Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005 | 11:06 a.m.
Leaving much room for speculation, Jim Rogers said Wednesday that he is close to 50 percent committed to running for governor in 2006.
Rogers, chancellor of the state university system, gauged the likelihood of his entrance into the race during a interview on "Face to Face With Jon Ralston," on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable channel 19.
"I'm not committed to it," Rogers said when pressed about wether he would run for governor. "I'll tell you, I'm looking at it much more than I have in the past, all right. Now I don't know where I am at this point."
Rogers confirmed during the interview that he changed his party affiliation this week from Republican to nonpartisan. Rogers had said during a broadcast in June that if he ran it would be as a Republican.
"I changed my mind," said Rogers, saying he had never been "very involved in (party) structure."
"I've never been in this party as opposed to that party," he said. "And, quite frankly, since my name has been thrown out there by several people that I would run for governor, the rumblings from the political parties have really distressed me."
Rogers acknowledged he had given money to both sides of the aisle, including several high -profile Democrats. In the past he has given to the state Democratic Party, $2,000 to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., $2,000 to former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and $200 to Rep. Jon Thune, the Republican who defeated Daschle in November.
Records show he also contributed to Lynette Boggs McDonald's failed congressional run as a Republican in 2002. They also show he gave $2,000 to Republican Rep. Jon Porter in 2003 and Democratic challenger Tom Gallagher in 2004.
But past campaign contributions to Democrats would really hurt Rogers in Republican circles, UNR political science professor Eric Herzik said.
"With friends like that, you don't go far in a Republican primary," Herzik said.
He said Rogers switch to nonpartisan was only an advantage in that it would allow him to bypass the primaries should he decided to run.
"He can try to define himself," Herzik said. "The disadvantage is nobody will pay attention to him."
Herzik said Rogers is at a disadvantage in experience, time and name recognition if he runs and will have to rely upon moderate voters dissatisfied with their party.
"He wants to run, he wants to be governor," Herzik said.
But, Herzik added, "I don't think he understands how far behind in running a campaign he is. ... In terms of politics, if you boil it down, the thing he's got is money."
Rogers has been an intriguing possibility in the race because he is considered to be fairly moderate and is a multimillionaire and could bring his own money to the campaign.
A successful businessman and lawyer, Rogers owns Sunbelt Communications, which includes KVBC Channel 3. Rogers and his wife have been among the most prolific donors to higher education, having pledged $275 million to various higher-education institutions.
Candidates in the Republican primary said Rogers's change of affiliation from Republican to nonpartisan would not much affect how they conduct their campaigns.
"It's somewhere between good news and no news," state Sen. Bob Beers of Las Vegas said.
Beers, who announced his plans to run last month, said Roger's change in registration leaves many unanswered questions about any future campaign.
"The only thing we can say for sure is that he clearly hasn't decided not to run," Beers said, adding that a possible Rogers campaign is not his most pressing concern.
"I take things a step at a time, and my first step is going to be the Republican primary," Beers said.
Robert Uithoven, a spokesman for Republican Rep. Jim Gibbons' exploratory campaign committee, said Rogers change in affiliation did not have much bearing on a Gibbons' campaign and message.
Gibbons is expected to formally announce his candidacy in the next month.
"As far as how that affects the governor's race, let's first wait and see if Jim Rogers becomes a candidate," Uithoven said. "Would it change the dynamics of the race if he does get in as an independent? Absolutely." Rogers has been critical of Gibbons, the front-runner in polls, saying he didn't think Gibbons was particularly bright or that he had the experience to be governor. Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins of Henderson and Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus of Las Vegas are seeking the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination.
The show will be replayed over the weekend, although the times for the replays had not been set as of early today. The second half of the "Face to Face With Jon Ralston" interview with Rogers will be broadcast Aug. 8 on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable channel 19.
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