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StumbleBrian Sandoval’s campaign for governor stumbles out of the gate
Republican front-runner blows off teachers union, runs ‘anointment strategy’
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Brian Sandoval
Republican Coup?
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del.icio.usSun Archives
- Raggio says Sandoval only Republican with shot at governor’s office (12-9-2009)
- Poll: Goodman, Sandoval neck to neck for governor (12-5-2009)
- Two top law firms have stake in governor’s race (10-25-2009)
- Moderate image could haunt Sandoval (9-17-2009)
- Meet Brian Sandoval: Candidate for governor? (8-30-2009)
- 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)
When the state teachers union gathered to endorse a candidate for governor last month, board members had a short list: Democrat Rory Reid or Republican Mike Montandon.
GOP front-runner Brian Sandoval didn’t make the cut. He hadn’t returned a questionnaire the candidates were sent to get their views on education issues.
But in between candidate interviews that Friday afternoon, Sandoval called the union’s political consultant. He wanted an extension, saying he needed more time to consult with his campaign.
The board said no, ultimately deciding to back Reid, the Clark County Commission chairman. (Gov. Jim Gibbons returned the questionnaire but declined to be interviewed by the union.)
Lynne Warne, president of the Nevada State Education Association, said the board found Sandoval’s actions baffling. Although the union is generally aligned with Democrats, it has endorsed Republicans in the past, including Sandoval when he was a candidate for the Assembly in 1996. Also, she said the candidates had a month to return the union’s questionnaire.
“He knows the routine,” Warne said. “The board was not comfortable with the way his campaign was set up.”
The teachers aren’t alone. The endorsement episode was the latest in what is shaping up as something of a head-scratching campaign, according to Republican observers who are growing concerned about the direction of Sandoval’s organization.
The Sandoval campaign dismissed the criticism. “How we got into this race is old news,” spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner said. “We’re looking forward to moving Nevada forward. We’re focused on how to get Nevada working again.”
Experts and partisan strategists have been confused from the outset, starting with the fact that Sandoval was recruited off the federal bench by two of the state’s most powerful lobbyists, Pete Ernaut and Greg Ferraro.
After retiring from the lifetime appointment, Sandoval announced his candidacy in a series of newspaper and television interviews. He then took a job with Jones Vargas, one of Nevada’s most prominent law firms with a blue-chip clientele, including mining, gaming and residential developers.
He has been largely quiet in the past three months.
By most accounts, Sandoval’s campaign fits with the state’s long history of “anointment politics,” wherein a group of power brokers recruits and coalesces around a single candidate. Campaigns are fought on the airwaves, not on the ground — with an air of inevitability.
In 1998, Kenny Guinn, a banking and utility executive and former Clark County School District superintendent, was the beneficiary of this process. Four years later, he rolled to re-election with 68 percent of the vote.
Likewise, the establishment rallied around Gibbons in 2006.
But times have changed. After the crushing defeats of last year’s elections, Republicans worry about an anointment campaign in the age of Obama.
As one Republican consultant put it: “I’m wondering if they’re running a 2003 campaign in 2009.”
Republicans worry about the perceived message and the candidate’s ground game.
“It’s a traditional anointment strategy but it might not be the right environment for that strategy,” said Dave Damore, a UNLV political scientist. “The electorate is not interested in establishment candidates right now.”
Being the establishment pick could hurt in a Republican primary, particularly at a time when the upstart Tea Party movement is challenging candidates’ conservative bona fides, experts said.
Also, the Obama campaign revolutionized political organizing here, methodically building a grass-roots network of battle-ready precinct captains and volunteers while registering tens of thousands of new voters. For Republicans, the results were devastating.
On Election Day, Democrats had a voter-registration edge of more than 100,000 people. Obama won the state by 12 points and Democrats retook control of the Legislature for the first time in nearly two decades.
The Nevada Democratic Party has worked to retain that organization, in hopes that it will pay off for the party ticket again next year. Republicans, on the other hand, have struggled to build a ground game in the wake of the 2008 elections.
Still, Eric Herzik, a political scientist at UNR, said Sandoval shouldn’t expect more than an assist from the state party.
“He had better have a ground presence so he can touch the Republican primary voter,” Herzik said. “Sandoval’s biggest vulnerability is that the base is far more conservative and more like Jim Gibbons than the rest of the state.”
