On her website, Berkley, a Democratic congresswoman, has outlined what distinguishes her from Heller, who was appointed last year to the Senate after John Ensign resigned. And her campaign is circulating a petition titled “Tell Dean Heller: Stop insulting Nevada Hispanics.”

While Democratic candidates in statewide races routinely take the majority of Hispanic votes, Berkley is assuming nothing and is aggressively courting them. And it’s never been more important because they have never represented such a large segment of Nevada voters.

At stake is 13.5 percent of the electorate — the 224,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Nevada. Only five other states have a greater percentage of Hispanic voters, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2010, they comprised 9.3 percent of the Nevada electorate.

A December poll showed Heller and Berkley running neck and neck for the seat, and nailing the Hispanic vote could mean the difference.

“There hasn’t been a competitive race in Nevada where a Democrat lost the Latino vote,” said Andres Ramirez, vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee Hispanic Caucus and an adviser to Berkley. “The question is how high the margin is and how high turnout is.”

Ramirez said Heller had a lot of ground to make up — especially after his well-publicized refusal to attend a scheduled meeting with the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce because a Berkley staffer was in attendance and Democratic Party members were planning to film the discussion.

“Dean Heller is starting from a negative,” Ramirez said. “It would be one thing if they were on equal footing and competing for Latinos. But Shelley has a long history of working with the Hispanic community. It’s not just immigration but being there on issues of education, health care and other important matters.”

Berkley is engaging the Latino media and is seeking the endorsement of Spanish-language media.

She has contrasted her support for comprehensive immigration reform and sponsorship of the Dream Act with Heller’s opposition to the Dream Act and major reforms to immigration law.

“I don’t think Berkley was in much jeopardy of not winning a majority of Hispanic voters,” said David Damore, a UNLV associate professor of political science. “But she can solidify her position by getting out early, and there is also the matter of how big that Hispanic vote is. There is still a pretty untapped reservoir of potential Hispanic voters out there, and perhaps she will get more to register and participate.”

Heller’s office did not respond to emails or phone calls requesting comment.

On his campaign website, Heller outlines a three-step strategy for immigration policy: “Start by enforcing existing immigration laws, fine businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and construct a border wall and provide the border patrol with the resources necessary to end the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States.”

Heller also has repeatedly stated his objections to any immigration reform that is seen as an “amnesty” for those here illegally.

Some Hispanic voters are siding with Heller, even if they do not agree with his positions on immigration.

Alex Garza, vice president of the Las Vegas nonpartisan civic group Hispanics in Politics, said he was tired of the rhetoric coming from both sides.

“I see the Democratic Party as pandering to Hispanics on one side. They promise Hispanics the world every two to four years and deliver nothing, zilch,” said Garza, 41, a Realtor and an executive with a home loan lending company. “On the other side, the Republicans have gone overboard in the other direction and have taken too hard of a stance.”

Garza is a Republican and said he is planning to vote for Heller even though he disagrees with the senator’s position against the Dream Act and other reforms. Garza is also a member of the Latin Chamber of Commerce and said that after Heller missed the meeting with that group he did make an effort to reach out again, noting smaller meetings with Hispanic community leaders and a Hispanics in Politics breakfast in January.

“Immigration aside, you have to start looking at what policies the candidates have and what will more directly impact the Latino community,” Garza said. “Are the policies they are promoting helping the economy? Are they helping to create jobs? Are they helping with the foreclosure issue? You have to weigh these important factors. The poverty rate and foreclosure rate among Latinos has risen more than any other group under the current administration.”

Republican strategists have been keen to point out the Obama administration’s failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform or the Dream Act while Democrats still held both houses of Congress. Democratic strategists stress their party still promotes those programs while the GOP candidates for president are opposed to them.

A Nevada Democratic strategist said they would argue that if not for the Republican opposition, the Dream Act and immigration reform could have been passed by now.

