Forbuss camp blames Question 2 for loss in Board of Regents race

Jennifer Knight

Monday, Nov. 11, 2002 | 11:04 a.m.

Supporters of Bob Forbuss blame the loss of their favored candidate for Board of Regents in last week's election on conservative support for Question 2, coupled with a whisper campaign about him being gay.

As a gay candidate running in a conservative political environment, Forbuss was the victim of fervor for Question 2, which addressed the definition of marriage, said political consultant Billy Vassiliadis. Forbuss' opponent, Bret Whipple, just happened to be on the winning side, the consultant said.

"I know there was some last-minute (mailing campaigns) that specifically said that Bob Forbuss opposed Question 2," said Vassiliadis, who supported the Forbuss campaign. "The obvious implication being that he is not our kind of regent."

Political experts said the oft-ignored regents race is a prime example of how candidates with little name recognition were able to capitalize on the popularity of Question 2, which passed with overwhelming approval.

Question 2 amends the state constitution to stipulate that a legal marriage can only be between a man and a woman, something that is already covered by state law. The initiative was viewed by gays as a divisive way to deny same-sex couples benefits such as hospital visitation rights, estate inheritance, emergency health care authority and joint property rights.

"Question 2 served as a huge turnout vehicle, and Bret Whipple definitely benefited from that," said Steve Forsythe, who ran the Forbuss campaign.

But one supporter of Whipple's campaign in District 2 said that his win by a margin of 10 percentage points was not due to negative publicity about his opponent, but rather hard work and a grass-roots campaign that started before the primary election.

"I don't think in this town being gay really hurts you," said Mike Cannon, who contributed to Whipple's campaign. "I think (Forbuss) was counting on his name, his money and his contacts. I think Bret was just smart enough to get out there and do the grass-roots effort."

Whipple's grass-roots effort included walking his district, knocking on doors and passing out pamphlets with "Yes on 2" information stapled inside. Whipple, along with regent candidates Stavros Anthony and Jack Schofield, also signed pledges supporting the spirit of Question 2. All of the regent candidates who signed the pledge won their races.

"It's pretty hard to argue coincidence when all three who signed it won their race," said Anthony, who ran for regent in District 12.

Forbuss echoed that feeling.

"I was the only regent candidate who lost that did not sign the pledge," Forbuss said. Forbuss was supported by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, which also backed 46 other candidates. Forbuss was the only candidate backed by the chamber to lose in Tuesday's election.

With Whipple identifying himself with Question 2 supporters, political pundits say he appealed to a crowd that was more apt to show up at the polls, said Eric Herzik, a University of Nevada, Reno political scientist professor. "(Question 2) supporters were the people who showed up on Tuesday," Herzik said. "If he cloaked himself in the 'Yes on 2' robe, it didn't hurt him."

Richard Ziser, chairman of the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, which got Question 2 on the ballot, said candidates who signed his pledge also reaped the benefit of an additional mailer.

"We did send out a list of the candidates who signed the pledge to all of our people," Ziser said. "When you have candidates supporting protection of marriage, their races probably benefited from that because there were so many supporters of Question 2." The campaigns run by Whipple and Forbuss could not have been more different. Whipple had a lot of ground to cover when he first began campaigning. He was an unknown in politics and had raised only $23,000 to Forbuss' $60,000. He also lacked the experience and bipartisan political endorsements that Forbuss had.

Whipple said the endorsement by Ziser's group was a way to widen his base of support.

"It's the same thing as a Hispanic or Asian endorsement," Whipple said. "You want as much support from as many groups as possible. It's a popularity contest. The more support you get, the more votes come your way."

About 12,668 votes came Whipple's way, representing 55.1 percent of the vote. Forbuss had 10,288 votes or 44.8 percent.

Forbuss said his only regret in the campaign is that Whipple's ads were negative toward the end. "He's young. He'll learn," Forbuss said. "You should never try to hurt somebody and caste aspersions for your own political aggrandizement. No political office is worth that."