Heller sworn in as U.S. Senator

WASHINGTON -- Dean Heller took his place on Monday as the newest member of the U.S. Senate, an appointee who becomes the 25th man to represent Nevada in what has been called the world's greatest deliberative body.

Whether Heller gets to stay beyond the next 18 months depends on how the former Nevada secretary of state and two-term House member is able to navigate as a high-profile political target, analysts say.

Right hand raised, Heller, a Republican from Carson City who turns 51 today , was administered the oath of office by Vice President Joe Biden in a short ceremony on the Senate floor that was completed at 2:11 p.m.

Fellow Nevadan Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, stood behind Heller during his swearing-in and welcomed him to the body. Heller's wife, Lynne, their four children and a son-in-law, and a handful of House aides, looked on from the gallery above the chamber.

Afterward, Heller and his family wore broad smiles as they joked with Biden during a re-enactment of the swearing-in. They also were guests at a reception Reid hosted later in the day in his Senate office.

But Heller, a former stockbroker who served in the Nevada Assembly, took the first substantive steps as a senator, co-sponsoring a bill already backed by other GOP senators to amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced budget.

A few hours later, he cast his first vote, one in step with fellow Republicans to reject James Cole, President Barack Obama's nominee for the No. 2 job at the Justice Department.

HELLER STANDS FIRM

Heller said he does not plan to alter his outlook as a fiscal conservative with the change in scenery from the House. "My philosophy does not change when I come over to the Senate," he told reporters.

He said he would stick by his vote in the House in favor of a Republican budget plan that includes turning Medicare from an open-funded entitlement to a "premium support" system in which seniors would buy their own insurance with government subsidies. The unacceptable alternative, he maintained, would be "tax increases and rationing health care."

Heller also said he would find it "very, very difficult" to vote in favor of raising the ceiling on government borrowing, although he would not rule it out before seeing whether negotiations on the upcoming vote can produce an acceptable deal to cut spending in the process.

He rejected the idea, first raised by Reid, that he has to "broaden" his view from that of a House member moving to the Senate. He said that the 2nd Congressional District he represented included part of populous Clark County and that as secretary of state, "I have represented the whole state for years."

For Heller, the swearing-in capped a series of fast-moving events dating to when he declared on March 7 that he would run for Senate in the 2012 elections to succeed Republican incumbent Sen. John Ensign, who was wounded by ethics allegations and announced he would not seek re-election.

On April 21, Ensign resigned outright, prompting Gov. Brian Sandoval to appoint Heller to fill out the unexpired term until 2012.

IN DEMOCRATS' CROSS HAIRS

"They say the longest walk in Washington is from the House side of the Capitol to the Senate side," Biden joked during the mock swearing-in. For Heller, he said, "it was an easy walk."

But for Democrats, Heller's swearing-in carried an asterisk because he was appointed by a Republican governor and not chosen by voters. By that measure, his appointment raises the stakes in what is being viewed as a marquee Senate race in the months ahead.

"He should enjoy his first weeks in the Senate because I think it is going to get bumpier with tough votes and his relationship with (Reid)," said University of Nevada, Reno political science professor Eric Herzik.

"As Democrats start to mount their 2012 campaign, he is a target, and everything he does will be scrutinized far more than if he was still just a congressman," Herzik said.

In a bid to "introduce" Heller to Las Vegas voters outside his Northern Nevada-based district, Democrats have mounted a series of criticisms against his recent voting record in favor of deep federal spending cuts and sweeping changes in Medicare, both Republican strategies to address the deficit.

Democratic strategists say they plan to keep up the pressure on Heller as they contest the seat in the 2012 elections. The party's choice is Rep. Shelley Berkley of Las Vegas, who faces a primary challenge from Las Vegas attorney Byron Georgiou.

On the day Heller took office, Emily's List, a major backer of women in politics, announced it was endorsing Berkley and would help her raise money.

In Las Vegas, a handful of Democratic activists held an event at the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse to highlight what they called Heller's "out-of-touch record on jobs, seniors and veterans."

And in the Senate, Reid is planning to schedule votes soon on Medicare spending and on repealing tax breaks for oil companies, both designed to get Republicans to cast potentially damaging votes.

As a senator, Heller is within Reid's direct line of sight and could be within his direct line of fire because the cagey Senate leader is backing Berkley and could make it difficult for Heller initiatives to gain much traction.

"It will be interesting to see if Heller and Reid maintain some initial peace treaty," Herzik said. "If Reid doesn't publicly go after Heller and in a sense publicly try to bring him down, that might be the best that Heller can hope for."

Mark Peplowski, a political science professor at the College of Southern Nevada, said Heller will be walking a Senate tightrope, "but he knows it."

