NV Energy bundles a bunch of dough to Heller

We already knew that the state's power monopoly was in thrall to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who made the utility give up on coal and was the shadow sponsor of a juicy legislative bill.

But if the junior senator's latest campaign contribution disclosure is any indication, Dean Heller is just as NV Energy-friendly now as the majority leader. If friendship can be bought, that is.

The utility bundled just under $9,000 to Heller through employees at the company -- about one-seventh of the individual contributions Heller received in the second quarter. Others included Reid-backer Jim Murren of MGM Resorts and Mark James, the former state senator and county commissioner turned taxicab executive.

Heller spent $300,000 in the quarter (almost twice as much as he took in), mostly to pay bonuses to staffers -- $20,000 to his chief aide, Edgar Abrams, and $30,000 to November Inc. run by campaign manager Mike Slanker. 

Here's Heller's full report.

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