The Southern Nevada Higher Education Land Act would convey parcels owned by the Bureau of Land Management to Great Basin College, College of Southern Nevada and University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The parcels include 285 acres in Pahrump for Great Basin College; 40 acres in North Las Vegas for College of Southern Nevada; and about 2,000 acres in Las Vegas for UNLV.

Nevada Republican Reps. Joe Heck and Mark Amodei and Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley are co-sponsors of the bill.

 Reno, NV- With Nevada having the highest unemployment rate in the nation, are Washington Republicans like unelected Sen. Dean Heller focusing on jobs?

Not even close.

Rather than prioritizing jobs and getting our economy back on track, Washington Republicans like Dean Heller are instead spending time pushing a radical social agenda restricting access to basic preventative care like mammograms.

Talk about misplaced priorities.

That is why Shelley Berkley, Vanessa Frank — at-risk for breast cancer — and nurse practitioner Laura Harsh gathered in Reno to send a clear message to Dean Heller today:  focus on jobs, not a radical social agenda that undermines women’s basic healthcare.

“Instead of focusing on job creation and getting our economy back on track, Washington Republicans like Dean Heller are spending their time pushing a radical social agenda that restricts access to basic women’s preventative health services,” said Berkley.  ”Voters will have a clear choice this election between my commitment to putting Nevadans back to work and Dean Heller’s attacks on women’s healthcare and pro-Wall Street agenda.”

Joining Berkley was Vanessa Frank, a woman who depends on organizations like Planned Parenthood for her annual breast exams.  In Dean Heller’s Nevada, Frank would have had a much more difficult time getting the care she needed.

“It’s unbelievable that Sen. Heller and Washington Republicans would rather focus on limiting my access to healthcare instead of creating jobs for Nevada,” said Frank. “We need a Senator who is spending every waking moment putting people back to work — not pushing a radical social agenda against women.  I’m supporting Shelley Berkley because she has her priorities straight.”

Berkley was also joined by Laura Harsh, a nurse practitioner in Reno, who has worked in an oncology unit for years.

Harsh said, “Shelley Berkley is right: we need jobs in Nevada, not attacks on women’s health. I see thousands of women every year who would suffer because of Dean Heller’s extreme social agenda to restrict access to basic women’s healthcare.”

Background

Heller Has Voted Multiple Times To Eliminate Funds Planned Parenthood Uses To Perform Preventative, Life-Saving Procedures Critical To A Woman’s Health — Like Breast Cancer Exams And Mammogram Referrals.

Heller Voted to Eliminate Funding for Planned Parenthood. In 2007, Heller voted in favor of an amendment to the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood.  The amendment would have barred the use of funds in the bill for Planned Parenthood. The amendment was defeated 189-231. [CQ Floor Votes; HR 3043, Vote 684, 7/19/07]

Heller Voted To Cut Federal Funds From Planned Parenthood. On February 27, 2011, KTNV reported that “a controversial bill is making its way through Congress that would drastically cut government aid for Planned Parenthood. People in support of the pro-choice health provider are outraged. They organized rallies throughout the country on Saturday, including here in Las Vegas.” The report noted that “Nevada’s two Republican Congressmen, Joe Heck and Dean Heller, both voted with their party to cut federal funds for Planned Parenthood.” [KTNV, 2/27/11]

Heller Voted To Bar Funds In FY 2011 Continuing Appropriations For Planned Parenthood. In April 2011, Heller voted to bar the use of funds made available in the FY 2011 continuing appropriations bill to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. or its affiliates. The move was adopted 241-185. [H Con Res 36, Vote #271, 4/14/11]

Planned Parenthood Uses Federal Funds For Pelvic Exams, Breast Exams And Safer-Sex Counseling. According to POLITICO, “Planned Parenthood estimates it received a quarter of the $317 million in Title X funds appropriated last year. They use the money for pelvic exams, breast exams, safer-sex counseling and basic infertility counseling, among other things.” [POLITICO, 2/18/11]

