Wright pulls out of attorney general’s race

Friday, March 27, 1998 | 3:23 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Thomas Wright, a Reno lawyer, Friday withdrew from the race for the Republican nomination for attorney general, citing "recent developments in my professional and personal life."

Wright, 48, a former member of the state Parole Board, was out of town and could not be reached for comment. But a statement issued through a public relations agency, said he won't challenge Scott Scherer of Las Vegas, considered the front-runner for the GOP nomination. He wished Scherer "the best of luck."

"With the likelihood of the current Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa re-entering the race and my inability to spend a significant amount of time in Southern Nevada, I will not be a candidate in the upcoming election," Wright said.

Del Papa, a Democrat, said earlier this week it was a "good possibility" she would seek a third term.

Wright, a former deputy attorney general, served as district attorney in Storey County and ran unsuccessfully for Washoe County District Attorney. He was appointed to the parole board by Gov. Bob Miller. He was embroiled in a controversy when he voted to release a convicted killer who later fatally shot a Sparks police officer.

Miller tried to fire Wright but found he didn't have the authority. Wright later resigned.