Gibson has head start if he runs for governor

Monday, July 25, 2005 | 9:17 a.m.

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, who is mulling a run for governor, has nearly $450,000 left over from his latest re-election campaign in which he raised in excess of $800,000.

Gibson said he will make an announcement in August on whether to seek the Democratic nomination, but if he jumps into the race, he won't have to start from scratch in raising money. He raised $27,500 in June, two months after his re-election, primarily from gaming interests.

"I think if we decide to do it, it will be a very good jump start," Gibson said of his campaign war chest.

If he decides to run, Gibson said, he doesn't see a problem with using money from his mayoral campaign. If a donor objected, he said he'd be willing to return the money.

Gibson said Friday he's no closer to making a decision and reiterated that family considerations will be the deciding factor.

After spending nearly $40,000 between 2002 and 2004, Gibson entered the year with nearly $420,000 in the bank for his mayoral campaign. He ended up raising more than $400,800 between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to the latest financial reports filed with the Henderson city clerk.

Gibson wound up spending about $375,000 this year, well more than he needed in April for a winning a third term with 80 percent of the vote. By contrast, his two challengers spent a combined $6,700, according to the election reports.

Gibson said he raised and spent so much money for his mayoral campaign because he had no clue of what kind of opposition he would face and the capacity of his opponents to raise money. He said he has no regrets about spending that much money, and that it was important to stick with the campaign plan in place. He said he could have raised much more money for his mayoral campaign if he needed to do so.

Two Democrats already are in the gubernatorial field. Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus of Las Vegas has announced her candidacy, and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins of Henderson has said he plans to run, but hasn't made a formal announcement.

Titus' campaign has declined to speculate on a Gibson candidacy, and Perkins has declined to return phone calls on the race.

Gibson said the cost of a primary could run between $2 million to $3 million for a hotly contested campaign.

The mayor continued to bring in large donations even after his win. He raised $27,500 in June alone, including $10,000 each from Boyd Gaming and the Stardust, $5,000 from Coast Casinos and $2,500 from Associated General Contractors.

Political consultant Gary Gray said having that much cash on hand puts Gibson in a good position, especially since a candidate needs about $1.5 million to run a credible campaign on television in the primary. Gibson is nearly one-third of the way there, he said.

"I think the biggest effect of having it is that it will cause donors to switch to a wait-and-see mode," Gray said. "Gibson would be looked at as becoming a serious candidate with that kind of money, and they will see how it plays out."

Gibson said spending $1.5 million for a primary would be a minimum threshold.

Titus' campaign said she raised $8,000 in the first 24 hours that members of the Legislature could start raising money on July 8, but has declined to say how much she has raised all together. Gubernatorial candidates don't have to file their campaign contribution reports until January.

In 2004 Gibson, using his campaign kitty, gave Titus two donations totaling $1,500 for her re-election campaign in the state Senate.

Eric Herzik, a political science profession at UNR, called it speculation on his part but said he expects Gibson to enter the race.

"I am basing it on talking to people, and he is definitely interested and wants to get in," Herzik said. "That is the first measure of sounding out money to see if there is support. Unless there is a negative response, I think he will get in."

Having three Clark County candidates, two from Henderson, should only help Titus, Herzik said. He called Perkins and Gibson the more conservative candidates who are somewhat alike and will split votes because they are going after the state constituency.

"If I were giving odds, he (Gibson) would be in third place, but he would not be a long shot," Herzik said.