Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006 | 7:38 a.m.
Nevada's primary election traditionally has been held on the first Tuesday in September, but last year the Legislature decided to move it up to Aug. 15. Political analysts weren't sure if an earlier primary, held when many people aren't thinking about politics and may be on vacation, might reduce turnout and thereby leave many voters on the sidelines.
While voter turnout was disappointing, for the most part the outcome in most of the races went pretty much as predicted. Rep. Jim Gibbons defeated state Sen. Bob Beers and Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt in the Republican primary for governor. Gibbons will face Democratic state Sen. Dina Titus, who in a strong showing beat a formidable opponent in Jim Gibson, the popular mayor of Henderson. It will be an interesting matchup in November between the straight-talking Titus and Gibbons, who was accused by his Republican opponents of flip-flopping on important issues. Gibbons also may be loaded down with baggage from his long tenure in Congress, as there is growing public disgust with a Republican-controlled Congress.
If an anti-incumbent mood takes hold, Republican Rep. Jon Porter may be in jeopardy as he will face a tough challenger in Democrat Tessa Hafen, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. The only truly contested primary among the congressional races was in District 2, Gibbons' seat, as Secretary of State Dean Heller was in an incredibly tight race late Tuesday with Sharron Angle, who was propped up by a right-wing, out-of-state group, the Club for Growth. Jill Derby promises to give the Republican winner a tough, competitive contest in November. Another race to watch in the fall is the U.S. Senate race, as incumbent Republican John Ensign faces Democrat Jack Carter, the son of former President Jimmy Carter.
Among the countywide contests, the one receiving the most attention was the race for sheriff, arguably the most important elected office in Clark County. Jerry Airola overwhelmingly outspent his challengers, including Undersheriff Doug Gillespie, but this contest showed that money didn't automatically translate into votes, as Gillespie received the most votes. Gillespie, the professional police officer, will face Airola, who received the second-most votes, in the general election. Elsewhere, the voters chose to retire County Commissioner Myrna Williams, who was defeated in the Democratic primary by Chris Giunchigliani.
The primary election is now history, and attention will quickly move past the post-mortems. Our hope for the general election is that voters will take the time to learn the candidates' positions on issues and, very importantly, vote.
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