Senate race out for state treasurer

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004 | 11:27 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Two-term state Treasurer Brian Krolicki said today he would not challenge Democrat U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, but it doesn't mean he's leaving politics.

The 43-year-old Republican formed an exploratory committee last year to look at the possibility of taking on Reid, who has more than $4 million in the bank and hopes to raise $10 million for the race.

"After putting all the pros and cons together, it tips toward not going this time," said Krolicki who had raised about $130,000 in contributions.

"I never believed we had to match Sen. Reid dollar for dollar," Krolicki said this morning. "I do believe we would have had enough support for a compelling race. His extraordinary war chest made it a big challenge." Krolicki said his polls show "Nevadans generally support Sen. Reid and have a favorable impression of him. He doesn't start from a weak position."

But he added, "Our numbers were very strong and found we could be competitive."

"While I believe this is a credible opportunity for the Republican Party to pick up a coveted seat in the U.S. Senate, the timing of this opportunity is not right for this Republican," he said in a prepared statement.

Sean Sinclair, a spokesman for Reid's re-election effort, said the campaign has been organizing volunteers and is ready to take on any Republican candidate.

"From our point of view, Sen. Reid has already spent one year putting together an aggressive grassroots campaign," Sinclair said. "That fact doesn't change no matter who decides to run against Sen. Reid."

In a statement this morning Reid said he respected Krolicki's decision and said "Brian has long been a faithful public servant for the state of Nevada and I wish him well in his future endeavors."

Krolicki's withdrawal means that Richard Ziser, former chairman of the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, is the only announced Republican candidate so far. Ziser, of Las Vegas, led the successful effort to amend the Nevada Constitution to allow marriages only between a man and a woman.

Steve Wark, a consultant for Ziser's campaign, said Ziser will pick up more of the traditional Republican voters now that Krolicki is out of the race.

Ziser has only raised $121,000 for the race so far. About half of the campaign funds came from a loan from Ziser.

Many Republicans told Ziser that they were waiting for Krolicki's decision before they gave him their support, Wark said.

"A lot of folks have gone up to him at these gatherings and said, 'we like you, we want to get behind you, but we have to wait to see what Brian (Krolicki) does first,' " Wark said. Secretary of State Dean Heller has been considering a run for the Senate but has yet to announce whether he will make a run. State Controller Kathy Augustine had considered a run but decided earlier this year not to run for Reid's seat, said Teresa Moiola, a spokeswoman for the controller's office. "Kathy did go back to Washington and meet with the Republican Senatorial Committee, and she just didn't feel there was enough time to run a dynamic campaign team," Moiola said.

Even though he is taking a pass on challenging Reid, Krolicki said he will stay in politics.

"I think there is a great likelihood that (Congressman) Jim Gibbons will run for governor," Krolicki said. " Should he run for governor, I would likely be filing for the 2nd Congressional District."

If Gibbons, a Republican, did not run for governor, Krolicki said he would "look hard at," a run for the governorship. He also might reenter the private financial business part-time and try for for the lieutenant governorship, which he said was"potentially attractive."

Gibbons was touted by Republicans to challenge Reid. But he decided to stay in the House for another term, saying he would work "vigorously to support the Bush-Cheney ticket and other key races in Nevada this year."

Krolicki was deputy state treasurer for eight years and is now in his second and last term as treasurer. The state Constitution bars him from running for a third term in that office.

His decision not to run for the U.S. Senate was "difficult and emotional," he said. But he added, "I've got a young family and I adore the job of treasurer."

He said he stopped raising money at the end of last year. "I had more money in the bank than anybody challenging Sen. Reid." During his exploratory campaign, he said he worked with the White House and the Republican Senatorial Committee. He said he would be contacting his key financial supporters to see if they want their money returned.