Area primary candidates file contribution disclosures

Carson City Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell has raised $53,432 for her campaign, and Capital District Sen. Mark Amodei $131,555 as of Tuesday's deadline for reporting contributions and expenses before the primary.

Reports began trickling in Tuesday, but most of the major candidate reports were not available because of the practice of filing them by certified mail.

Amodei's contributions came as somewhat of a surprise since his only opposition for re-election is in the November general election by Independent American Party candidate Ike Yochum. Yochum's report was not available Tuesday.

Amodei also reported he has spent $115,863 of that total, but the majority of his spending was in the form of contributions to other Republican candidates around the state and different GOP central committees and campaign organizations. That list included both Jim Gibbons and Bob Beers - the two most vocal Republican candidates for governor.

Parnell, despite being a Democrat in a district with a Republican majority, is considered a strong favorite to reclaim her District 40 Assembly seat. But in terms of contributions, Republican Sheila Ward wasn't out of the running. She reported $35,820 in contributions, a number of them from party sources, and $14,730 in expenditures. That is far more than her GOP primary opponent John Wagner, who reported $4,810 in contributions - some $2,040 from his own bank account - and $4,063 in spending.

Three of the candidates seeking to replace Lynn Hettrick in Assembly District 39 representing Douglas County were on file as of Tuesday afternoon. Republican Richard Gardner reported $30,350 in contributions and $27,977 in expenditures. Fellow Republican and former county commissioner Barbara Smallwood reported just $3,250 in contributions and $7,840 in expenditures. The report for the third Republican in the race, James Settelmeyer, had not yet reached the secretary of state's office.

The lone Democrat in that race, Joetta Brown, reported contributions of $22,384. She has spent $11,420 even though she has no primary contest.

In the race to replace Jill Derby for the Board of Regents seat representing western Nevada, three of the four candidate reports were on file Tuesday. David Fulstone of Yerington had raised $9,815 and spent $3,339 while Liz Moore of Carson City reported no contributions or expenses.

Ron Knecht reported contributions totaling $23,000 and expenditures of $7,589. All of Knecht's money came from his own bank account.

Three reports are required of every candidate during the election cycle. This is the second. As long as they are placed in certified mail by 5 p.m. on the due date, there is no late penalty. But candidates who refuse to report what they collect and spend face up to $5,000 per report in penalties.

More reports are expected through the U.S. Postal Service throughout the week but there are occasionally a few candidates who refuse to file, claiming the law violates their rights.

• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.