Mailer from ousted Las Vegas judge apologizes for negative campaign flyer

Recently ousted Las Vegas judge Heidi Almase sent out mailers this week apologizing for a negative flyer her campaign sent out criticizing criminal defense attorneys while she was running for re-election.

“For disappointing those attorneys and the public, who I believe deserve the very best in their elected public servants, you have my personal apology,” the current mailer reads.

Almase lost her seat on the Las Vegas Municipal Court to longtime prosecutor Cara Campbell in the June 13 municipal election. Campbell, a Clark County chief deputy district attorney, was a first-time candidate for public office. Almase was seeking her second six-year term, and lost to Campbell by 5.72 percentage points.

The race for Almase’s seat turned contentious in the days before the election. Her campaign posted a doctored image on Facebook early in the week before the election depicting Almase alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson next to an endorsement.

A day after the photo was posted, her campaign sent a mailer to constituents questioning how Campbell could be an impartial judge when she is married to “an attorney who keeps criminals on the streets?” The flyer drew criticism and cost Almase several major political endorsements.

She removed the doctored image, apologized for the mailer and fired her campaign manager just days before the election.

The apology flyer Almase issued this week notes how criminal defense attorneys “serve a necessary, and often thankless, duty within our courts, ensuring the adversarial process is founded on principles of fairness and due process.”

“The campaign literature did not reflect my belief about this important function,” the flyer reads.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.