State GOP in search of a leader at a critical time

Anjeanette Damon

Monday, April 5, 2010 | 2 a.m.

Just seven months before an Election Day that could see the ouster of one of the nation’s most powerful Democrats, Nevada Republicans are without a state party chairman.

Chris Comfort’s brief, unhappy tenure came to an end last week. The party’s short statement said the Las Vegas dentist resigned for “business and family reasons.”

It leaves the party leaderless at a crucial time. A dozen Republicans are vying for the chance to take on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Two Republicans are challenging the sitting GOP governor.

And amid the wrangling, Republicans are poised to take advantage of what is shaping up to be a sharply anti-Democratic year.

So what now?

A scramble to find a new chairman quickly has been launched. The most repeated name for the post is state Sen. Mark Amodei, who recently dropped out of the U.S. Senate race.

Amodei is definitely interested, and the fact he hasn’t taken sides in any primaries is a positive.

“That’s not a good way to start out, to be affiliated with a campaign,” he said. “We’re supposed to be helping all Republicans.”

At least one GOP operative has mentioned Republican committeeman Bob List as a possible contender. Despite his party position, List has endorsed Sue Lowden in the U.S. Senate primary.

List said he’s too busy for the job, but agreed the new chairman probably should be neutral when it comes to the primary season.

Much could be riding on the selection for whoever emerges from those primaries. A functioning state party is key to voter registration and turnout — especially for a candidate who faces a well-funded and well-rested Democrat after undergoing a primary thrashing.

First lady’s first week on radio

In an only-in-Nevada kind of moment, first lady Dawn Gibbons used her new morning radio show to interview her soon-to-be ex-husband’s chief rival in the GOP primary for governor.

Gibbons spent about 30 minutes with former federal Judge Brian Sandoval, asking him why he quit his lifetime appointment (he wants to serve), his position on tax increases (he’s against them) and whether he supports Gov. Jim Gibbons’ call to sue over federal health care reform (he does).

The two mostly avoided taking direct shots at Jim Gibbons. Asked if he would’ve written a letter to the attorney general to get her to file the health care lawsuit, Sandoval chuckled and said he would have just walked across the street.

Dawn Gibbons asked Sandoval to describe his devotion to his wife and children, advising him to treat his wife right.

“I could write a book on how not to treat the first lady,” she said.

Endorsements

Candidates in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate had a busy endorsement week.

Sharron Angle touted two conservative nods, one from Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum PAC and another from Illinois-based Family-PAC. Lowden earned an endorsement from the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List fund, but took some flack for her past record of supporting Roe v. Wade and Nevada’s abortion-rights protection law.

In other U.S. Senate race news, John Chachas started working to improve his name recognition with a $150,000 television ad buy. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth in the state campaigning for him with veterans and Pacific Islander voters.

Anjeanette Damon ([email protected]) is the Reno Gazette-Journal’s political reporter and writes the Inside Nevada Politics blog.