Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Editorial: Titus is the clear choice

The choice couldn't be much clearer in the governor's race this year.

On the Republican side, candidate Jim Gibbons has been in Washington, D.C., for the past 10 years as a member of the House of Representatives. Gibbons has spent plenty of time in our nation's capital, but he has few accomplishments to show for it.

His paper-thin record isn't helped by the fact that in recent years the GOP-led Congress and Republican-controlled White House have been the picture of incompetence. They have rolled up record deficits, irresponsibly passing off to future generations obligations that should have been paid for now. Gibbons also has been a yes-man for President Bush's disastrously handled Iraq war.

Additionally, this Congress has been so lame that it has met for fewer days this past year than the infamous Congress of 1948, which Harry Truman labeled the "Do-Nothing Congress." And, instead of reaching out to Democrats, Gibbons has been part of the slash-and-burn partisan politics that gets plenty of headlines but also results in no meaningful accomplishments. If anything, with the public souring on Congress' performance this year, Gibbons is lucky he is not up for re-election.

In contrast, the Democratic nominee for governor, Dina Titus, has been getting things done in Carson City and having a real impact on people's lives throughout Nevada. Unlike Gibbons, who has had the advantage of being in the majority party, Titus has been in the minority for much of the time she has been a state senator since her election in 1988 - and yet still has a significant record of accomplishment.

Titus, a political science professor at UNLV, has worked hard to protect the environment, toughened laws against sexual predators of children, helped create a health insurance program for needy children, continued her push for lower class sizes in our public schools and was one of the leaders in the Legislature in making sure that a cap was placed on property tax rates.

She also has detailed plans on how she wants to build on those achievements, ensuring that we maintain the state's business-friendly environment, better our quality of life and improve education, including providing full-day kindergarten. Titus, hands-down, is in touch with Nevadans on those issues that are most important to them.

But being governor is much more than just being right on the issues. It also is about having the right character and showing sound judgment, particularly in a crisis. Titus can be tough in the political trenches, but even her political opponents acknowledge she is a hard worker and someone who has integrity.

Doubts recently have been raised about Gibbons, specifically about an incident last weekend involving a woman who claims that he tried to assault her. Gibbons denies the allegations, but there are a number of inconsistencies between what Gibbons told police and what his campaign staff initially told the public. Gibbons didn't help himself at all during a news conference Thursday when he refused to take reporters' questions, instead hiding behind his lawyer. Such cowardice isn't what Nevadans have come to expect from their governors.

In light of the gravity of the claims made against Gibbons, the least he could have done was answer questions about what occurred. For that matter, the fact that Gibbons says he was just trying to escort an intoxicated woman to her vehicle is an indictment alone of his terrible judgment. Who in this day and age would allow someone to get behind the wheel of a vehicle when they obviously have had too much to drink? Gibbons' response to this crisis has only sowed further doubts about him.

This contest is a critical election this year. Do we want empty platitudes from someone who has spent the last 10 years in Washington honing his partisan skills? Or do we want someone who is familiar with the day-to-day concerns of Nevadans and can work for consensus among Democrats and Republicans on some of the tough issues confronting this state? The answer is clear. The Sun endorses Dina Titus.

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