Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006 | 7:06 a.m.
After the 2002 election, there was no question who the winners and losers were and where things stood.
Republicans had bludgeoned Democrats up and down the ticket; two chosen candidates of Sen. Harry Reid - Erin Kenny and Dario Herrera - went down to ignominious defeats before they were indicted for bribery, while Reid went from majority whip to the minority in the U.S. Senate.
This year, though, the picture is mixed. Republicans in Nevada are in disarray and suffering the wounds of a catastrophic national loss. At the same time, they still managed to win the most high-profile races: Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jon Porter were both re-elected, while Jim Gibbons was elected governor and Dean Heller congressman.
The Democrats, on the other hand, won four of six constitutional offices, but they couldn't win the big ones.
What's clear is that the political drink has been stirred.
Here's a look at key Nevada players and what Tuesday did to their standing.
Jim Gibbons: Gibbons had a 10-point lead and a pile of cash going into the final weeks of the campaign against Democratic state Sen. Dina Titus. Then, he was accused of influence peddling, assaulting a woman and hiring an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper. He limped across the finish line with under 50 percent of the vote. Some old-time Nevadans say they're reminded of Bob List, who was governor in the late '70s with scandal hanging over his head. (Interesting side note: List and Gibbons share a political adviser: Sig Rogich.)
Sig Rogich: The Republican consultant and lobbyist again has the ear of the governor. He comes somewhat tainted, however, as he was at McCormick & Schmick's with Gibbons when they had their fateful meeting with Chrissy Mazzeo, who went on to accuse Gibbons of assaulting her.
Sen. Harry Reid: He's in line to become the Senate majority leader, the most powerful Nevadan in history. He's also credited with professionalizing the local Democratic Party and bringing the early presidential caucus to Nevada. Reid will be signing off on just about everything that happens, both locally and in D.C.
Sen. John Ensign: The Republican cruised to an easy victory against Jack Carter in the face of a Democratic wave. Because some senior Republicans got knocked off, he moves up the ladder. He'll also be chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which means he'll recruit candidates, raise money and help direct efforts to win back the Senate. If he's successful, he'll be rewarded big time.
Mike Slanker: Slanker, a Republican consultant, won races for Ensign, Rep. Jon Porter and Dean Heller. A source also says Slanker is headed to D.C., where he'll help Ensign run the NRSC. That could not be confirmed, however, because Slanker does not return phone calls from the Sun.
Rep. Jon Porter: Sure, he won re-election even as many of his colleagues went down, but he's now in the minority. Hope the congressman is ready for a new office, the size of a closet.
Rep. Shelley Berkley: She's now in the majority, and she's engendered loyalty with Democratic House members all over the country. Maybe now she'll feel safe enough in her district that she won't have to run those horrible ads.
Barbara Buckley: It's no wonder that when Buckley answered the phone Wednesday, she said, "Isn't it a great day?" She was talking about the national picture, but she may as well have been talking about herself. Buckley's about to become the first woman speaker of the Assembly, and Gibbons won't get anything without her. "There'll be three people pretending to be governor in Carson City - Titus, Buckley and Gibbons," UNLV political scientist Dave Damore said.
Gary Gray: The Democratic political consultant led Kate Marshall to victory in the treasurer's race, while helping his wife, Chris Giunchigliani, win a Clark County Commission seat. He's also the consultant for Buckley and other Assembly Democrats, and he ran Bill Clinton's 1996 Nevada campaign. We hear another Clinton might be running for president, and might need help in Nevada.
Paul Adams: The state party didn't get its act together until five or six weeks before the election, and Republicans who won did so without the help of the party, Republican consultants said. Chairman Adams stuck his foot in his mouth with regularity and was more focused on Saddam's weapons of mass destruction and Reid, who isn't even running again until 2010, than on the task at hand: Getting Republicans elected. A housecleaning may be in order.
Democratic Party: The party is more organized and effective than at any time anyone can remember. They've developed a farm team of candidates for the future, including Kate Marshall, Ross Miller, Catherine Cortez Masto and Tessa Hafen. They have the early presidential caucus. All well and good. But politics is about winning, and Democrats lost the races that mattered.
Nevada: We now have the next Senate majority leader. On the other hand, there's more than a little snickering around the country about our new governor. As Wonkette, the D.C. gossip columnist so rudely put it: "Nevada: Land of Scum."
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