It was Monday morning; Dr. Heck hopped in the SUV with U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah. Their destination? Goldfield, Hawthorne, and Fernley. The ride up Veterans Memorial Highway was quickly over and before they knew it, they were greeted by approximately 20 people at the Santa Fe Saloon in Goldfield for the first event of the day.
Meanwhile, back in Las Vegas, a top Cortez Masto aide took to Twitter to disparage rural Nevadans. Her aide called Dr. Heck’s rural tour a visit to ‘Ghost Town.’ Word reached Goldfield and those attending took offense with Cortez Masto’s contempt for small town Americans. It only fired them up to turn out and vote for Dr. Heck.
The SUV was running, Dr. Heck and Senator Lee waved goodbye. They were off to the next stop. Word reached Hawthorne too and voters indicated they were tired of the glitzy career politicians schmoozing in exotic places like Switzerland and Argentina. Attendants at the Hawthorne GOP Rally each waited to take pictures with Dr. Heck and Senator Lee.
The tour rolled on, the sun was setting, and to wrap up the day Dr. Heck and Senator Lee stopped in Fernley. Voters wanted to know what Dr. Heck would do for rural Nevada. They asked poignant questions.
Below are a couple of articles summarizing Dr. Heck’s Rural Nevada Tour.
By Carol Morgan
Mason Valley News
October 27, 2016
http://www.rgj.com/story/news/local/leader-courier/2016/10/27/heck-speaks-fernley-gop-rally/92836986/U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Joe Heck greeted supporters with a cheerful wave as he entered Fernley GOP headquarters Monday night.Sen. Mike Lee of Utah spoke to the crowd about Heck’s qualifications as a physician, veteran, business owner, and current member of the House of Representatives.
Lee asked rally attendees for their help to send Heck to Washington.
“He’s a healer and he understands the Constitution and the health care system,” said Lee.
Heck addressed the crowd of supporters and said, “Give us the House and Senate and we’ll reverse everything Obama did.”
After a brief speech in which Heck spoke about health care and its costs, business, and education, he invited attendees to ask questions.
When asked how Republicans will reverse everything Obama did, Heck replied that handing Republicans a majority in the House “allows us to stop a lot of bad things from happening.”
On helping businesses succeed
“We need to give companies a better tax rate, improve energy policies and exercise congressional authority,” said Heck.
Washington’s delegation of power to various agencies, which lets those agencies, including the EPA, decide how to write the regulations that affect businesses has increased the financial burden on small businesses, according to Heck.
Heck’s approach is to take back that power and lessen regulations that place financial burdens and sap capital from both small and larger businesses. Heck also wants to make SBA loans more accessible to small businesses. He also spoke about tax reform at the personal tax code level because many small businesses pay taxes at the level of the business owner.
On health care and its costs
Heck pointed out that health insurance and health care are two different things. He said that although a person in rural Nevada might have health insurance, they might not have access to health care because many health care providers either have retired or moved to larger metropolitan areas.Heck said the health care program should keep in place such consumer protections as pre-existing conditions and it should eliminate lifetime caps.
“I don’t carry a stick; I like to use a carrot,” said Heck, who wants to provide incentives such as tax credits so people can purchase the health care policy that works for them and their families.
Heck also said that increasing the use of tax savings accounts and letting the money roll over from year to year would let the elderly use the money for long-term care in their later years.
He added that a health reimbursement account for small businesses, which do not have the ability to buy health insurance for their employees, would help those businesses give their employees additional compensation, above their salaries, so their employees can buy their own health insurance.
On lowering higher education costs
According to Heck, it’s not student loans that are drowning graduates in debt, it’s the interest rate. His solution is to get the economy on track and control student interest rates by tying them to an economic indicator and putting a cap on the interest rates.One attendee pointed out that Heck repudiated presidential candidate Donald Trump and wanted to know who Heck supports for president. Heck’s reply was that he will not back candidate Hillary Clinton and that he’s not voting for her.
To another question about how senators tend to ignore their constituents, Heck replied, “I will always be responsive to the people who vote for me.”
Heck noted that his office responds to constituent email messages within 72 hours.
When asked about eliminating the caucus process so every Nevada voter gets back their right to vote in the primaries, Heck indicated that he understood the speaker’s concern.
