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twitterMeet Brian Sandoval: Candidate for governor?
He’s announced only that he’s leaving the federal bench, but many observers expect him to take on Jim Gibbons
Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Associated Press File Photo
Brian Sandoval’s resignation from the federal bench is effective Sept. 15. Before that post, Sandoval was a state assemblyman, gaming commissioner and state attorney general.
Rep. Jon Porter, from left, Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval chant "four more years" at Mandalay Bay after announcing on Election Night 2004 that George Bush won Nevada. Sandoval was chairman of the Bush-Cheney Nevada Leadership Team.
Porter and Sandoval leave the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington in 2004 after a proceeding concerning the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. Sandoval left the state attorney general's post in 2005 to become a judge.
Sun Archives
- Mayor Oscar Goodman ain't afraid of Brian Sandoval (8-21-2009)
- Gibbons sets lofty fundraising goal (8-20-2009)
- Political intrigue brewing in the 2010 governor's race (8-16-2009)
- Judge nominee Sandoval has smooth hearing in D.C. (9-30-2005)
CARSON CITY — When Brian Sandoval announced this month that he was resigning from the federal bench, the complexion of next year’s race for governor changed instantly.
Republican leaders buzzed excitedly, some declaring the 45-year-old former assemblyman, gaming commissioner and attorney general to be the future of Nevada’s GOP. A few Democrats privately acknowledged he would be a likeable, articulate and formidable opponent.
All that reaction came without his granting an interview or formally announcing that he is running.
Those close to him say that until Sandoval’s resignation is effective, on Sept. 15, he is prohibited by judicial canons from speaking publicly about running for political office.
When he does start talking about his decision to resign after nearly four years on the U.S. District Court bench in Reno, the first question he’ll likely encounter is this: Why give up a prestigious, lifetime appointment paying $174,000 a year to beg voters for a job that pays $33,000 less and will involve leading a state with a looming $2 billion dollar deficit and a host of other troubles?
The speculation ranges on how Sandoval would answer that question. Some say he was bored by the federal bench. Others hint that it’s his prominent competitive streak, which dates to his days playing high school basketball in Reno. Still others say he sees his state struggling and wants to take an active role in turning it around.
One thing is clear though, Sandoval’s decision to resign from the federal bench to seek office is exceedingly rare — unprecedented even, in Nevada.
Historian Guy Rocha said the closest a federal judge in the state has come to leaving for elected office was in 1902, when a sitting federal judge unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate but did not resign his seat. Nationally, since 1795 only 19 judges have left the federal judiciary, from district court to the U.S. Supreme Court, to run for office. The most recent made an unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1970, according to Malia Reddick, director of research and programs for the American Judicature Society.
Some of his likely opponents have wasted no time welcoming Sandoval to the race.
Former North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon, a Republican, sent a fundraising letter in which he called him a “quitter.” He also claimed that Sandoval’s leaving office as attorney general for the federal judgeship had helped advance “liberalism” by allowing Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto to win the office of attorney general in 2006 and providing President Barack Obama the opportunity to nominate a replacement judge now.
In an interview, Montandon said, “I don’t know him very well. All I know is every time I turn around, he’s quitting one job to take another.”
Sandoval served two terms in the Legislature, 1994-1998. He left after Gov. Bob Miller, a Democrat, appointed him to the Nevada Gaming Commission. In 2001 he left the commission to run for attorney general, becoming the first Hispanic to hold statewide office. In 2005 he resigned to become a federal judge.
He was a strong candidate in his political races and considered, by some, a possible future challenger to Sen. Harry Reid. It was Reid, with the support of Sen. John Ensign, who recommended Sandoval’s name to the White House for the judgeship.
At the time, Democrats appeared pleased to have him off the political playing field.
Then-Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said: “I think he would excel in the position. He is bright, he is thoughtful and he is even-tempered.”
In a statement, Reid said, “Brian has the qualities I always hoped for in a judge when I was a trial lawyer — a commitment to fairness and rule of law.”
But if he’s running, Sandoval will enter an unsettled field seeking the governor’s office.
By reputation he is a moderate at a time when the more conservative elements of the state Republican Party are asserting themselves. He will also face a crowded primary. Gov. Jim Gibbons is running for reelection despite dismal approval ratings. And in addition to Montandon, former state Sen. Joe Heck has announced his candidacy. On the Democratic side, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid expects to have $3 million for his run by the end of the month, though his polling numbers are sagging. Assembly Speaker Buckley is also a potential candidate.
Republicans are still licking their wounds from 2008, when Democrats used a growing voter registration advantage to swing the state for President Obama, secure a veto-proof majority in the Assembly and gain control of the state Senate. The Republican Party, as a political machine, appeared weak and rudderless.
Ensign had planned to spearhead rebuilding the party, but that was before he revealed he had had an affair with a woman who was then a campaign staff member.
Political strategists from both parties say it appears unlikely that Republicans will regain control of the state Senate or make significant gains in the Assembly next year. That would leave the governor’s office as the party’s beachhead against Democrats.
“Given the majorities that exist in the Assembly and Senate, it’s important that we have a Republican governor to balance it out,” said Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert, R-Reno.
Republicans, of course, hold the Governor’s Mansion, but if there’s a political observer out there who believes Gibbons can win a general election, he isn’t advertising it.