Others, however, said Sandoval was smart to lay low and keep quiet, at least until Jan. 15, when candidates must report their campaign contributions to the secretary of state’s office.
“They’re focused on what they should be doing right now: Go out and raise money, raise money, raise money,” said Chuck Muth, the onetime Nevada Republican Party leader and conservative activist. “They want a fundraising number so high and insurmountable that Republican supporters will say, ‘You can’t beat Brian Sandoval.’ ”
Sun reporter J. Patrick Coolican contributed to this story.
CORRECTION: Lynne Warne, president of the Nevada State Education Association, incorrectly said in Wednesday's Sun that her union endorsed Brian Sandoval for Nevada attorney general in 2002. In fact, the union endorsed his Democratic opponent in that race. The union did however endorse Sandoval for a second term in the Assembly in 1996. | (December 16, 2009)
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Rory is doing real work to build his campaign and spread his message. Does Sandoval even have a message yet, or have the fat cats not briefed him on that yet? Go Rory!
Forgive the redundant "yet" and the double post.
A 'Message" is one thing; "Action" is another. Remember Obama's messages? We never learn from History do we? They're going to tell the Teachers Union what they want to hear. Wise up voters! Vote Independant!
Vote out all incumbents and continue to vote them out until they do the work of the citizens, not the work recommended by lobbyists or other interests. Rory Reid has overseen the transformation of Las Vegas, the transformation from a nice place to live, to a city overrun by crime and non english speaking people. Have you driven down E. Sahara or Charleston lately?? It is hard to find a business sign that is in English. Thanks Rory, your daddy must be proud.
"Anointment Strategy."
Oh, Goodie.
Where's the Kingmaker, Sig Rogich; Behind the Curtain, moving the levers?
At least Sandoval isn't claiming he'll be the "Education Governor," Ala Gym Gibbons.
Just another cookie-cutter Repub, beholden to Gaming, Mining, and the party of I, Me, My.
Oh, he's pretty slick!
Do we really need another corporate Bushbot? Groomed by the same corporate handlers as Kenny Guinn, the pair then ran Bush's 2004 re-election campaign in Nevada. Sandoval is the NV GOP's best effort at bringing back the "good ole' days".
Gibbons needs to appoint him to Ensign's seat after Ensign 'goes down' so he can continue that fruitful legacy.
Harry Greid's stupid kid wants to be governor? That's a joke.
Hey Consultantd, why don't you run for office? Do you have the right answers or are you and the rest of the critics just blowing hot air? At least he and the rest of the elected officials are trying to make a change, you are doing nothing but sitting on your duff and whining.
Everyone has an opinion, but will you offer help to change anything or is that someone else's job?
Once again these 'two Parties' are just playing their hand folks. We'll never know what goes behind closed doors however what we do know is what's been happening and it's not a pretty picture.
True to form, one of these Politicians will probably take the reign as Governor. You only throw your vote away if you don't vote with your conscience folks. My conscience says neither Party is worthy; therefore, neither will get my vote. An Independant
Great "news" article....
Rah, Rah, Go Democrats!!!!!
Bad, Bad, Republicans!!!!
Almost puked reading this one-sided nonsense.
steve 7952 I am still hearing all of Bush's promises. Compassionate conservative or what was it? And then came the most failed congressman of all time Gibbons who ran for Governor and promised Nevadan's he had their back, followed by that born again Promise Keeper Ensign. Let's not mention Bush's lackey Porter today. I wonder just who else Ernaut and Ferraro will anoint Nevada with next?
Good for Sandoval. I'm sure there are many like myself who will never vote for a candidate the Teacher's Union supports.
Well spoken homer. I wish I could wave a magic wand and replace "Politicians" with "Statesmen", the caretakers of our Constitution. A Revolution has already commenced. Nothing new; American history depicts cycles of the same where corruption met it's fate and new Parties had risen.
The teachers union is a JOKE.
It is nothing but a giant blood sucker for our tax dollars.
The union wastes our money. It is nothing but a confusing mess dealing with one problem after another. This union has no clout. It should just go away.
Our next governor will be Oscar Goodman.
And Oscar knows how to handle this loser of a union.
If he is mexican and morman, say hello to your next politician of Nevada! Mormon is the new Christian!
If name recognition has anything to do with electability, Sando has one HUGE thing going for him: the name Greid.
Teachers won't follow lockstep with this endorsement in any way whatsoever. In fact, this is really a nail in Gried II's coffin.
