Reid talks to Schneider about county seat

Dan Kulin

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005 | 10:13 a.m.

Looking to fill the Democratic side of next year's state and local ballots, Sen. Harry Reid recently reached out to a state senator, a Las Vegas councilman and a former attorney general candidate, asking them to run for lieutenant governor or the Clark County Commission.

A Reid spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday that the senator talked to state Sen. Mike Schneider about running for the County Commission seat held by Republican Lynette Boggs McDonald.

Las Vegas Councilman Steve Wolfson was asked to run for lieutenant governor, and Reid spoke with former attorney general candidate John Hunt about running for a "number of different" elected offices.

Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen would not say which offices were discussed with Hunt, but Hunt said he is considering a run for lieutenant governor or secretary of state. In 2002, Hunt ran for attorney general, losing to Republican Brian Sandoval.

Schneider said he is considering running next year, but would not say whether he and Reid discussed him being a candidate for lieutenant governor of county commissioner.

Wolfson, first elected to the council in a June 2004 special election, said he decided against running for the statewide office. Wolfson said Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and former Gov. Bob Miller also called to encourage him to run.

"Timing is everything and for me the timing's just not right," Wolfson said, adding that he has one daughter heading to college next year and another who will still be in high school.

"I was very flattered, very humbled. But next year a statewide or local race would be bad for me," he said.

Hunt said he is leaning towards a run for lieutenant governor now that John Moran has bowed out of that race and no other Democrat has stepped forward.

"I was supporting John Moran 100 percent, and now he's encouraged me to run as well," Hunt said.

Hunt said he has contacted his campaign team in preparation for a run, but he said he will wait and see who else announces for the two races before making his decision.

Republican state Treasurer Brian Krolicki is planning to run for lieutenant governor.

The candidates for secretary of state are expected to be Miller's son Ross Miller, a Democrat; and Republicans Danny Tarkanian, son of the former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and current Las Vegas Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian; former Clark County Republican Party Chairman Brian Scroggins and former Assemblywoman Merle Berman.

Schneider, D-Las Vegas, said he was surprised to receive a call from Reid because he has felt in the past that the party leaders were averse to supporting a "conservative Democrat."

"I was a black sheep Democrat, but now if you want to win the statewide races you need a more moderate Democrat," Schneider said.

Schneider said he will probably decide within the next two months whether he will run. But a potential campaign against Boggs McDonald was certainly helped Wednesday by an announcement that the state Ethics Commission will hold a hearing on allegations the commissioner tried to use her power to save her husband's state job.

Schneider would also be helped by a distinct Democratic advantage in party registration in that commission district where there are about 8,000 more Democrats than Republicans.

Even though the candidate-filing period isn't until May, generally candidates in statewide races announce their candidacies months before to give themselves more time to raise money and get their messages to voters.6