‘Right’ choice in Senate race is clear as Heck

Republican Congressman Joe Heck has now officially entered the race to replace Harry Reid in the United States Senate. His anointed Democrat opponent, Catherine Cortez Masto, is a partisan left-winger who would essentially be Sen. Reid’s sixth term — but without the clout.

Masto has served as a staffer for a former Democrat governor, as an assistant manager for Clark County, as a lawyer in the states attorney’s office, as attorney general, and most recently in a six-figure “make work” job at taxpayer-funded UNLV.

She claims to have spent a lifetime “fighting to protect Nevada families.” What she’s really done is spent a lifetime in government.

On the other hand, Congressman Heck is an emergency room physician who owned his own small business. He is also a brigadier general in the United States Army Reserve.

Masto is a government lawyer. Heck is a military doctor. Which do we need more of and which do we need less of in Washington, D.C.?

Yet for all of her government work, Masto has never cast a single recorded vote, let alone a tough one. In contrast, Heck’s positions are clearly known by his votes as a Nevada state senator and a U.S. congressman.

Heck campaigns in the real world. Masto campaigns in Hypotheticaland.

As attorney general, Masto sued Bank of America for allegedly deceiving homeowners, but refused to sue Obamacare for deceiving Nevadans into believing they could keep their health insurance and their doctor.

She also filed an indictment against former Republican state Treasurer Brian Krolicki while refusing to prosecute Democrat state bureaucrat Bob Loux, even though it was proven that Loux gave himself and his friends in government unauthorized, taxpayer-funded raises.

Krolicki was ultimately exonerated when a judge dismissed Masto’s witch hunt, which opened her to charges of “politicizing her office and prosecutorial misconduct,” especially after her husband hosted a fundraiser for the Democrat candidate running against Krolicki.

Talk about ethically challenged.

Heck, on the other hand, is a highly respected independent member of Congress. Conservatives may not always agree with him, but his positions are always well-researched, well-considered and well-reasoned. And he’s the most conservative candidate who can win.

And that’s important. Because Republicans next year will be defending 24 seats in the Senate while Democrats will be defending only 10. Who wins this Nevada seat could well determine who controls the Senate.

And who controls the Senate controls who gets on the Supreme Court, an especially important consideration for conservatives in light of the court’s recent Obamacare and gay marriage decisions.

Does Heck’s experience, integrity, knowledge and independence make him a far superior individual to represent Nevada in the United States Senate than Sen. Reid’s hand-picked, Democrat-anointed, ethically challenged, partisan successor?

Heck, yes!

Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a conservative grass roots advocacy organization. He can be reached at www.muthstruths.com.