The title of the article really isn't befitting the subject -- I know, this isn't usually the fault of the writers. This isn't a stumble at all. In this tea party age, a Republican might be more hurt than helped by receiving an endorsement from the teachers union before the primary.
While posturing himself as the "annointed one" is probably not going to work in 2010, no matter how much out-of-state funding he has, avoiding the teacher's union is going to play well with the GOP base. Faith in and support for the K-12 system in this state is at a low, and most people would be receptive to a voucher system that encouraged public-private competition and increased accountability. Hopefully at least one of the candidates will have the cahones to suggest it.
The Republican have their back to the wall. With "Blockhead" Gibbons determined to run again, the republican primary race will be fun to watch. It will be interesting to hear what each conservative candidate says about the other...Listen closely because it will more than likely be the truth...
The fact that the state turned blue last year gives the Democrats an advantage even in a governor's race That is, if they can get their voters to the polls.
We all know how thw "cow counties" will vote. The election will be determined by what happens in Clark County....
Umm, misstep aside, the Teachers Union was going to endorse the Democrat. This was just a dog and pony show as it is every election. I wouldn't be overly concern if it was me.
dhvincent1 said.....
"Gee, homer, when are you going to grow up? Bush has been gone for almost a year and you still have Bush Derangement Syndrome...."
Yep, you are correct! Clueless George has been gone for almost a year, but guess what? The mess he created is still with us...
We must never forget what happens when we put a "clueless George" in office....One way to avoid repeating the past is to never forget the past....
The guy we have now is great! He is one against the spendalots.
If a politician is hated by other politicians, you finally have the right one!
GO JIM!
I find it interesting that a union would demand a questionnaire be filled out by a certain deadline for their endorsement qualifications. Why can't they base their judgment on actions rather than words ?
After having quit the AARP, due to Mr Rand's disingenuous statements on how he "first of all wants to protect Medicare", I have come to believe that unions, while created with good intentions, tend to be nothing but a political bludgeon that is wielded by corrupt jerks. It has been my experience that Union negotiations and actions are replete with such idiotic political lies.
Lynne Warne, I have little doubt your "board found Sandoval's actions baffling.". They probably reeked of honesty. First off, you AREN'T the whole of Nevada, and usually back the liberal in any case. So why would you expect a Republican to give you concessions in your questionnaire ?
Most likely Mr Sandoval is not willing to lie, like some politicians named Reid.
Be gone, liberal tool !
4 months before the 12 point Obama victory the RJ's favorite pollster Mason Dixon had the race even, now they still worship those poll 10 months before the election.
I have still not seen Sandonistaval's birth certificate, he supposedly comes from "new" Mexico, how convenient! to slip in a new in front of that word that will cause a tea party person to barf. I notice that Maldef has kind things to say about this person? I'm going to call Beck, and O'Really! Will Sandanistaval turn Nevada over to Mexico upon his election?
How come I haven't seen any reporting on the mass resignation of the Clark County republican officials?, some blowhard on local talk radio made a big deal about it.
Of course Republicans are pretty irrelevant now days.
Sandoval is mearly a puppet of corporate power corruption.
After NV fell for his act to become Attorney General, Reid & Ensign nominated him as their lifetime NV federal judge, and that moron Bush signed off on it!
Mr. Sandoval, do you remember last year, when you transferred 160 acres of my land onto Don Laughlin, by knowingly disregarding the 5 commandments mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court?
Didn't YOU ever learn in school that any district court shall address & abide by the stare decisis rules of the highest Court of this nation? Are you really that ignorant, or, was you paid off?
On remand, you got a lot of x'plainin to do!
Mr. Sandoval hasn't done anything to distinguish himeself from any other lackluster candidate. Do you really want another Reid to run Nevada? I mean haven't you had enough lying, cheating and backstabbing fourflushers? The governor's race is wide open but the GOP in Nevada is in complete disarray. They couldn't even fend off an assault from the Pauliacs at their convention and they've never recovered. The only chance for a fiscally sound Nevada future lies outside the two party structures.
Seems the rumor fits: Lazy.
Why would Sandoval need an extension to "consult with his campaign"? Doesn't he know what his personal thoughts are, not only on education, but the state of the State?
I see both an immigration issue and public domain lands/private property issue here. Go to your search engine and type Sandoval and Maldef.