Why Sandoval revealed budget

By David McGrath Schwartz

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 | 2 a.m.

When Brian Sandoval gave up his lifetime appointment to the federal bench last year to seek the Governor’s Mansion, the conventional wisdom was that the GOP primary would be a cake walk for him.

Gov. Jim Gibbons had atrocious poll numbers, few friends and fewer allies in the Legislature, and no hope (or interest, it seemed) in making signature policy.

The Republican establishment had abandoned Gibbons, and the money and political talent gravitated to the charismatic and younger Sandoval.

Now, it seems, Sandoval realizes he has a primary race on his hands.

On Wednesday, he offered a plan to deal with the state’s budget deficit, providing his first significant policy proposal.

The plan follows conservative principles. First and foremost, no tax increases; cuts in public employee pay of 4 percent, as well as in health benefits; privatization of some government functions; and siphoning money from Clark County schools.

According to political observers and insiders, the plan reflects Sandoval’s recognition that the campaign must acknowledge Gibbons. If the governor weren’t seeking re-election, Sandoval wouldn’t have gone on the record with a plan that his foes may now pick apart.

Gibbons’ political funeral has been prophesied for over a year. After three years of bad headlines, coupled with a sour economy and the inability to raise money for his campaign, Gibbons was thought to have no shot in November’s general election.

Another politician might have listened to his advisers when they told him he couldn’t win.

But according to those close to him, Gibbons has never been one to listen to the establishment. He believes, despite his setbacks, that he still has a path to another four years.

Gibbons does appear newly energized. He is picking fights with the Legislature, saying that executive-branch employees are prohibited from talking to lawmakers without the governor’s say-so. He has proposed sweeping, conservative changes to the state’s K-12 education policy, including eliminating state mandates (and dollars) and collective bargaining for teachers.

It seems inevitable that Gibbons is going to call a special session to deal with education reform and the budget. Regardless of whether he can get the Democrat-controlled Legislature to pass his agenda, it would keep the state’s media focused on him for what political consultants like to call “earned media.”

Sandoval had been careful not to criticize Gibbons directly.

But when Gibbons released his education cuts, Sandoval criticized the plan for laying off teachers. (Gibbons denied teachers would be laid off under his plan, but has not identified where $30 million to $100 million in savings would come from.)

Sandoval took a shot at Gibbons on Wednesday, saying he would not have included a $160 million line of credit in his budget. “I do not support deficit spending,” Sandoval said in an interview. “I don’t think when you have a budget problem, you borrow more money.”

Asked if he was surprised by Gibbons’ energy, Sandoval said: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised or not surprised. I’m focused on this race. I don’t control what the governor is doing.”

That is not to say that Sandoval is on the ropes, or that Gibbons has proved that he can compete.

Sandoval announced this week that he has raised $900,000 and had $750,000 on hand in the final months of the year. Gibbons is expected to have much less.

And the governor is still deeply unpopular with Nevadans. A Rasmussen poll released Wednesday said 63 percent of voters disapprove of Gibbons’ performance.

Gibbons’ staff, for its part, said Sandoval has merely recycled the governor’s ideas. In a statement, Gibbons said: “His ideas lack new vision ... Any positive aspect of his plan has already been introduced or implemented under my leadership.”

It was spin that the lone Democrat in the race, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, embraced.

“It looks like Jim Gibbons forgot to lock his office door, because it appears his opponent is ripping off his ideas,” said Mike Trask, spokesman for Reid.

If Sandoval wins the Republican nomination, expect Reid to have a long memory for any similarities between the two GOP primary opponents.