U.S. House, Nevada - 2nd District
Reno, Carson City and the 'Cow Counties'
Race Forecast: Leans Republican
2008: Rep.
2006:
In this rematch contest, Derby, who most recently served as chair of the state party, charges that Heller has abandoned district voters for corporate interests while the first-term congressman says that Derby has switched her position from early support of the so-called economic “bail-out” bill. They are competing over the vast district, which encompasses the entire state except for Las Vegas and its immediate suburbs and leans heavily Republican. Voters gave President Bush 57 percent of the vote in 2000 and again in 2004, but Democrats have halved the Republican lead in voter registration in the district over the past two years which Democrats argue gives Derby a clear shot of winning the seat.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Rep. Dean Heller, R
- First Elected: 2006 (1st term)
- Last Elected: 2006 (50.34%)
- Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
- Race Forecast: Leans Republican
District Information
Politics in America District Profile
The conservative-leaning 2nd takes in everything outside of Las Vegas and its suburbs — almost all of the state’s vast rural areas. Reno and the capital, Carson City, anchor the 2nd in the west, and in the district’s “Cow Counties,” agriculture, mining and ranching dominate. Nearly 90 percent of the district’s land is federally owned.
In the 1800s, the gold rush attracted fortune hunters to Reno. Fortune hunters now are more inclined to try their luck in the city’s casinos or head to Lake Tahoe. Although five million tourists visited Reno in 2005, officials in the gambling industry are concerned that new Indian reservation casinos in California will lure visitors away. Yucca Mountain, the proposed national nuclear waste storage site located in Nye County, is a contentious issue among residents. The 2nd also dips into two areas of Clark County in the southern part of the state, taking in Nellis Air Force Base and much of the northern part of Clark, as well as a few suburban communities in the county’s southwest.
The 2nd has sent Republicans to Congress since its creation in 1982. It votes mostly Republican in local elections and is becoming increasingly conservative. In 2004, George W. Bush garnered 57 percent of the district’s presidential vote, which was his highest total in the state.
Major Industry
Gambling, mining, manufacturing
Military Bases
Nellis Air Force Base, 8,100 military, 4,000 civilian (2006); Naval Air Station Fallon, 1,129 military, 1,400 civilian (2007)
Cities
Reno, 180,480; Sparks, 66,346; Carson City, 52,457; Pahrump (unincorporated), 24,631
Notable
White King, a deceased polar bear on display in Elko, may be the world’s largest.
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population: 666,087
- Under 18: 25.9%
- Over 65: 11.3%
- Married: 55.8%
- Non-Hispanic White: 75%
- Black: 2%
- Hispanic: 15%
- Asian: 3%
- Foreign Born: 11.2%
- Language other than English: 17.2%
- Median Household Income: 43,879
- Owner Occupied Housing: 63.6%
- Income above $200k: 2.1
- Workforce/Education (2000 census)
- White Collar: 54.9%
- Blue Collar: 24.9%
- Services: 20.3%
- Bachelor's Degree: 19%
- Graduate Education: 6.3%
- Civilian Veterans: 84,781
| Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | general | Dean Heller (R) | 169,950 | 51.8% |
| Jill Derby (D) | 135,982 | 41.4% | ||
| John Everhart (IA) | 11,122 | 3.4% | ||
| Sean Morse (LIBERT) | 5,717 | 1.7% | ||
| Craig Bergland (GREEN) | 5,256 | 1.6% | ||
| 2006 | general | Dean Heller (R) | 117,168 | 50.3% |
| Jill Derby (D) | 104,593 | 44.9% | ||
| Daniel Rosen (I) | 5,524 | 2.4% | ||
| James Kroshus (IA) | 5,439 | 2.3% | ||
| 2004 | general | Jim Gibbons (R) | 195,466 | 67.2% |
| Angie Cochran (D) | 79,978 | 27.5% | ||
| Janine Hansen (IA) | 10,638 | 3.7% | ||
| Brendan Trainor (LIBERT) | 4,997 | 1.7% | ||
| 2002 | general | Jim Gibbons (R) | 149,574 | 74.3% |
| Travis Souza (D) | 40,189 | 20% | ||
| Janine Hansen (IA) | 7,240 | 3.6% | ||
| Brendan Trainor (LIBERT) | 3,413 | 1.7% | ||
| Robert Winquist (NL) | 784 | 0.4% | ||
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Kerry: 41% | George W. Bush: 57% | |
| 2000 | Al Gore: 37% | George W. Bush: 57% |
Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race
| Filers | Through | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Total From PACs | Total From Individuals | Ending Cash | Debts Owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIBBONS, JAMES A (R) | September 30, 2006 | ||||||
| HELLER, DEAN (R) | November 24, 2008 | $1,711,320.00 | $1,591,443.00 | $168,499.00 | $905,747.00 | $145,535.00 | $339,538.00 |
| DERBY, JILL T (D) | November 24, 2008 | $1,127,218.00 | $1,126,521.00 | $71,044.00 | $735,918.00 | $18,499.00 | $14,781.00 |
| ANGLE, SHARRON E (R) | June 30, 2008 | $555.00 | $7,930.00 | ||||
| SMACK, JAMES W. (R) | December 4, 2008 | $10,979.00 | $10,978.00 | $7,701.00 | |||