Planned Parenthood Includes Breast Exams In Routine Physicals And Refers For Mammograms Any Woman 40 Or Older. In February 2012 the Associated Press wrote, “Planned Parenthood doesn’t follow the U.S. Preventative  Services Task Force guidelines, which do not endorse clinical breast exams and recommend mammograms only every other year starting at age 50. Instead, Planned Parenthood does a physical breast exam on any woman of any age as part of a regular physical, and refers for mammograms any women 40 and older.” [Associated Press, 2/3/12]

Case Example: Breast Exam And Mammogram Referral Helped Assure Uninsured Dallas, TX Resident That Lump Found Was Not Cancerous. In February 2012 the Associated Press wrote, “It worked for Michele Azzaro, 45, of Dallas, who first went to Planned Parenthood when she found a lump back in her 20s. It turned out not to be cancerous, and a mammogram provided through Planned Parenthood ruled out cancer again last year. Azzaro is unemployed and has no insurance, and has relied on Planned Parenthood for cholesterol tests and pretty much all her medical needs for more than two decades.” [Associated Press, 2/3/12]

Planned Parenthood Patient Michele Azzaro: “Without [Planned Parenthood’s] Services, I Honestly Don’t Know What I Would Do. I’m Grateful They’ve Been There For Me And Millions Of Other Women Like Me.” [Associated Press, 2/3/12]

The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein: If Planned Parenthood Loses Funding, “What Will Mainly Happen Is That Cancer Screenings And Contraception And STD Testing Will Become Less Available To Poorer People.” In February 2012 The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein wrote, “So though the fight over Planned Parenthood might be about abortion, Planned Parenthood itself isn’t about abortion. It’s primarily about contraception and reproductive health. And if Planned Parenthood loses funding, what will mainly happen is that cancer screenings and contraception and STD testing will become less available to poorer people.” [The Washington Post, 2/2/12]

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Washington DC- Congresswoman Shelley Berkley released the following statement today in reaction to the foreclosure settlement:

“I would like to thank Attorney General Masto, along with other Attorneys General across the country, who in recent weeks fought successfully to strengthen this agreement on behalf of struggling homeowners. With the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, I hope that this settlement achieves the intended result for Nevada: providing relief for responsible homeowners and holding the Wall Street banks accountable for their reckless behavior. However, we must ensure this never happens again, which begins by rejecting Dean Heller’s agenda of allowing Wall Street banks to write their own rules and run roughshod over Nevada’s families.”

###

Over 10,000 fewer Republican voters made it to Saturday morning’s much-trumpeted caucuses than turned out for the underpublicized caucuses of 2008. To put it differently: about 8 percent of the party’s active voter base participated this time, compared with about 11 percent four years ago.

Taking the biggest hit was the party’s front-runner, Mitt Romney, who despite an entrenched Nevada organization, lost the interest of 27 percent of his loyal followers from 2008.

It’s a troubling sign for a state party that everybody knew was in organizational trouble, to the glee of Democrats looking ahead to the general election.

“Despite his heavy spending in the state, the extremely low turnout makes it clear that Nevada voters are not excited about Mitt Romney or his pro-Wall Street, anti-middle-class agenda,” said Nevada Democratic Party spokesman Zac Petkanas.

Democrats also had a low turnout to their caucuses two weeks ago, but there was only one man — President Barack Obama — on the ballot.

Republicans jeered the outcome — despite the Democrats’ approximately 12,500 showing was about four times what Republicans turned out in their last noncompetitive party caucus in 2004 — and projected they would dwarf the Democrats’ showing overwhelmingly on Saturday. But Romney’s turnout in a competitive caucus turned out to be only a few thousand votes higher — which is all the more surprising given how well-placed his campaign was supposed to have been.

There were two candidates in this weekend’s contest who had campaigned for the presidential nomination in Nevada before: Romney and Ron Paul.

Even thoughPaul placed third, a lower berth than his second-place finish of 2008, he actually turned out more votes than he had four years ago.

Romney had fewer votes, but by virtue of the low turnout, he nearly matched his 51.1 percent showing of four year ago.

