Neal is keeping them guessing

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 | 9:05 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, the first black elected to the state Senate, is considering not running for re-election, political sources say.

Neal, 68, would not confirm reports that are circulating that he will quit when his term expires this year.

"I will make a statement later this month," he said Monday.

Neal and Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, are currently the longest serving members of the Legislature, with 32 years apiece. They have served longer in the Senate than any member in history.

Former Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen, R-Minden, was the longest serving legislator, with a combined 40 years in both the Senate and Assembly.

Raggio said Monday he would decide in April if he will run for election.

Two political sources, who asked not to be identified, said Neal has decided against seeking another four-year term. But others are not so sure.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said, "Joe is being very mysterious."

"When he filed for governor, he waited until the last hour," before filing, Titus said. "We can't tell until the last hour."

Neal, asked if he prefers somebody to succeed him, said, "I do not have a handpicked candidate."

Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said she would be surprised if Neal did not run for re-election.

Neal won a tight re-election campaign in the Democratic primary in 2000. There were no Republicans in the race.

Senate District 4 in Clark County has 20,166 Democrats compared with 9,124 Republicans, according to latest registration figures from the secretary of state.

Since his election, Neal has been at the forefront of civil rights legislation. He introduced a bill to make it a crime for police officers to conduct racial profiling. He also sponsored bills to restore the civil rights of convicted felons under certain circumstances.

Neal was a leader in the unsuccessful effort to abolish the death penalty. He also was a sponsor of the bill to abolish the death penalty for the mentally retarded, which was successful.