Jon Ralston takes a live look and a television perspective on how the candidates for governor fared

Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006 | 8:50 a.m.

The headline for Friday night's gubernatorial debates is simple: Gibbons, Titus don't lose.

That's not to say frontrunners Jim Gibbons and Dina Titus won. But neither committed the kind of substantive or performance mistake that might have seriously hurt them.

And make no mistake: Performance is important, too. Not because many people were watching or even see the news coverage, but it does give an indication of how quickly a candidate can think on his or her feet and can provide a window into his or her character and personality.

I watched the debates twice - once live at the studio and then through the magic of TiVo. Perceptions can differ if you are there or watching through television's filter - and they certainly are refracted for many viewers through the prism of their favored candidate.

I will not spend much time with the Democratic debate because they had met thrice already.

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson was better and more focused than he has been, although his sweating (not as visible on television) and his inherent discomfort with campaigning were evident. It's also hard to say whether his sonorous voice is soothing or soporific.

Senate Minority Leader Titus continued her relentless attack on her opponent for taking money from developers and Nevada Power while punching up her answers with her staple of clichs - "lawyer talk," "do the crime, do the time," and choosing "between kids and cons." It's also hard to say whether people find that refreshing or annoying.

As for the Republicans, this was the first time Gibbons appeared on TV with his opponents, so here are some thumbnails:

* Rep. Gibbons: As his handlers held their collective breath, Gibbons managed to keep his feet on the ground and out of his mouth. Despite occasionally twisting himself into a syntactical pretzel - yes, he referred to a child as an "it" - he looked relatively comfortable. The congressman said very little of substance, but that allowed him not to make a substantive mistake.

Gibbons credibly pointed out state Sen. Bob Beers' votes for huge budgets as state Republican lawmakers have hypocritically done forever while voting against taxes. He also hit some GOP buzz phrases - he is for "accountability" in education and against using the surplus to "grow government," although his declaration that No Child Left Behind is working may be dissonant even to GOP voters. But he did what he needed to do, which essentially was to do nothing.

* Beers: My impression in the studio was that Beers won the debate in a landslide. He had specifics. He had mostly clear ideas. He had substance. And he had the brilliant technique of setting up Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt to attack Gibbons with one of his questions, which worked beautifully.

But watching on TV gives a slightly different impression, as several people noted to me later. Beers can come off as the class wiseacre, barely containing a smirk, like it's all a big joke and he's so smart that he may be the only one in on it. He can get lost in specifics, which may win points in Debate Club but perhaps not here. He also had one bizarre moment when he pointed at a cameraman giving cues and instructed moderator Mitch Fox to tell him to stop.

Despite that, Gibbons should be thankful every day that Beers did not have $2 million to spend, or this race might be very different.

* Hunt: It was sad watching Hunt have to flip through her little binder looking for her scripted responses. And when she did loosen her script shackles, she talked about a state income tax, which she had to quickly correct. Her attack on Gibbons was hilarious - "he flip-flopped like John Kerry and plagiarized like Joe Biden" - and pointed - she referred to a letter Gibbons wrote to Chancellor Jim Rogers promising to match state dollars to private fundraising on an academic medical center, which is a pledge he probably can't keep.

But her most memorable and unfortunate line came at the end of Hunt's opening statement: "Tonight I ask you to seriously consider my candidacy for governor." I wonder how many GOP voters are.

Jon Ralston hosts "Face to Face With Jon Ralston" on Las Vegas ONE and publishes the daily e-mail newsletter "RalstonFlash.com." His column for the Las Vegas Sun appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Ralston can be reached at 870-7997 or at ralston@vegas.com.