Assemblywoman Valerie Weber (R-Clark 5) is in no mood to give up her campaign to replace Chip Maxfield as Clark County Commissioner for District C, despite her opponent’s six-to-one fundraising advantage.

“There are special interest lobbyists that are trying to buy another seat on the commission,” said Weber Friday.  “To me, this race is about listening to the voters and being a public servant.”

So far, Weber and Las Vegas Councilman Larry Brown are the only two declared candidates for the seat, and Brown’s fundraising to date points to a repeat of the 1996 gubernatorial election immortalized by Jon Ralston in his book “The Anointed One.”

It’s a comparison that Weber is quick to make, stating simply that “there has been an anointment for the other candidate.”

“My opponent is on the city council and is really being treated as an incumbent in this race even though it’s an open seat,” said Weber.

As of the Jan. 15 reporting date, Brown had raised over $380,000 for this race, not including left over funds from his city council campaign coffers.  Weber, in contrast, had raised slightly more than $62,000.

Weber isn’t discouraged, however, and has pressed on with her campaign, holding “over fifty meetings” with citizens and businesses in the valley to gauge support and connect with voters’ interests.  She said that she plans on focusing on economic and law and order concerns that are at the top most of many valley residents’ minds.

“There’s been a change in the economy of the valley and that’s been a great concern to folks who live here,” said Weber.  “Unemployment has increased, job creation is off and growth is non-existent, more or less.”

According to Weber, she is “making great strides” to close the gap in fundraising and feels that she still has an opportunity because of the competitive, partisan races she has won in recent years.

“This is a partisan race and I’ve been on the ballot three times,” said Weber.  “My opponent has only run a race back in 1997 as a non-partisan.  We know how to win swing seats.  That’s where our strength is, in the ground game, reaching out to voters.

“It’s not all about money.  If you go back and look at the last two commission races with Chris Giunchigliani versus Myrna Williams and Lynette Boggs versus Susan Brager, both of those individuals who won were not the anointed candidates.”

At present, Weber represents a largely Democratic district and credits her past wins with an ability to reach across party lines to pull in votes from independents and independent-leaning Democrats.

“The team that I have excels in doing the ground game.  We were the underdog then, we’re the underdog now, but we’re going to win and I think that will be a great victory for the people of Clark County.”