CAMPAIGN AD REALITY CHECK

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006 | 7:34 a.m.

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR

What the ad says

Jim Gibson: I'm Jim Gibson. My opponent has said some vicious things about me. Unfortunately, some people will say anything to get elected. The truth is I would never criminalize a woman's right to choose. I did not raise your power rates, and my vote is not for sale. Not now, not ever.

Announcer: Those who know the truth support Jim Gibson for governor. Review-Journal columnist Erin Neff said Gibson has a strong moral compass. The Las Vegas Sun says Gibson is the better choice. Jim Gibson, the honest choice for governor.

What the ad is trying to do

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson is making an 11th-hour attempt to play the victim in the Democratic primary for governor against state Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus. Gibson wants to end the campaign on a softer note after the ad war with Titus. And he wants to answer the charges that have hurt him the most. Talking directly to the camera is meant to convey honesty and sincerity.

What's accurate

It's difficult to argue with his statement that Titus has said some vicious things about him. She has portrayed him as a corrupt and greedy politician who put his own financial interests above those of his constituents. That fits the definition of vicious. So, did Gibson raise power rates? No. And Titus never said he did. What her ad says is that he was paid half a million dollars "to keep power bills high." Titus justifies that claim by saying Nevada Power helped kill a proposal to sell the utility to a public agency that would have reduced rates. But no one knows whether rates would have gone down. Is Gibson's vote for sale? Titus says it is. She has pointed out that many campaign contributors got what they wanted from Gibson, especially developer Tony Marnell. Many, if not most, government officials take campaign money when a donor has projects pending. But Marnell bundled $140,000 to Gibson. Does that mean Gibson's vote is for sale, though? Only he knows. That line in the Neff column surely was helpful to Gibson. He needed something to blunt a campaign calling him immoral, and the Sun endorsement came at a good time for Gibson, too. The ad's last line is meant to be read two ways. First, Jim Gibson is the honest choice. And second, guess who he wants you to think is the dishonest one?

What's wrong or misleading

Did Gibson ever say he would criminalize abortion? Not in those words. But he did say he would support legislation that reflected his moral belief that abortion should be illegal with rare exceptions. The Titus campaign translated that as criminalizing. Despite denials from Gibson's campaign that the mayor did not mean that, the truth is that we do not know what Gibson would do as governor on abortion - or if he would have a chance to do anything.