Columnist Erin Neff: Gibbons has nothing to lose by facing Reid

Erin Neff

Saturday, Aug. 23, 2003 | 1:41 a.m.

Erin Neff covers politics for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-4062, or by e-mail at erin@lasvegassun.com.

BY NOW GIBBONS probably has his mind made up.

But if he still hasn't decided whether to run against Sen. Harry Reid, here's the best reason he should enter the race: He could win, but even if he didn't, his political future wouldn't suffer much.

Reid has a history of stagnant campaigning and only beat John Ensign by 428 votes six years ago.

Gibbons is already well-known throughout Northern and rural Nevada and will gain more prominence next fall with the ballot initiative he has proposed in the wake of the legislative budget crisis.

On paper the race is a political junkie's dream.

Not only would the race generate national attention, a race of that caliber would likely spark more interest in Nevada's congressional, and possibly, state legislative races.

Gibbons has already risen about as far as he can in the House, serving on the key Intelligence Committee and working with the Bush administration on homeland security and national security issues.

Now in his fourth term and in the majority party, Gibbons can aspire to few higher positions in the house.

If he runs for Senate, Gibbons will have to establish a statewide machine, pumping up get-out-the-vote efforts from Mesquite to Winnemucca.

And, should he lose to Reid, that machine will simply need a little oil to prep it for a run at governor in 2006. So, unlike the many, if not most, failed candidates who wind up washed up politically, Gibbons would be left well-positioned for his next campaign even if he loses a senatorial bid.

Gibbons has had his eyes on the governor's mansion for years, and those close to him, including his wife, Dawn, say Gibbons should run for the state's highest office.

Running for governor could help Gibbons avenge his 1994 loss to Bob Miller, and would also put him closer to an issue he truly relishes -- taxes.

Gibbons was outraged this year when the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the two-thirds vote requirement for taxes could be set aside by the 2003 Legislature as it considered tax hikes.

As the author of that initiative, which gained widespread voter support, Gibbons said he thought the Supreme Court decision was an affront to the spirit of democracy.

How better to win back the trust than by putting his name, and not just another initiative, on the statewide ballot for governor.

And the 2006 race could prove to be the ultimate referendum on this year's record tax hike if Gibbons does square off against Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson.

It was Perkins, after all, who linked the education budget with the tax proposal. And it was Perkins who supported a broad-based business tax throughout the session.

The other Democrats interested in running in 2006 are Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, whom Gibbons could attack over taxes, and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, whose candidacy would make for a very confusing ballot.

Gibbons has kept his decision-making process very secretive. He even denied meeting with White House political guru Karl Rove about running against Reid even though a key Gibbons adviser has said the meeting occurred.

The White House wants Reid tied up so that the assistant Senate minority leader doesn't poke around in other races around the country.

But a Gibbons senatorial bid would also benefit Nevadans because they would have two top-notch candidates providing a true discourse on the future of the state and the nation.