Roundup: Week 7 in Carson City, bipartisanship in D.C.

By Lisa Mascaro

Monday, March 16, 2009 | 11:49 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners, and welcome to the Monday news round-up: The governor has another primary challenger, the state legislature opens week seven with a focus on education and Congress is rethinking bipartisanship.

Joe Heck, the former state senator, makes it official this morning, announcing his primary run against incumbent Republican Gov Jim Gibbons – whose seat is the most likely to switch parties in 2010, says this morning’s Washington Post. Gibbons is a “dead man walking politically,” the Post reports.

You can read the preview in Jon Ralston’s Sunday column in the Sun.

Here in Washington, that bipartisan spirit that was so promising back in January now seems a little outdated as the Senate votes today on a once-popular lands bill that cleared the chamber months ago only to return for a do-over.

Republicans and Democrats easily advanced the 1,000-plus page bill during a special Sunday session in January, as the legislation has goodies for all.

But last week, bill fell a few votes shy of passage in the House. Republicans revolted, complaining about scope of public lands conservation efforts they worried would hamper energy development.

Even more, gun rights amendments were also being discussed.

So the Senate is taking up the bill anew, hoping to pass it in a way that would avoid the amendment process in the House. But hope is the key word here. Republican Senators who went along in January may not do so now, flexing their minority rights to a fuller debate.

The bill contains important provisions for Nevada, including a land transfer for the cancer institute in Las Vegas and other land transfers in Northern Nevada.

Nevada’s Democratic Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus voted for it in the House, as did Harry Reid in the Senate. Republican Rep. Dean Heller and Sen. John Ensign voted against.

The lands bill may only be the beginning of the end of bipartisanship, as Democrats are considering whether to use the upcoming budget process to pass big-ticket energy or health care bills in a way that would skirt Republican opposition by only requiring 51 votes.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid mentioned the possibility of this last week, and the NYT lays out the possible scenario here.

That’s it for now. Check back often for all the day’s political news from Nevada.