Las Vegas, NV – This morning, Congressman Heck announced his candidacy for United States Senate on a right-wing radio show. Before going on the show, Heck’s campaign released a web video that was heavy on rhetoric and low on facts about his actual record. Take a brief glance below at the claims Congressman Heck makes in the video vs. the painful reality (for Heck) of his actual voting record.
| HECK’S RHETORIC | HECK’S RECORD |
| Heck: “I know how to identify a problem and provide a solution, because I started and operated a small business. That’s a lesson Washington should learn.” | Heck voted with Republican leaders in Washington 90 percent of the time and voted to shutdown the government. |
| Heck: “I see a Nevada of unlimited opportunity… a place with better jobs, higher wages… and the chance to rise as far as the path will take us.” | Heck opposed raising the minimum wage and equal pay for women. |
| Heck: “I’ll protect Medicare and Social Security and preserve it for future generations.” | Heck voted to turn Medicare into a voucher program, called Social Security a pyramid scheme and backed privatizing Social Security. |
| Heck: “Like my immigrant grandparents coming to America, most Nevadans came here for a new start, a better life, and more opportunity. We turned the desert into a place of new beginnings.” | Heck voted to deport DREAMers, opposed comprehensive immigration reform and tried to assuage concerns about “anchor babies.” |
| Heck: “I know the importance of having a job, because my father was out of work. That’s why I’ve worked to create jobs by cutting big government and streamlining work-force training programs.” | Heck voted against giving assistance to workers harmed by trade deals. |
| Heck: “My parents encouraged me to study hard and excel at school and I was the first in my family to go to college. I know the value of a good education and that’s why I’ll strengthen our K-12 system… and make college more affordable and accessible for our families.” | Heck called for eliminating the Department of Education, voted to cut education funding by $1 billion and to raise student loan interest rates. |
| Heck: “I know the pain families feel when a loved one is sick, because I’m a physician. When my father needed emergency surgery, Medicare covered him.” | Heck voted to defund family planning services and co-sponsored a bill forcing women to pay more for birth control if employers drop coverage. |