“I can honestly say I didn’t ever expect to have a candidate get 50 percent and have people question whether we were happy with our performance,” said Ryan Erwin, senior consultant to the Romney campaign in Nevada. “In the grand scheme of the general election, turnout in primaries is not a reliable indicator.”

But that’s not what the rest of Nevada Republicans seemed to be saying in the lead-up to this contest.

The party initially predicted that over 100,000 Republicans would turn out to caucus this year. Then Amy Tarkanian, now the former chairwoman of the Nevada GOP, scaled that back to 70,000. Then they pared that back even further to 55,000. In the run-up week to the caucuses, they hedged their bets one more time: 40,000.

The final total was 32,894. (In 2008, it was 44,315.)

Now, those same Republicans say the drop-off was to be expected.

“In 2008, Democrats and Republicans were on the same day … and it was pretty contentious here,” said David Gallagher, executive director of the Nevada GOP. “Obviously, had Barack Obama been in town for the caucus, Republican would have shown up more.

“This is not an election. It’s a caucus, which is essentially a party meeting, which is different from a primary. What’s encouraging is through our caucus process, we have 4,200 new volunteers. … They want to help door-to-door, they want to do phone banks. That’s really what we wanted to get out of this caucus, was getting a volunteer base.”

But 2012 is not a rebuilding year: There is a presidential election coming up, and in practice, the state is depending on the presumptive nominee’s ground organization to help whip them into shape for that election. (That in itself makes Nevada’s GOP weakness an anomaly; it’s the job of state parties to help turn out the vote for presidents.)

That Romney would lose over 6,000 supporters in a low-population state when pundits are already speculating that voters may not be terribly excited about his candidacy is not a good sign.

“I think they will be excited [about Romney] as this goes on. I think it will build,” caucusgoer Kathy Ely said on Saturday. “Compared to McCain? It was like, ‘Oh. OK.’ This is a whole different story.”

he numbers also cast some doubt on the relevance of recent polls that say Romney’s poised to beat Obama in Nevada, especially when one considers that Democrats, statewide, have a 95,000 advantage among registered voters and a 47,500 advantage among active voters — a force the party just successfully mobilized in 2010 to re-elect Harry Reid in a year in which the Tea Party was helping Republicans sweep most closely-competitive seats in the country.

Romney’s campaign doesn’t think that way — or see their depressed tally as the true count of conservatives for Romney in the state.

“I think the fascinating thing about the caucuses on Saturday is almost to a person, the people that stood up and spoke pledged to be with the nominee,” said Erwin. “I’m here with a candidate, pick your candidate, but priority No. 1 is to overturn the Obama agenda. You didn’t see that four years ago.”

But there was no Democratic president to potentially replace four years ago either.

“True,” Erwin said. “But there was also no pledge to be with the nominee. There was almost no desire to unite. It’s hard to quantify that, but it’s there. It’s clearly there.”

Most caucusgoers interviewed Saturday did say they would vote for the eventual Republican nominee, save for a few Paul supporters who hedged their bets, like Caroline Mason, who said she would first have to “be convinced that he’s not Obama in a different suit.”

Regardless of how much muscle the Nevada GOP ends up contributing, Romney’s eventual turnout in Nevada could also have a down-the-ticket effect — especially in Nevada’s close race for the Senate seat John Ensign once occupied.

Republican Sen. Dean Heller, who was appointed to the seat upon Ensign’s resignation, and Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley are neck-and-neck in the most recent polls. Both are considered the presumptive nominees for their respective parties, which have already rallied around them for official events and promotion activities — and down the line, get-out-the-vote efforts.

The Democrat’s campaign posted to its website new criticism of the Republican incumbent, seeking to reinforce her standing with the key voting community while raising questions about his.

Democrats have stepped up their criticism of Heller following his presentation earlier this month to Hispanic leaders during a breakfast meeting.