Even though Sandoval hasn’t announced his candidacy, many supporters are declaring him the party’s best hope, particularly after U.S. Rep. Dean Heller decided to seek reelection instead of challenging Sen. Harry Reid or running for governor.
Gansert, a high school classmate who was student body vice-president when Sandoval was student body president, said Republicans “need to reunite, reignite the party. I believe Brian may be the person who helps us do it.”
Ensign called Sandoval “one of the future leaders of the Republican Party.”
Greg Ferraro, an influential Republican lobbyist who grew up with Sandoval, said he is disciplined, cares about solving problems and works well with the other side. “There’s a lot of crossover appeal. Quite frankly, these types of candidates don’t come along that often,” he said.
Robert Uithoven, a Republican political consultant unaffiliated with any campaign, said although Sandoval has strong appeal among the political class — particularly potential donors — he should be careful not to put himself out there as the inevitable nominee.
“The most important thing for Brian Sandoval is not to project that he’s entitled to the position, entitled to people’s vote,” Uithoven said. “No matter what any pundit says, what any elite member of the party says, he has to earn the votes.”
Indeed, the early buzz in Republican circles has brought a backlash from at least one other Republican candidate.
Montandon, in an interview, said he has received calls from Sandoval supporters suggesting he get out of the race.
“They wanted to let me know that I’m welcome to back out any time I’d like,” Montandon said. “The folks looking at anointing Sandoval are going through the standard anointment process. ... I’m running for governor. I’ve got the qualifications and infrastructure to do this.”
Sun librarian Rebecca Clifford-Cruz contributed to this story.
Discussion: 19 comments so far…
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Even if he's a likeable guy, do we want "four more years" of a Bush-style leader? Ugh! As a new Nevada resident, I have a lot to learn about the local politics but it seems reasonable to assume that there are a lot of problems that are similar to every other state. It seems that it would be a serious mistake to elect someone simply because he is congenial.
The Republican party needs to reach out to those in the center and stop focusing on the crazy wrong-wingers who advocate weird actions and anarchy (such as teabaggers, who seem to stand for absolutely nothing). Advocating a society where you pay no taxes must likewise advocate no government services--no police, fire, schools; etcetera. (And, of course, they'd have to find someplace to live outside the rest of society.) The analogous element of these fervent nuts are the lowest common denominator of citizens lacking common logic.
Reading this story, it really says nothing about what policies Mr Sandoval might advocate. I just don't know what policies he might advocate, if he even runs, so I'll sit tight until then.
Why, in the very SMART campaign all expect he will run, would he run as a R at all? This is all presumptive and speculative until Sep 15.
As a Nonpartisan, he automatically attracts the independents who do the real electing here anyway and will draw substantial blocs of disenfranchised Ds and Rs eliminating any and all competition whatsoever. Also as a N, there is NO Primary to worry about or spend money on.
When it comes down to actually running the state, the Ds have proven themselves equally as reckless and feckless as the Rs. So running from NEITHER party has too many advantages to enumerate here.
Whichever way he runs, this race is already in the books.
With Jeb on the way for a presidential run we are in for more big trouble - illegal war, spying, torture, failure on future Katrinas, no stem cell research and nation ruining defecits and outing of our CIA secret agents - oh, I forgot about FAA going corporate and the total SEC failure. Does anyone want eight more years of this? I hope if Sandovar becomes a politician he is not in this league of criminals. Thank You.
He was born in Mexico, old not new and he is an illegal. How come he hasn't shown anyone his Birth Certificate? Why isn't it posted on the web? Also, his name "Sandoval" ...that sounds like "Sandanista" he is obvious a secret socialist allied with Chavez and the Castro Brothers... he should have to take a lie detector test, or better yet be water-boarded to find out his true allegiances....didn't he give a speech to Maldef? lulac and La raza? was he a member of Mechca while in college?
get Dick Chenney and the water pitcher
@mred
You've made my day!
This guy is handsome enough to be caught in bed with a dead woman or a live boy!
Rooster... You seems pretty jealous... Either wanting to be him or with him... or both...
Unfortunately conservative Republicans will not be able to see beyond Brian Sandoval's surname.
I'd vote for him. Hope he decides to run!
you can run ricky ricardo against gibbons and he'd beat him.
Brian is a Republican who can beat Harry Reid and his son. I will vote for any Republican who will not change labor laws......I need to hire undocumented people to turn a handsome profit. This Harry character wants immigration reform....No Way Jose.......immigration reform would hurt my profit. Run Brian run....
JSilver
Why would anybody give up a lifetime appointment as a federal judge just to end up a political hack in a state that has a part time state legislate and were all the politicians are bought and paid for by the casino industry. This guy is a moron!
TheU..Jealous? Please explain your post.
He flies a Mexican flag in front of his house and has a cast aluminum lime squeezer that says "Mexico" on it.
He would be able to run against Reid and move from the Federal bench to the place where he could write Federal law. Strictly as a GOP strategy, Sandoval would be best put up against Reid who is rumored to have blackmailed him to take the bench in the first place.
mred, In response to your post earlier, you don't know the answers to Sandovals past because all his files are sealed. According to his lawyers, his past is none of your business. Those people were just in the same rooms as he was, maybe someone in his neighborhood, but he never listened to anything they said. There is a computer generated Birth Certificate that shows he was born in Texas, and to prove that, there is a photo shopped picture of him with some classmates. Hope that answered your questions.
you have a problem with a hispanic running for governor? when you voted for a president from Kenya? I don't get your point.