Cash battle for Heller’s Senate seat heating up
Incumbent has edge in money on hand; challengers unfazed
The fundraising fight in Nevada’s high-profile U.S. Senate race is starting to heat up.
U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-nev., raised $1.19 million in the most recent federal fundraising period, which ran from July 1 to Sept. 30, her campaign announced Monday. That number edges out vulnerable incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller, who raised just more than $1.17 million, his campaign reported in a Federal Election Commission report filed Monday. Heller’s campaign also reported spending about $530,000 during the three-month period.
But Heller holds a substantial lead over Rosen in campaign cash on hand, with roughly $4.2 million to Rosen’s $1.2 million.
“I thought the East Coast liberal groups could have done more than that for their handpicked candidate,” Heller campaign spokesman Keith Schipper said Monday, noting the number of attack ads that have run against Heller.
Democrats view the seat as one with a strong potential to flip from red to blue in 2018, a key pickup if the party is to regain control of the U.S. Senate. Rosen hopes to build off the success of fellow Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who defeated former GOP Rep. Joe Heck in 2016 for Nevada’s then-open Senate seat.
“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of grass-roots support for Jacky, and our robust fundrais
FUNDRAISING
understanding that room-tax situation — how much room tax is being left on the table,” Mcelhone said.
The new measure also asks for the revenue collected from short-term rentals and the average length of time the homes are rented.
Data from the hosting platforms will let city staff compare their numbers with how many operators have gotten the required permits and licenses. The information will be general — it won’t identify individuals who are unlicensed. But it will let city officials know if more staff and attention need to be trained on the short-term rental issue, Mcelhone said.
The new city ordinance echoes language in a Nevada Legislature bill that passed this year and took effect July 1. That law requires that, when hosting platforms are issued a subpoena, they notify the host of the rental and turn over any subpoenaed documents within 21 days.
The Las Vegas City Council added more layers to the restrictions on short-term rentals in June, asking that operators obtain a special-use permit before they can legally operate, giving the city more oversight and letting neighbors weigh in before permits are issued.
City officials have been dealing with “party houses” in Strip-neighboring areas for years, but the short-term rental issue has begun to spread elsewhere in the city, Councilman Bob Coffin said.
“We don’t know the scope,” Coffin said. “My block is becoming a hotel suite, house by house.”
Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @Jamiemunksrj on Twitter.