An environmentalist group will pour $860,000 into an ad campaign to try to defeat a Nevada Republican in his race to replace Harry Reid in the Senate.
The League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund announced it would spend the six-figure sum running ads against Rep. Joe Heck. The ad will play in both the Las Vegas and Reno areas.
The green group said it would detail how Heck has hurt jobs in the state by voting to protect tax breaks for oil companies.
“Twenty-five thousand jobs. That’s how many jobs Nevada’s created in clean energy,” the ad states. “That’s how many Nevada jobs Joe Heck puts at risk when he votes Big Oil’s way. Joe Heck’s taken hundreds of thousands in big oil money. And voted their way, protecting billions in tax breaks for big oil. Threatening Nevada’s solar economy.
“Twenty-five thousand Nevada jobs at risk. Because Joe Heck’s in Big Oil’s pocket.”
The latest polls in Nevada show Heck in a dead heat with Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, a two-term former Nevada attorney general.
The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund plans to spend $1.4 million on canvassing in support of Cortez Masto and already has spent $750,000 running ads against Heck. The group named Heck to its annual list of the “Dirty Dozen” lawmakers it says works against environmentalist policies.
“It’s unconscionable that Heck has taken votes that threaten tens of thousands of high-quality jobs in Nevada’s solar economy just to please his Big Oil benefactors,” said Andy Maggi, Nevada Conservation League executive director.
“While Heck has been receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the dirty fossil fuel industry to keep himself in office, he has been voting their way to protect the billions they get in taxpayer handouts.
“He’s even opposed critical clean air and water protections that protect the health of our families for the sake of their profits. Clearly, Joe Heck would not represent the people of Nevada in the Senate, he’d be there for Big Polluters.”
