Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Guinn, Jones secure easy primary victories

Their plans for Nevada's schools and comparative backgrounds in business and public service loom as the key issues facing gubernatorial foes Kenny Guinn and Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones.

Republican Guinn and Democrat Jones cruised to easy victories in their respective primaries Tuesday and will square off in the Nov. 3 general election. The winner of the four-year term will replace Democratic Gov. Bob Miller, who couldn't run again after 10 years in office.

Guinn beat upstart Aaron Russo by a 2-to-1 margin with Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren a distant third. Jones defeated rival state Sen. Joe Neal of North Las Vegas by a nearly 4-to-1 margin. The victory was particularly sweet for Jones, who lost the 1994 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Miller.

Guinn and Jones have already introduced education plans. Guinn said during his victory party at his campaign headquarters that his nine years as superintendent of the Clark County School District and year as interim president of UNLV gives him the edge over Jones.

"My experience in education far exceeds hers," Guinn said. "She's never been a teacher or run a school district. I've headed up school bond issues and programs that are still functioning today. I introduced the vocational tech school and a school for pregnant girls."

Jones, however, said that Guinn had an unimpressive record as superintendent, citing as an example the increase of physical education requirements and decrease in math requirements during his tenure.

"I don't know that there was a vision brought on by Kenny Guinn that lives today," Jones said. "My education plan is more comprehensive than his. It deals with everything from infrastructure to classroom size to school staffing and attendance."

Both candidates have had extensive business experience. Guinn, now retired, was also chairman of Southwest Gas Corp. and PriMerit Bank in addition to his background in education. Jones, serving her second term as mayor, was an executive with the Fletcher Jones automobile dealerships. Jones said her mayoral background has given her hands-on experience to run state government, but Guinn said he believes he has more experience with state government, particularly the Legislature.

Of the two primaries, the Republican battle was far more colorful. But it didn't start out that way.

Guinn inherited the GOP front-runner's mantle from the time he announced his candidacy two years ago. Most pundits figured this race to be a yawner, given Guinn's connections and fund-raising capabilities. He has raised nearly $4 million, a third of it from gaming.

When Russo came along, he was given virtually no chance to succeed. Having moved to Nevada only two years ago, critics viewed the movie producer as a carpetbagger. The media pounded him for failing to get a Nevada driver's license within 30 days of residency, as prescribed by law, and for alleged tax problems.

But Russo, who railed against taxes and federal invasion of privacy, filled the television airwaves with advertisements and eventually baited Guinn by attacking his foe's background. Russo alleged that the companies run by Guinn lost money and weren't consumer-friendly. The last month of the campaign suddenly got interesting.

Guinn, who had been criticized in many circles for running a vacuous campaign devoid of issues, was forced to defend himself while also going on the offensive. His ads portrayed Russo as a wild man who would be dangerous as governor.

Russo said he will run again for either statewide or federal office. But he added that he will remain politically active in the interim, pointing to his estimated 30 percent support as a beach head for the future. Russo hasn't decided whether he'll endorse Guinn or Jones, however.

"They won't discuss the issues that are important to me," Russo said. "They don't have an understanding of the philosophy of our Constitution."

Hammargren, a late entrant to the GOP race, was never a factor.

The Jones-Neal tilt was much quieter and far less confrontational. Jones made a late decision to run, having been involved in a fight against breast cancer. But she became the automatic Democratic front-runner by virtue of her high-profile political position. Her doctors also said she successfully fought off the cancer, thereby removing her health as an issue in this campaign.

Neal, a state senator from North Las Vegas, called for increased gaming taxes and elimination of a controversial art tax that has benefitted Mirage Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn. But Neal raised only about $32,000 compared to the $758,000 amassed by Jones and ran a virtually invisible campaign. Neal, however, still has two years remaining in his Senate post and will participate in the 1999 Nevada Legislature.

Neal said he felt betrayed by the state Democratic Party and may become an independent before the start of the next legislative session.

"I've always supported Democratic ideals, but the Democrats don't seem to want me," Neal said.

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