las vegas<u+2014>two men not on the ticket<u+2014>republican presidential nominee donald trump and departing senate minority leader harry reid <u+2014>could help determine who wins nevada<u+2019>s tightly contested senate race and which party emerges with control of the chamber. rep. joe heck, the republican running to replace mr. reid, withdrew his endorsement of mr. trump after a 2005 videotape surfaced of the new york businessman making lewd comments about grabbing and kissing women without their consent. <u+201c>my hope is that this will not divide us and that we can unite behind principles, republican principles,<u+201d> he said at a campaign rally, reading from notes. mr. heck, a doctor and army reserve brigadier general whose district covers much of suburban las vegas, was heckled by people who shouted <u+201c>who are you to judge?<u+201d> and <u+201c>so disappointed in you!<u+201d> catherine cortez masto, his democratic rival and a former state attorney general, took issue at a debate a few days later with mr. heck<u+2019>s explanation that he was motivated by treating victims of domestic violence and the experience of his wife, herself a victim of domestic violence in a prior relationship. <u+201c>let<u+2019>s call this what it is,<u+201d> ms. cortez masto said. <u+201c>congressman heck is worried about his political career. donald trump<u+2019>s ship is sinking.<u+201d> republicans have long eyed the end of mr. reid<u+2019>s 30-year senate career as an opportunity to pick up a seat as they battle elsewhere to maintain their majority in the chamber. but the 52-year-old ms. cortez masto has inched ahead in polls after the trump video was released. a net gain of five seats (or four if hillary clinton wins the presidency) would put the democrats back in charge of the senate. groups backing mr. heck have run ads portraying ms. cortez masto, who would be the first latina senator if elected, as weak on crime and law enforcement in her eight years as attorney general. in contrast, she has highlighted her battles with banks who foreclosed on homes as well as her intention to raise the minimum wage. mr. heck<u+2019>s campaign has focused on his medical experience and testimonials from constituents who say they helped them through various crises. he has done outreach to latino voters and has spoken of his support for immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. mr. reid has in recent weeks sent top aides to help support ms. cortez masto and plans to stump for her until election day, attempting to build enthusiasm among the democratic base, including latino voters. he said in an interview that ms. cortez masto was the first person he called when he decided last year to retire because he wanted her to enter the race. he was friends with her father, a powerful county commissioner who died in 2006, and has known her since she was a child. <u+201c>she reminds me of dianne feinstein, <u+201d> mr. reid said. <u+201c>she<u+2019>s not pushy, not reticent. she<u+2019>s just right.<u+201d> yet mr. reid<u+2014>who narrowly won re-election six years ago and remains a polarizing figure in the state, polls show<u+2014>is also one of mr. heck<u+2019>s major talking points. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s clear i have two opponents,<u+201d> he said in an interview before he rescinded his support of mr. trump. <u+201c>the name on the ballot and harry reid.<u+201d> mr. reid has sought for more than a decade to build the state party apparatus, but it was hit hard by the 2014 midterm election when republicans swept state offices and knocked out a bench of rising democratic stars. registered democrats still outnumber republicans in the state, but not by as wide a margin as they did in previous presidential elections. ms. cortez masto<u+2019>s campaign spent last week highlighting defections from mr. heck among trump supporters, including listeners who called in to conservative radio shows and a republican party committeewoman for nevada. <u+201c>he lost the race when he did that,<u+201d> said one. one republican campaign consultant said he expects there will be a consequence for mr. heck<u+2019>s withdrawn endorsement. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t know how he reels this back in, except to say, <u+2018>we need the senate. this is more important than your individual objection to me,<u+2019> <u+201d> he said. mr. heck, 54 years old, is off this week for military training, with campaign surrogates filling in for him. people close to mr. heck say they are confident core republican voters aren<u+2019>t concerned about his position on mr. trump, but instead care about issues that matter to them, such as veterans<u+2019> issues and education. plus, they say, they have built up a robust ground campaign that was already untethered from mr. trump<u+2019>s and reached beyond his core base. <u+201c>we<u+2019>ve always factored in nonpartisans and democrats voting for joe,<u+201d> one person close to the campaign said. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s had broad appeal based on his bio and experience.<u+201d> corrections & amplifications: republican presidential nominee donald trump is on the ballot in november<u+2019>s election in nevada. the headline and first paragraph of an earlier version of this article about the senate race in the state incorrectly stated that he wasn<u+2019>t on the ballot. oct. 18, 2016. write to alexandra berzon at alexandra.berzon@wsj.com
nevada senate race overshadowed by two names not on ticket - wsj
alexandra berzon