That didn’t mean they all liked the speech.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, who is running for U.S. Senate on Obama’s ticket, rose regularly during the hourlong address to offer standing ovations as the president spoke of restoring “fair play” to the nation’s economy and outlined goals on taxes, job creation, immigration and housing.

“What we heard tonight is the desperate need for our nation to focus on the top priority for Nevada families: job creation,” Berkley said in a statement.

For instance, last year President Barack Obama reserved a seat for Daniel Hernandez, the man who saved the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., after she was shot in a supermarket parking lot in her Tucson district.

Some members of Congress occasionally get in on the practice as well. Last January, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., invited Timothy Hall, a U.S. Army specialist from Hawthorne who lost both legs in Afghanistan, to be his guest. Hall, of course, did not get a shout-out from the president, but did get to witness one of political Washington’s signature events.

In that vein, Daniel Lee Meyer, a retired Air Force staff sergeant from Las Vegas who deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, has a ticket to Tuesday’s State of the Union speech. The ticket came from Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.

Meyer, 27, served nearly six years in the service. He developed lung disease and tumors on his knees after being exposed to toxic smoke and chemicals while deployed, according to Berkley staffers, and was medically retired last October.

Berkley, speaking at the Desert Research Institute, said her jobs act would extend a 30 percent tax credit for domestic companies that manufacture products used in clean energy projects such as wind turbines and solar panels. She said her bill would pay for the extension of the tax break by cutting $12 billion in subsidies to large oil companies, a policy she said her opponent, U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Carson City, has supported with at least eight of his votes as since being appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval last year to the U.S. Senate.

“This is another example of the clear choice in this election between my opponent and myself,” Berkley said. “Instead of focusing on creating jobs, Wall Street Republicans like my opponent, Mr. Heller, actually voted to protect these giveaways to big oil companies. In fact, that was Dean Heller’s first major vote as a United States senator. Not to create jobs. Not to stand up for Nevada’s middle class but to stand up with big oil companies. And that was not the only time.”

 
Reno – Congresswoman Shelley Berkley visited the Desert Research Institute today to promote the “Clean Energy Jobs Act” in Reno. The bill will increase the number of clean energy jobs in Nevada, cementing its place at the forefront of the clean energy economy by creating good paying middle-class jobs. Berkley was joined by Richard Hamilton of the Clean Energy Center and Walt Borland of the Nevada Institute for renewable Energy Commercialization, experts in the clean energy field.

“Creating good paying jobs that can’t be shipped overseas needs to be our number one priority, not protecting Wall Street and Big Oil while they rake in record profits,” said Berkley. “The clear choice in this election is between my commitment to putting people back to work with programs like the Clean Energy Jobs Act and Dean Heller’s Wall Street agenda of prioritizing Wall Street and Big Oil over Nevada’s middle class.”

“Shelley Berkley’s Clean Energy Jobs Act will incentivize the creation of thousands of new manufacturing jobs right here in Nevada and put skilled workers back on the job,” said Richard Hamilton of the Clean Energy Center

“This legislation is an important step in the right direction. Congresswoman Berkley’s initiative will create jobs by expanding the clean energy manufacturing sector in Nevada. This bill will incentivize companies to innovate and grow by taking advantage of our abundant natural resources like wind, solar and geothermal energy,” said Walt Borland of the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy.

Fully paid for by rolling back the taxpayer giveaways to Big Oil executives that unelected Senator Dean Heller voted to protect eight times in the House and Senate, Berkley’s bill will extend a 30 percent tax credit for domestic companies that build capacity for new clean energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.  The tax credit, which Berkley is seeking to extend, is estimated to have generated more than 17,000 jobs nationwide and hundreds of jobs in Nevada. This bill will incentivize companies to expand and create good-paying clean energy jobs in Reno.

Berkley has long been a leader in promoting and expanding the clean energy industry in Nevada. She championed a 235-mile long clean energy transmission line linking White Pine and Clark counties that will attract clean energy jobs to the state.

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is the environmental research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education. DRI conducts cutting-edge applied research in air, land and life, and water quality across Nevada, including many projects in the clean energy field.