2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada
The Nevada congressional elections of 2006 took place on November 7, 2006 when each of the state's three congressional districts elected a representative to the United States House of Representatives. Although President George W. Bush captured the state in both the 2000 and 2004 elections, he did so with a very slim margin. Nevada was considered a battleground state due to the close victory margins.
The 2006 Nevada 2nd Congressional District Election was held on November 7 to elect a representative from the, which covers all of Nevada outside of Clark County, and some parts of Clark County. Republican Party candidate Dean Heller won the election. It was an open seat, because the incumbent, Republican Jim Gibbons, made a successful run for governor of the state. A bitterly contested Republican primary on August 15, 2006 was won by Secretary of State Dean Heller. The Democratic nominee, Jill Derby, Regent for the University and Community College System of Nevada, had no primary opposition. In late August, CQPolitics.com analyzed the race: "Although the 2nd District generally leans Republican, Derby's competitive position in the general election was already strengthened by the fact that she was unopposed in the Aug. 15 Democratic primary while the Republicans staged a bruising battle among three well-known candidates."
Primary election
Democratic
Jill Derby had no opposition for the Democratic nomination.
Republican
Campaign
On the Republican side, there was a "fiercely contested and often bruising" three-way race. The two major candidates other than Heller were state assemblywoman Sharron Angle was former state Representative Dawn Gibbons, wife of the outgoing incumbent. The Club for Growth poured in over $1 million backing Angle, and ran ads attacking both Heller and Gibbons as being "liberal" and in favor of tax increases.
Results
The official results were: Republican Primary
Candidate
Votes
%
Dean Heller
24,770
35.90%
Sharron E. Angle
24,349
35.29%
Dawn Gibbons
17,317
25.10%
Glenn Thomas
1,835
2.66%
Richard Gilster
721
1.05%
Refusal to concede
After the primary, Angle refused to concede, complaining of voting irregularities that disenfranchised many voters in her popular home base of Washoe County, which includes Reno and is by far the district’s most populous and vote-rich jurisdiction. Rather than calling for a recount — the typical route for candidates who challenge close election outcomes — Angle demanded to have the entire primary invalidated and held again. CQPolitics.com noted "Some have charged Angle’s decision to call for a special primary was based on economics: Had she demanded a recount, Angle would have been responsible for the cost of the procedure unless the result vindicated her request for it. That would not be the case if the courts were to order a primary do-over." Exacerbating the disunity of the Nevada GOP, Nevada's Republican Party chairman, Paul Adams, announced his support for Angle's court challenge. At a September 1 state court hearing, District Judge Bill Maddox rejected Angle’s request on grounds that the state court lacks jurisdiction in congressional elections. According to Maddox, only the U.S. House of Representatives has standing to call for a new election. At that point, Angle conceded the race.
General election
Campaign
The bruising GOP primary, as compared to the Democratic situation, was reflected in the cash reserves reported by each candidate in their pre-primary filings with the Federal Election Commission. Derby had $444,000 on hand as of July 26, out of $748,000 raised. Heller had 260,000 left — and that was with 20 days left to go before the actual primary — out of $904,000 in total receipts, which included $108,000 in funds from his personal accounts.
Polls and ratings
The Las Vegas Sun, quoting University of Nevada-Reno political scientist Eric Herzik, noted that the intra-fighting has given the Democratic Party a change in this otherwise Republican leaning district. "Jill Derby was already doing everything right, and then she gets this gift," he said. "How do you turn a safe district into a competitive one? Fight among yourselves. Republicans here have won because they've stayed united and they continue to turn out. Now you've got partisan infighting, and Adams' leadership is aiding and abetting that - in an already bad year for Republicans." In early September, CQPolitics.com rated this race as Leans Republican In early October, CQPolitics.com rated it as Republican Favored A Mason-Dixon poll has shown Heller with a slight edge, but within the margin or error, leading 45% to 42%.
Polling
Other candidates
There are three non-major party candidates in the race:
