Russo is ready for a whole new party

Martin Kuz

Thursday, Nov. 4, 1999 | 11:26 a.m.

Sixteen years ago movie producer Aaron Russo helped spawn the Eddie Murphy hit "Trading Places." Russo's latest project could be titled "Trading Parties."

Russo, the brash outsider who roiled Nevada politics last year in losing the Republican gubernatorial primary to Kenny Guinn, has jumped to the Libertarian Party. The move comes four months after Russo declared he would run for Congress as an independent.

Russo, 56, said in a phone interview Wednesday from Los Angeles that he made the switch because he feels the Libertarian philosophy of less government control and greater individual autonomy jibes with his own ideals. He previously has advocated abolishing the Internal Revenue Service and legalizing marijuana.

"I'm for the freedom of each person," he said. "The government is there to serve you; you're not there to serve the government."

Russo remains undecided on whether he will seek the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Richard Bryan or the 1st Congressional District post held by Democrat Shelley Berkley. Republican John Ensign, a former two-term congressman who last year lost a hotly contested bid to oust Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is the early favorite in the race to succeed Bryan.

Russo said he will announce his plans after Jan. 1.

"My heart leans toward the Senate, but being a sensible, prudent person, I haven't made up my mind yet," he said. "The Senate race is the tougher race, but I think I can beat him (Ensign)."

Nevada Libertarian Party leaders welcomed Russo's defection to their side. State Director Chris Azzaro said national party officials will mount a push to try to help Russo become the first Libertarian to win federal office.

"The Libertarian Party is Aaron Russo's true, philosophical home," Azzaro said. "He believes in lower taxes, small government and more personal freedom -- that's a perfect fit for the Libertarian Party."

Russo said the chance to tap into an organized party's voter base convinced him to shed his independent status. He abandoned the Republican Party in July, accusing state GOP leaders of sabotaging his largely self-financed bid for governor last year.

During that campaign critics branded Russo a millionaire carpetbagger, a reference to his moving to Las Vegas from California only two years prior to the 1998 election. The media hammered him for failing to get a Nevada's driver's license within 30 days of residency, as state law requires, and for alleged tax problems.

But Russo, the onetime manager and lover of Bette Midler and a former nightclub manager in New York and Chicago, sparked grass-roots support with his brazen, shoot-from-the-lip style. He garnered 26 percent of the vote to Guinn's 59 percent in the Republican primary. Guinn went on to trounce then-Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones in the general election.

"It was not a fair and open primary between me and Kenny Guinn. I had to fight the party. I didn't want to go through that again," Russo said.

State Republican officials are unfazed by both Russo's criticism and his move to the Libertarian Party.

"It's not a big impact," Nevada GOP Executive Director Ryan Erwin said. "I don't think Aaron Russo figured into any of our plans for 2000. We're more concerned with recruiting quality candidates."

State statistics show there are 5,041 registered Libertarians in Nevada. That compares with 375,395 Democrats and 374,273 Republicans.