Speculation begins over Del Papa successor

Tuesday, July 31, 2001 | 10:40 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The announcement by Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa that she won't run for a fourth term sets off a fresh round of speculation on possible successors.

The 51-year-old Del Papa said her decision was a personal one and there are other things she would like to pursue such as travel.

This could be a blessing for Republicans. Del Papa is the only Democrat holding a statewide constitutional office and she would have been considered a favorite if she chose to run again.

Only two Republicans served as Nevada attorney general in the last century -- Bob List and Brian McKay. And Democrat and Republican voter registration is now running neck and neck.

The early favorite is Brian Sandoval, who resigns Wednesday as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. The Del Papa announcement doesn't change his timetable on deciding whether to get in the attorney general's race, he said. And that is expected soon.

State Republican Chairman Bob Seale said his party is "poised and ready to insert one of our own and have a clean sweep of the constitutional officers." He said Sandoval has done an "outstanding job" and "is somebody the Republican Party get behind pretty easily."

"This opens the door for a clean sweep," said Seale, noting the other five statewide constitutional offices are held by Republicans who are expected to run for re-election. "They are all incumbents and it bodes well for us."

He said he was not surprised by Del Papa's announcement and added she will "be missed by the Democratic Party."

State Democratic Chairman Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, said he was not surprised by Del Papa's announcement. He said there are names that cross his desk daily as possible Democratic candidates but he declined to reveal them.

"I'm not sure how well Brian Sandoval is known statewide," said Care. "It's still anybody's race to win," noting it's a long time until November 2002.

Sandoval, a former two-term Republican state Assemblyman from Reno, said he wants to get off the gaming commission before making a final decision. He said he will celebrate his 38th birthday Sunday and will be out of town for the weekend.

It's then, he said, that he will talk with his family about the political future.

Sandoval's departure from the gaming commission will leave him free to solicit campaign contributions from the casino industry, the big source of money for political races in Nevada. When informed of Del Papa's decision, Sandoval said she has "served with distinction."

Sandoval is the favorite because he's the first to make a move toward the job. His run for the Assembly was in a safe GOP district where Republicans outnumbered Democrats. Otherwise he is untested.

Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, has been mentioned as a possible candidate. She is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

Another possible Democratic name being tossed about is Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny, who said she was flattered her name is being mentioned but she has not made any commitment.

Kenny, who served one term in the Legislature, said, "The position is interesting and high profile." And she said it holds the potential to do a lot of good.

Kenny is now attending law school at UNLV and is slated to graduate next May. There is no law requiring the attorney general to be a lawyer. And she would be taking the bar exam during the campaign next year. She said she would have to decide whether it would be possible to run a statewide campaign and still prepare for the bar examination.

Two Republicans mentioned sometimes as possible candidates for attorney general aren't interested or are lukewarm.

State Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he's going to run for another term.

Scott Scherer, who ran against Del Papa in 1998, said, "I haven't made up my mind but I'm pretty well satisfied where I am."

Scherer, a member of the state Gaming Control Board, said he has not entirely ruled out a second try for the office and it would depend who is in the field.

"If there are other good candidates, it doesn't need to be me," he said. Asked if Sandoval was a good candidate, Scherer said, "If Brian decides to run he would be a very good candidate."

Whoever succeeds Del Papa in the $110,000-a-year job will inherit one of the largest if not the largest law firms in the state with a staff of more than 315.

In an e-mail to her workers, Del Papa said, "I will work hard to help leave the office in good shape for my successor and I will work for your future in the next budget cycle."

She said she intends to stay active in politics and public issues but added that she won't be a candidate for any other office this coming election. But she didn't rule out future political ambitions.

Del Papa disappointed many Democrats when she announced for and then withdrew from the governor's race in 1998 and the U.S. Senate contest in 2000. Both times, she would have been the Democratic choice but she bowed out both times, saying she could not raise the money to be competitive.

Republican Kenny Guinn went on to win the governorship and Republican John Ensign captured the Senate.

Del Papa has worked closely with Guinn during the two first two years of his administration on a number of projects.

There are no strong Democrats to take on Guinn next year. That would permit the governor and the party to give attention to help a candidate fill out the statewide GOP ticket. Del Papa said there are a number of possible Democratic candidates but she declined to name them, referring the inquiry to Care.

On the personal level, Del Papa said she's uncertain what she will do for a living after she leaves office. She had only a limited private practice before launching her 16 years in statewide public office.

"There are other things I want to do. There are trips I want to take, other languages I want to learn, painting. I have put them on hold."

Del Papa is a former member of the Board of Regents. She was then elected as the first woman secretary of state. After serving one term, she was elected as the state's first female attorney general.

Noteworthy accomplishments of her office, she said, have been the legal fight to stop the nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain, the tobacco settlement in which the state will receive millions of dollars for the next 20 years and her battle to reduce frivolous suits by inmates.

But her biggest accomplishments as attorney general, she said, were in the areas of consumer protections and fraud prevention.

"The efforts put forth there will live on long after I'm gone," she said.

archive