About a possible Clinton win, Heck said, “I will work with anybody who has a good idea.” Heck claimed he got several bills passed with bipartisan support and signed by President Barack Obama.
More than 35 people attended the Fernley GOP rally.
By Steve Ranson
Lahontan Valley News
October 27, 2016
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/
The Las Vegas Republican is in a dogfight with Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, the two-term attorney general who served from 2009-2015. Most major polls either show Heck or Masto in the lead but within the margin of error.
In his first day of campaign stops, Heck and his team visited Goldfield, Hawthorne and Fernley to discuss rural issues and offer an overview of the status of his campaign. At the Fernley Republican Headquarters, Heck discussed his first and only debate with Masto that was conducted two weeks ago in Las Vegas. He said according to a focus group conducted by a Las Vegas television station, 70 percent of the 14 independent voters said he won the debate.
Originally, Heck had hoped for two more debates, one in Elko and the other in Reno.
“She would never engage or negotiate for a debate up north,” he said.
Heck first discussed public lands and said Masto does not know anything about water rights or land use. Heck said the League of Conservation Voters, however, endorsed Masto. The league has been described as a liberal political advocacy organization to assist political candidates who support a pro-environment agenda. That prompted Heck to say his opponent is out of tune with rural Nevada, an area she hasn’t visited as much as Heck during the past two months.
Heck said Masto has no idea what people in the rural counties encounter such as being small-business owners or trying to obtain health care.
Heck, along with fellow Congressmen Mark Amodei and Cresent Hardy, recently introduced legislation for Nevadans not to receive an unfair tax under the Affordable Care Act. Large insurers are leaving the ACA exchanges, thus reducing coverage options.
Heck said residents of 10 counties — Esmeralda, Mineral, Humboldt, Pershing, Churchill, Lincoln, White Pine, Eureka, Lander and Elko — will have only one insurance carrier from which to choose.
“It’s only one plan, and there’s no choice,” he said.
Heck reiterated several times the race for Harry Reid’s senate seat will be won in the rural counties. Reid, though, has touted Masto as his handpicked successor for his Senate seat.
“No Harry. It’s not your Senate seat. It’s the seat of the people of Nevada,” Heck said. “For the first time in 20 years, we’ll actually have someone who will represent them (the voters).”
Heck said he won’t win the race unless voters in the rural counties support him. He then asked for questions, and the first two centered on him withdrawing support for the Republican nominee for the presidency, Donald Trump.
Robert Johnson of Fallon questioned Heck why he’s not supporting the people’s choice for president, a decision Heck made after a leaked 2005 interview of Trump’s remarks on groping women came out.
“I didn’t engage in the presidential selection process,” Heck said. “I wanted to see who the nominee was, and I did support Trump.”
Heck said his decision has nothing to do with politics but as a personal viewpoint from an emergency room physician who has seen women as the victims of assault.
“I am not voting for Hillary Clinton,” he stressed.
Heck assured the standing-room only crowd that he will still support Trump as his president if both men are elected to office in order for them to accomplish things for the country and Nevada.
“I have to be at peace with myself based on my personal experiences,” Heck said, adding he has lost more votes by doing this.
“You have not lost mine,” Johnson quickly shot back.
Navy veteran David Warren of Fallon wondered if Heck would ignore his constituents because of his Trump decision.
“Of course not,” Heck said. “Look at my six years in Congress.”
Heck said he represented his district well and listened to his constituents just like he did when he served in the Nevada Legislature.
The Army Reserve brigadier general said he has spent more than 26 years in the military and lives by the military Code of Conduct.
“I got to put my head on my pillow and sleep. I live up to a Code of Honor and set an example to my kids,” Heck said
Warren said he does not want Heck’s opponent in the Senate. Attendees said both Trump and Heck must be leaders in the Republican Party. Others in the audience including veterans and their spouses or families shook their heads in agreement.
“We need him (Trump) to support the Supreme Court (with nominees) as we need you in the Senate so you guys can confirm,” said another veteran. “You are a damn great guy — a warrior first, doctor second and congressman third. We need you to show us you’ll be a fighter for us. We want you there, we want you to be in that seat.”
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