Bryan says he won’t run in 2000

Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999 | 11:18 a.m.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., stunned the political scene today with his announcement that he would not seek a third term in 2000.

His abrupt move opens the door for a number of high-profile Democrats and Republicans waiting in the wings to enter the race, and it puts another crimp in the Democratic Party's strategy to regain control of the Senate in two years.

Bryan, 61, planned a news conference this morning on the steps of the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies and Performing Arts downtown to announce his decision. The academy formerly housed Las Vegas High School, Bryan's alma mater.

In a two-page statement, Bryan said he had fulfilled all of his political goals and dreams and was ready to take on new challenges.

He quoted Thomas Jefferson in the statement, saying: "There is a fullness of time when men should go and not occupy too long the high ground to which others have the right to advance."

"For me, that time has come," the statement said. "It's time to come home. I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate next year.

"There is much I will miss," he added, "the personal contact with the Nevada voters on which I thrive, the public policy debates, helping people -- and yes, even the banquet circuit.

"I am fortunate to enjoy good health. I have reached a time in my life that I want to be able to experience different challenges and opportunities. I am not retiring. Bonnie and I are also entering a new phase of our personal lives -- each of our three children will be first-time parents this year.

"I close a career in public service with no regrets. My hope is that a new generation of Nevadans will be challenged as I was to pursue what I consider a noble calling -- a commitment to public service."

The 2000 race now is expected to be wide open with both parties fielding candidates capable of winning.

On the Democratic side, just-retired Gov. Bob Miller, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa and Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, who is not seeking re-election, top the list of potential candidates.

Nevada's other Democratic senator, Harry Reid, and other top Democrats were huddling today, weighing the party's options in the wake of Bryan's announcement.

Miller told the Sun this morning that he's interested in running for the Senate but would take his time in making a decision.

"I'm just getting used to being in the private sector and away from public life," Miller said. "It's not any decision I'm going to rush into. I want to discuss it at length with my family and others, and we'll make a decision down the line."

Republicans, meanwhile, have several candidates said to be interested in jumping in without Bryan in the race. They include former Rep. John Ensign, who lost a close race last year to Reid; Rep. Jim Gibbons; Secretary of State Dean Heller; and state Sen. Mark James of Las Vegas.

On the national scene, Bryan's departure is expected to make it more difficult for Democrats to cut into the 55-45 Republican majority in 2000. Of the seats up for grabs in 2000, 19 are held by Republicans and 14 by Democrats.

A former governor, attorney general and state legislator, Bryan has been regarded as a relentless campaigner throughout his career.

In the Senate, he established a reputation as a pro-consumer lawmaker who was tough on utilities, hospitals, banks and automakers.

As both governor and senator, Bryan was a leading opponent of the government's plans to install a dump for high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

He also has been critical of the anti-gaming forces on the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, which is conducting a two-year examination of the industry.

Bryan's overall voting record reflects the Democratic mainstream. In 1996, for example, he joined with a majority of Democrats against a majority of Republicans on 82 percent of party-line votes.

Yet Bryan also has taken a conservative posture on high-profile issues such as the balanced budget and cuts in the capital gains tax, stances that have separated him from liberal Democrats.

He has supported a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget, opposed banning certain semi-automatic weapons, supported a constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration and was one of 10 Democratic senators to support the January 1991 resolution authorizing the president to use force in the Persian Gulf.

A veteran of the Army who served in 1959-60, Bryan practiced law in Las Vegas before being elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1968, where he served until 1972. He served in the state Senate from 1972 to 1978 and was attorney general from 1978 to 1982.

Bryan was Nevada's governor from 1982 to 1988 and has served in the U.S. Senate since 1988. He is finishing his second six-year term.

After garnering 72 percent of the vote in his re-election to governor in 1986, Bryan decided to run for the U.S. Senate in midterm and defeated Republican incumbent Chic Hecht. Bryan got 50 percent of the vote, Hecht 46 percent.

During the 1994 general election to the U.S. Senate, Bryan outdistanced Republican Hal Furman 53 percent to 42 percent.

Sun reporter Ed Koch contributed to this report.