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Published Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010 | 5:38 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010 | 6:42 a.m.
Bill Raggio
Longtime Republican icon and state Senate leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, faces a serious challenge to his leadership spot after endorsing U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid over Sharron Angle.
Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, met with Raggio this afternoon in Reno to say that he would seek the leadership position Raggio has held since 1983.
"He told me he's throwing his hat in for the leader position," Raggio said. "Well, if he has the vote, he'll be the leader. The caucus will make that determination. I'm not going to bow out. If he wants to do it, fine. We'll take a vote. I'm a Republican, have been all my life. I'll abide by what the caucus says."
McGinness could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening. But before the election, he told Las Vegas Sun bureau chief Cy Ryan that he was "disapointed" with Raggio's endorsement of Reid. He and two other Republican senators declined to discuss the party's next caucus leader. Two did not return calls for comment. Five others spoke favorably of Raggio. But one - Assemblyman James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, who won the Capital Senate seat - gave a cagey answer that praised Raggio without committing to vote for him. The Las Vegas Sun story is here.
Raggio, first elected to the state senate in 1972, is the state's longest-serving state senator.
After Tuesday's election, Republicans gained one seat, but Democrats still control the state's upper house 11 to 10.
One conservative lobbyist, speaking on the condition of anonymity, believed McGinness has the votes. "You don't vote to kill the king unless you have the votes locked up," he said.
Raggio's endorsement of Reid inflamed some conservative Republicans. But that has certainly not been the only time he clashed with the libertarian-leaning elements of the party. In 2003, he joined Gov. Kenny Guinn to support a tax increase. In 2009, he and four other state senators joined Democrats to override Gov. Jim Gibbons' veto of the budget and tax increases.
Chuck Muth, the conservative activist who has tried to move the Republican party to the right, and a group of Tea Party leaders, sent an open letter to McGinness asking him to challenge Raggio over tax and spending issues.
The Assembly Republican caucus will also meet Thursday morning. Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, is facing a challenge to his leadership from Assemblyman John Hambrick, R-Las Vegas. Goicoechea, according to vote counters, is expected to hang on as leader.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, was reelected by his caucus. He said he'd release a complete list of leadership posts and committee assignments Thursday.
Assemblyman John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, was elected speaker. He replaces previous Speaker Barbara Buckley, who was term-limited. There is still maneuvering over who will be Oceguera's No. 2.
Raggio, 84, sounded relaxed about the drama that will climax at 10 a.m. Thursday at a caucus meeting in Reno.
He said intends to come back to the Legislature to serve in his final session, even if not leader. "I've got two more years of my terms," he said. McGinness, Raggio said, "was pressured from people in Republican Party" who disagreed with his support of Reid over Angle. Angle unsuccessfully challenged Raggio in the 2008 Republican primary, and he blames her for an aborted recall attempt.
CORRECTION: This blog initially made a reference to "Raggio's endorsement of Angle," but it has been corrected to his endorsement of Reid. | (November 4, 2010)
84,guys tough as a pair of old boots
I understand why he would want to avoid Angle, but that doesn't mean he had to endorse Reid. It's okay to stand alone sometimes.
Someone more cynical than me might suggest that one should follow the money.
Raggio is a real American and a Nevada icon.
I rarely say anything good about a Republican because so few of them seem to care about anything except their party and power. Raggio proved he cares for Nevada much more than any political organization or ideology.
maybe he will join the Democratic Party??
and the party "purification" continues... lots of Republicans supported Reid and rightly so. Sen. Raggio is a true Nevada hero. It'll be sad if his party shows him the door in such a manner.
He is a stinking Benedict Arnold. He is a has been. His political career is over. Period!
BLEAT!
Rather than punishing Raggio, the Nevada Republican Party leadership needs to find better candidates than Sue Lowden to support for major offices.
Frankly, Sig Rogich, Sheldon Adelson, Jim Rogers and Bill Raggio and their pals all are responsible for the Republican standard-bearer being the nutball Sharron Angle.
Straighten up Nevada Republicans and Tea Partiers. You are the laughing stock of the United States.
The article states:
"McGinness could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening. But before the election, he told Las Vegas Sun bureau chief Cy Ryan that he was "dissapointed" with Raggio's endorsement of Angle." Shouldn't that be, he was dissapointed with Raggio's endorsement of Reid?
The conservative State Senate Republicans should be careful, their actions could come back and bite them should there be the need for a veto override vote.
Ronald Regan once said "I didn't leave the democrat party, the democrat party left me".
A lot of Tea Party people and conservatives now feel the same about todays republicans and Bill Raggio is a shining example of why.
Go home old man, your time has long past.
I congratulate Mr. Raggio for sticking to his principles and making the right choice for NEVADA in this race. It disgusts me to see people vilify him because he is a Republican who went against his party. McCain was once called a "maverick" for doing similar things. Hypocracy.
Not endorsing a fellow Republican is one thing.
But to endorse the opposition is really low class.
You expect voters to be loyal to their party. Yet Raggio does this?
Great example from a leader. NOT.
Time for someone new.
Raggio has lost his soul.
He should have not endorsed anyone instead of endorsing Reid. Whatever her faults, the GOP nominated Angle, and as GOP leader he should've either supported her or kept his mouth shut. Instead, he went against the will of the people -- as establishment elitists are wont to do -- and now he should be removed from a position of GOP leadership.
Let me get it straight. Raggio is and always has been a Republicrat? Yet he endorses Harry the Red? Wow! With friends like Raggio, who needs enemies? Thank God for term limits!
You can't be in leadership and endorse candidates from other party.
If you want to do that then step down from leadership.
We tax payers can only hope that the RINO Senator Raggio will not be back as leader. He maintains his power by doling out money he receives to other Republicans to help them during their elections. Bottom line is, you tow his line or you get no money, more government corruption.
I don't care for Raggio AT ALL. His comments over the past few years suggest that he's anti-education. He wants NV to be stuck in the stone age. He's been around forever, and NV has been in terrible shape for a long time. He's clearly a huge part of the problem, along with the rest of the good ol' boy network. I think the these types of candidates/incumbents need to make a compelling argument on why we shouldn't fire them, when NV is in such bad shape, and it's happened on their watch.
He's nothing but a corrupt politician.
Nevada voters agreed with Raggio and picked Reid as the better candidate.
Seems the republicans could still earn a few things from Raggio.
I hope that the state GOP would note that Angle, a tea party candidate, lost by one of the biggest margins ever to a Senator Reid with horrific approval ratings and majority leader of a party that hasn't solved the economic issues troubling the nation in general and this state even worse. This has to have some meaning about where the Nevada electorate is on the political spectrum. If the state senate GOP can't learn from that and choses to move their leadership to the right, there might be some short term advantage but its hard to believe that it will help them in 2012, especially given that the Dems will be drawing the new boundaries for assembly and senate districts, presumably in a way to minimize any likely strength on the "far right".
As politicians, they should be able to differentiate between policy and politicts. If they do, they will recognize that the far right is not what wins elections in this state, it is the middle. If the GOP is intelligent, it will avoid like the plague having its image dragged to the right.