |