Gibbons faces little resistance

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000 | 10:08 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- "What race?"

This was the immediate reaction of political scientist Erik Herzik when asked to assess the challenges faced by Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., in his bid for re-election to a third term in the 2nd Congressional District.

Herzik says Gibbons won't have to spend a lot of time or money this election because of a weak field of opponents.

His district ranges from the Colorado River in the south to the northern tip of the Nevada border and has 535,000 registered voters, the most of any congressional district in the nation. Republicans outnumber Democrats 244,000 to 200,000.

In the GOP primary election, Gibbons faces political unknown Mitchell Tracy of Las Vegas. And Tierney Cahill, a schoolteacher from Reno making her first run for political office, is the only Democrat in the race.

"I never underestimate anyone," Gibbons said. "I admit we have the lead, but that can evaporate."

It would take a major blunder on Gibbons' part to blow this race, political experts say.

He has about $500,000 with the ability to raise a lot more campaign contributions.

Tracy, a two-year resident of Clark County, says he's raised only $1,000 and he's never been to Northern Nevada where the bulk of the votes are. He concedes Gibbons is "well entrenched," but he doesn't want the two-term congressman to win by default.

"I wanted to give people an option," he said.

The plan of Tracy, who turns 37 on Sept. 1, is to lay the groundwork for 2002 when there will be a third congressional seat in Nevada, and it will be in Clark County. The race against Gibbons, Tracy said, is a "stepping stone" to his run in 2002.

Tracy wants to abolish the income tax and replace it with a national sales tax. He wants to get the United States out of the United Nations. He wants to enforce strict gun-control laws with no plea bargaining and automatic jail sentences. He also wants to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and let the states run the schools.

He would privatize the Social Security Administration to give individuals more "control of your retirement and control on how much more Social Security you can have when you retire."

And he says, "No nuclear waste in Nevada."

This is Tracy's second try for elective office. He ran for public administrator in Orange County in California and says he received 20 percent of the vote.

Tracy and Gibbons have never met, but the two-term congressman said he is looking forward to talking with his GOP opponent.

Gibbons, a geologist, attorney and airline pilot, gained his political wings when he won election to the state Assembly in 1989 and was re-elected twice.

When the war in the Persian Gulf broke out, Gibbons volunteered to go with the Nevada Air National Guard to fly reconnaissance missions. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and other medals. While he was away, his wife, Dawn, served in his place in the Assembly during the first three months of the 1991 session.

She resigned when he returned, and he was appointed in her place. In 1998 Dawn sought and won the Assembly seat her husband formerly held. She is a candidate for re-election this year.

Gibbons said he is one of two members in Congress whose spouses hold elected office. The other is Joel Hefley of Colorado, whose wife is also in the state Legislature. Dawn continues to live in Reno so their children can go to school in Washoe County.

But the long distance marriage "puts a strain on family life," Gibbons said. He flies to Nevada most weekends, but he often has appearances and appointments in Clark County or in rural Nevada. He estimates they are able to spend only one weekend a month together at their Reno home.

"It's extremely demanding," he said. "We have to go in separate directions to cover separate events. She's a rising star in the Republican Party, and I'm proud of her."

As he sees them, the big Nevada issues are keeping nuclear waste out of the state and protecting gaming, ranching, mining and other business.

He was disappointed but not surprised that the national platform of the Republican Party included a plank endorsing the transfer of nuclear waste to Nevada. Other states, he said, want to get rid of the radioactive materials "with only one state bearing the brunt of it."

His goal over the next two years is to persuade Congress to change its policy from burying the waste to transmutation, or treatment to eliminate the dangers of radiation.

He tried but was unsuccessful during this session of Congress to ban Internet gambling.

Gibbons is a member of the committees on Armed Services, Veterans Affairs, Resources and Intelligence. If elected to a third term, he wants to get on the Appropriations Committee for armed services to help make sure Nevada gets a good share of money for its military bases. And he wants to remain on the Resources Committee because most of Nevada land is controlled by the federal government.

Since his election to the House, he has softened his rhetoric somewhat. In the past, he would refer to federal employees in Washington, D.C., as "Pencilneck Geeks." That phrase is absent now from most of his speeches.

His vehicle once sported a bumper sticker, "Fight Crime -- Shoot Back."

There's been speculation in the press that Gibbons may be the best Republican candidate when the term of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., expires in 2004. Herzik, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, sees that as a possibility. But he also says by that time, Gibbons should be in a leadership position in the House and may not want to risk moving to the Senate.

Nevada will gain a seat in the House next year with reapportionment. Herzik predicts Gibbons will end up in a district that is even more Republican than his present area. And that would cement his re-election in the future.

Gibbons is not talking about his long-term political future, saying he has to focus on the election at hand and the immediate issues in the House.