Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — With months to go before Nevada's primary election in February, Democrats in one of Nevada's most hotly contested congressional races are already competing for endorsements and campaign cash.
The latest move came Monday, when the Democrat-leaning Democracy for America PAC announced an endorsement for former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores in the Democratic primary race for Nevada's 4th Congressional District.
Flores, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014, said the endorsement means more with several other serious candidates in the primary race, including longtime philanthropist Susie Lee and state Sen. Ruben Kihuen.
"There's only so much to go around," Flores said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The fact we've been able to fundraise with two other viable candidates in the race really goes to show people are willing to step out and put money behind their support."
Other candidates trying to take on Republican incumbent Cresent Hardy were also active Monday, which marks the day before a federal elections campaign reporting deadline.
Kihuen is hosting a fundraiser Monday night at the Embassy nightclub in Las Vegas, and Lee emailed supporters with a fundraising pitch from former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones.
Hardy shocked political watchers by defeating incumbent Steven Horsford in the Democrat-heavy district in 2014. Horsford's decision not to run for the seat in March opened the floodgates for other candidates to try and jump in the race.
Former Assembly Speaker John Oceguera has said he's strongly considering entering the race, but he didn't return calls on Monday.
University of Nevada, Reno political science professor Eric Herzick said Hardy will be hard-pressed to win re-election because of higher registration numbers for Democrats and Hardy's limited appeal to voters in North Las Vegas, who make up the majority of the district's population.
"He got pretty good numbers in the rural areas in 2014," he said. "I don't know if he has much room to grow, where the Democrats just have to get back to where they were in 2012."
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
