Nevadans split on Edwards by party

Suzanne Struglinski

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 | 10:53 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry's selection of Sen. John Edwards as his running mate today will be an added bonus to the campaign, Nevada supporters say.

"I think its an excellent choice," former Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said. "John Edwards is a very charismatic individual who has an uncanny ability to connect with the average voter."

Edwards ran against Kerry for the party's presidential nomination earlier this year. Kerry is the presumptive Democratic nominee and will accept the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Boston later this month.

Bryan said Edwards will be an "added spark" for the campaign. He worked with Edwards during his time in the Senate and found him to be "very smart" and a "delightful person."

"The thing about him is he has this conversational style," Bryan said. "When he talks about issues, you think he is talking to you and you alone. His communication skills are very efficient."

But Republicans are quick to point to Edwards' voting record; one in particular is of interest in Nevada.

"Nevada voters need to be reminded that Edwards, a trial lawyer, is pro-Yucca Mountain," Rep. Jon Porter's spokesman Adam Mayberry said.

Edwards voted in favor of the Yucca nuclear waste repository in the 2002 Senate vote that eventually allowed the project to move forward, according to Senate records.

But Edwards has told Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., that he supports Kerry's opposition to the Energy Department project, which would store nuclear waste 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Reid's spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said.

Reid's statement said Edwards supports Kerry "on all issues important to the people of Nevada , including Sen. Kerry's pledge to stop nuclear waste coming to Nevada."

"As a presidential candidate, we saw John Edwards intellect, optimism and ability to connect with people from all walks of life," Reid said. "He is a self-made man whose success comes from hard work, perseverance and belief in the American dream. He has worked to strengthen the middle class by fighting for better health care, education and jobs."

Bryan said Kerry's own relationship with Nevada is strong, but now Edwards will be a "nice complement to the ticket."

Democratic strategist Billy Vassiliadis said that Edwards has "magnetism." "He's got a ton of energy," he said. "He's incredibly likable."

While local Democrats pronounced themselves energized by Kerry's vice-presidential pick, several Republicans said they already see how the ticket might not play well in Nevada.

"His pick is laughable," state Republican executive director Chris Carr said. "And I'll tell you why: He picked someone based on polls, not experience."

Edwards probably won't help Kerry win his home state of North Carolina, let alone Nevada, Republican strategist Sig Rogich said.

Edwards' support for Yucca Mountain could work against Kerry's strategy in Nevada, Carr said. Edwards' vote shows that the push for Yucca was a bipartisan effort.

"I don't think Kerry can continue laying the blame solely on Republicans and our president," Carr said.

Vassiliadis said that Kerry can continue his anti-Yucca message based on his record of voting against the dump.

"The fact that Kerry is leading the ticket is all that matters," he said. "He's made his position clear both by his voting and his words."

Edwards, who made his fortune as a trial lawyer suing large corporations, could strike a tone in Nevada, where three initiatives involving medical malpractice will appear on the November ballot, Rogich said.

Edwards' record in court, Rogich said, should concern doctors and small and large businesses.

"I think that reasonable minds will understand in this day and age that malpractice lawsuits cost hundreds of millions of dollars and shut businesses down unfairly," he said.

Dr. Raj Chanderraj, former chairman of the Clark County Health Access Consortium, said he is nonpartisan but has concerns that Edwards will be a "setback" to national efforts to reform malpractice laws.

Yet Vassiliadis said that Edwards took on large companies that were hurting the working class, such as tobacco.

"Ironically," Vassiliadis said, "I think the Republicans think they're going to get some points off John Edwards as a trial lawyer until they realize the companies he went after were the companies George Bush and Dick Cheney have been taking care of the last few years." Sun reporter

Kirsten Searer contributed to this story.