Wark gains respect in GOP ranks

Erin Neff

Monday, Aug. 6, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

Steve Wark has always been somewhat on the fringe.

The conservative proved too rebellious for the brass at Oral Roberts University and raised enough eyebrows when he first set foot in GOP headquarters in 1983 that party faithful figured him for a liberal.

"At the time I really liked Ronald Reagan and went down to Republican headquarters to register to vote," Wark said. "I had long hair and a Hawaiian shirt and the women in the office at the time were reluctant to register me because they thought I was a Democrat."

When Wark asked to volunteer he was given menial paperwork to test his skill. He stayed and would eventually run Pat Robertson's 1998 presidential campaign in Nevada and help Kenny Guinn get elected governor in 1998.

Recently elected chairman of the Clark County Republican Party, the 44-year-old grassroots guru still has those who question him. But as the GOP prepares for critical national, state and local races next year, even his detractors are willing to give him a chance.

"I've never been thrilled with Steve, and I'm not sure he's the man who can get us over the hump of the past couple years," said one longtime Republican activist. "But it's time to put the past behind us."

Wark's opponent for the chairmanship, John Hambrick, even declared, "We are one party" after last month's election and pledged his support of Wark.

"There will always be factions," Wark said. "All you need for a faction is one person. But the vast majority of people in the party are on the same page."

Wark was seen as young blood in the party during the Reagan years and was selected as a delegate to the 1984 GOP convention. Two years later he was executive director of the Clark County GOP -- a job he lost amid charges he couldn't handle the post.

But Wark, who says, "I tend not to be a conformist," kept plugging away for his conservative beliefs. When Jack Kemp dropped out of the 1988 presidential race, Wark went to work for Robertson and helped create such a groundswell of support that the televangelist won Nevada's presidential caucus.

That effort helped him get elected chairman of the state Republican Party in 1988. But just a year later Republicans rejected him because they said he brought too many right-wing zealots into the party and didn't raise enough money.

He twice ran unsuccessfully for the state Assembly against Democrat Chris Giunchigliani.

In recent years Wark raised eyebrows by supporting Democrats such as Las Vegas City Councilman Gary Reese and North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Stephanie Smith in their campaigns.

But he has built a solid name for himself and Republican causes through his media consulting business, Image & Design, which donated work to Republican candidates during the 2000 elections.

Now, as chairman, Wark is committed to turning the party around by focusing on fund-raising and voter registration -- two areas he believes the party let slip over the past few years.

"The plan is really nothing more than a campaign plan," Wark said. "This is not an uphill battle."

Wark was in Washington last week with Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald, introducing her to national party leaders and encouraging her to run against Democratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkley next year.

"She is an ideal candidate to be taking on Shelley Berkley," Wark said, drooling at the prospect of the race. "All that needs to be done is to have a campaign plan built around her strengths."

Wark said he also likes state Sen. Jon Porter's chances for Nevada's 3rd Congressional seat against Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera, and he said he thinks Gov. Kenny Guinn will easily win re-election.

"If (Las Vegas Mayor) Oscar Goodman wants to run (for governor) that's his business," Wark said. "It'll probably be a painful process for him."

Wark takes over the county's party at what he calls a zero financial level, but he pledges to raise $250,000 to fund the GOP's voter registration and campaign strategies.