Peplowski said Heller would benefit by being assigned to committees such as Armed Services or Commerce, Science and Transportation, relatively noncontroversial panels where he could focus on matters affecting Nevada's military bases, airports and tourism industries.

'HUMBLING' EXPERIENCE

But for a few minutes on an otherwise quiet Monday afternoon, politics took a timeout as Heller joined the Senate club. Republican leaders Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Jon Kyl of Arizona, John Cornyn of Texas and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee turned out for the swearing-in, as did Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

Also there were Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Tom Udall, D-N.M. They, like Heller, are members of the Mormon church.

"It is very humbling," Heller said of joining the Senate. He said he hoped to model himself after Paul Laxalt, the Nevada Republican and a leading Senate conservative (and a fellow graduate of Carson High School) who served in Washington from 1974 to 1986.

"Everybody who has served in the Senate ... these are incredible people who served the country well, and I certainly hope at some point in my career that I will have similar achievements," he said.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.

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• U.S. Sen. Dean Heller
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Comments

Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

1. MIKE VEGAS May 10, 2011 | 12:49 p.m. Report Abuse

   HIS WIFES SMILE TELLS ME HE WILL BE GETTING A LITTLE EXTRA IN HIS PAYCHECK TONIGHT.

2. taxpayerlocal May 10, 2011 | 9:46 a.m. Report Abuse

   Heller is a good choic here. He is a political hag, but he is sharp otherwise. I am sure god old RINO Mitch loves this decision. But hey, the alternative is the DNC loser; and we all saw how they acted with a supermajority (you will have to see what is in the bill after we pass it you ungrateful pesants!).

3. Slam Dunk May 10, 2011 | 7:20 a.m. Report Abuse

   Long Time Nevadan aka Floyd R. Turbo with his wisdom. Enough said.

4. Long Time.Nevadan May 10, 2011 | 5:10 a.m. Report Abuse

   ATTENTION:Worthless seniors that use medical services to the excess, lazy unemployed bums, mooching Nevadans that want, want, want. Wannabe wealthy types that expect something for nothing, welfare queens, anchor baby mamas, middle class slobs- Heller is appointed, so get over it. He will do what he can to put you in your place before the general election. As far as the old Reid goes, all treaty thoughts are off and the attack will begin to show that Reid is done with. There is a new Republican sherriff in town and things will change!!!!!!

5. Whiteberry May 9, 2011 | 9:37 p.m. Report Abuse

   One thing is for sure. Heller can't possibly to worse than the incompetent Harry Reid.

6. vegasstar May 9, 2011 | 8:35 p.m. Report Abuse

   uh-oh. another republican. heaven help us.

7. Slam Dunk May 9, 2011 | 5:56 p.m. Report Abuse

   Remember when this new House of Representatives started in January. Dean Heller and his Republicans read the whole constitution out loud. Pay attention boys and girls. To have a bill passed, both the Senate and House of Representatives must pass the same identical bill. President signs the bill and it becomes law. Just like we watched on schoolhouse rock. Check out this: House of Representatives introduced this bill, H.R. 1255, `Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2011'. Co-sponsors of the bill are Dean Heller and Joe Heck. Here is the text: If the House has not received a message from the Senate before April 6, 2011, stating that it has passed a measure providing for the appropriations for the departments and agencies of the Government for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, the provisions of H.R. 1, as passed by the House on February 19, 2011, are hereby enacted into law. Yes, that is what the Tea Party Republicans have read and placed on the calendar. Now Heller doesn’t want to abide by the Constitution any more. Let's make our own laws. No need to follow our founding fathers. Let's just use the Constitution when we see fit. Of course Dean knows what is best. Please, Lets hear Heller’s excuse for not wanting to follow the Constitution. How can anyone be placed as a senator who does not even know how a bill is introduced and passed in Congress? Could it be Heller is too arrogant to follow Constitutional Law? Anyway you look at it; Heller and all other co-sponsors of that bill are not worthy to be in the Senate or Congress for that matter. No excuses.

8. Victim of Metro May 9, 2011 | 5:55 p.m. Report Abuse

   Kilgore-Trout: Would you rather Nevada not have anyone to cast a vote in philandering Ensign's seat for the next 18 months? Dean Heller was a good Secretary of State, a good Congressman, and he will stop Nevada from being the laughingstock of the Senate b/c of Ensign. We now have the majority leader and a Republican with some integrity, whereas we had Reid and Ensign, the latter of which was voted one of the "least influential" people in the Senate.

9. JKat5 May 9, 2011 | 2:46 p.m. Report Abuse

   Congratulations, Senator Heller, and thanks for taking some Nevada integrity to Washington.

10. Joe.Blow May 9, 2011 | 2:18 p.m. Report Abuse

    NewNVRes is just another hack for that old toad Shelly Berkley

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