Down homestretch, parties turn to Nevada

Jace Radke and Greg Tuttle

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2000 | 11:15 a.m.

Both political parties are making a final presidential push for voters in Nevada, with both the Republican and Democratic vice presidential nominees scheduled to make stops in the state before the Nov. 7 election.

Close to 2,000 people are expected to turn out tonight to hear GOP vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney at a rally at the Reno-Tahoe Airport, and Democrats are hoping for big crowds at UNLV Thursday when their vice presidential nominee, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., visits.

Four Western governors visited Las Vegas on Monday stumping for Texas Gov. George W. Bush, while former Nevada Gov. Bob Miller and a Texas legislator took aim at Bush and campaigned for Vice President Al Gore.

Republican governors -- Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, Mike Leavitt of Utah, Bill Owens of Colorado and Gary Johnson of New Mexico -- met with residents at a northwest Las Vegas retirement home as part of the Bush campaign's "Barnstorm for Reform."

On Sunday 29 Republican governors met in Austin, Texas, and spread out from there on a campaign tour to 48 cities in 25 states that will last through Wednesday.

"With just 15 days to go this is a significant effort that really came together last week," Johnson said after speaking to residents at the Sunlake Terrace Retirement Community, 3250 S. Fort Apache Road. "We really first found out about this last week, and the way the governors have responded to help Gov. Bush has been amazing."

Gov. Kenny Guinn is part of a group of governors who are touring Missouri and Iowa with Bush.

Kempthorne and his colleagues spoke about Medicare, Social Security and education, as the residents at Sunlake had their choice of corned beef and cabbage or fried chicken for dinner.

"Gov. Bush wants to insure Social Security benefits for those that rely on it," Kempthorne said. "He wants to take a portion of that money and let young people invest it, so that Social Security will be there for them.

"The governor's opponent is saying he wants to have $40 trillion of IOU's, but we don't want anymore IOU's."

Miller and Pete Gallegos, a five-term state representative from Texas, attacked Bush's stance on patient's rights, health insurance and the environment, during a Monday morning press conference at the Nevada State Democratic Party headquarters.

Miller also lashed out at the visiting governors, including Kempthorne, who Miller said was a staunch supporter of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump.

"Their appearance in this state is an insult to anyone who cares about the environment," Miller said.

Citing an effort to locate a low-level nuclear waste repository in his district, Gallegos said Bush has two faces when dealing with the issue of nuclear waste.

Bush has not been consistent between his public position and his negotiations with federal lawmakers over the Texas dumpsite, an issue that has simmered for years, Gallegos said.

"Even now Texas has not chosen a site, but we still fight that battle," he said.

Cheney, who is scheduled to arrive in Reno from Oregon this evening, will deliver a general campaign speech and is expected to touch on some Nevada issues, Republican Executive Director Ryan Erwin said.

Cheney will spend the night in Reno and will leave early Wednesday.

Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt will speak at the event, which starts at 5:30 p.m. and lasts until about 7 p.m. Erwin said many GOP candidates are expected to attend.

Senate GOP candidate John Ensign isn't attending, and Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., is busy with congressional business in Washington, D.C. But Erwin said he does expect Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons, the wife of the congressman.

More than 1,200 tickets were given out by mid-morning Monday for the event.

Leiberman's Nov. 1 visit is still being planned, but the senator is expected to speak at a rally, possibly on the UNLV campus, a spokeswoman for the State Democratic Party said.

Sun Reporter Cy Ryan contributed to this story.