Inside Politics - December 2001

Bringing the Battle Home

Preparing for the State Legislative Elections

by Michael Sullivan

While many Nevadans are starting to think about their New Year’s resolutions, the state’s elected leaders are gazing into their crystal balls and wondering what the political landscape will look like in 2002. Will leadership at the state level change? How about Nevada’s representation in Congress? Will there be any upsets on the county commissions, as there have been just about every election cycle?

One branch of government that’s not much of a mystery, however, is the state Legislature. Every season there are a few hard-fought battles, but a year removed from reapportionment, there are unlikely to be many changes in overall leadership.

That being said, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus will use every arrow in her quiver to unseat Republican Majority Leader Bill Raggio. A month ago, it looked as though Titus had a very realistic chance of getting the two seats she needs to wrest leadership in the upper house from the Republicans (the makeup is currently 12 Republicans, nine Democrats). She had several candidates lined up who would have been strong contenders for seats currently held by the GOP.

But one of those, Harrah’s Entertainment executive George Togliatti, got cold feet and decided not to challenge Republican Bill Brady for the Senate seat vacated by the retiring Bill O’Donnell. Titus will continue to search for someone to challenge Brady, but Togliatti would have made the race extremely competitive. Another vulnerable GOP seat coveted by Titus is the Washoe County position held by Sen. Maurice Washington. The Democrats have tried to coax country singer Lacy J. Dalton into taking on the incumbent, but she has yet to make a final decision. If she does, Titus would have a known name to challenge Washington, who has baggage that could be exploited.

One seat that looks safe as of this writing is the newly created Clark County Senate seat. Former Assemblyman and lobbyist Warren Hardy has staked a claim and is already raising money and gaining support. The area takes in much of his old Assembly district and has a 6 percent GOP edge. The only name currently being floated on the Democratic side is Joey Bowler, who hasn’t committed and doesn’t currently live in the district, but comes from a prominent family in the area.

In the Assembly, the Democrats currently enjoy a 27 to 15 advantage. It is unlikely the leadership will change hands, but what might be at stake is the two-thirds advantage needed to override a governor’s veto or pass a tax measure.

That could become extremely important during the next session. The governor will surely propose a new tax package, and the Democrats will likely float one of their own. To be able to pass it without Republican support could give them the upper hand when it comes time to negotiate. The Democrats need one seat to have that luxury. The Republicans, however, are showing much more drive and initiative in recruiting candidates than they have in past election cycles. Josh Griffin, son of Reno’s mayor, will run for a seat being vacated by Assemblywoman Sandra Tiffany, who is leaving to run for the Senate seat Jon Porter occupied before he decided to run for Congress. Griffin knows his way around a campaign, having run Porter's failed Congressional race in 2000.

When you couple a strong GOP statewide ticket and continued positive numbers for President George Bush, it might be hard for the Democrats to increase their advantage. But Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins and Majority Leader Barbara Buckley are no slouches in the recruiting department, and have already found several qualified candidates to fill open seats. William Horn, a recent law school graduate, will run for one of the new positions and Peggy Pierce, a Culinary Union worker, has also expressed an interest in filing.

The Democrats will also challenge in every seat, even those with strong GOP numbers. With both parties staging intensive recruiting efforts, it’s sure to make for an active and interesting election cycle.

Michael Sullivan
Michael Sullivan is president of Knight Consulting, a Southern Nevada government affairs firm.