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GOP presidential candidate John McCain shakes hands with Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki after the Nevada Republican introduced McCain before his speech in June 2008 at UNLV.
By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
, Lisa Mascaro, Michael Mishak
Published Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 | 3:33 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010 | 2:09 a.m.
Lt. Governor and President of the Senate Brian Krolicki talks to Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford on the first day of the 2009 legislative session in Carson City.
Sun Coverage
Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki is strongly reconsidering a run for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Harry Reid, he told the Sun on Wednesday, a move that would shake up a crowded Republican primary.
“There are serious people making compelling arguments to me both in the state and out of the state to reconsider the Harry Reid race, and based on that pressure and those conversations, I am indeed looking at it,” Krolicki said.
Republicans in Washington are displeased with the current crop of candidates taking on Reid, including former state Sen. Sue Lowden, former UNLV basketball star Danny Tarkanian and former state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle.
All are viewed as second-tier. Republicans are concerned they could be throwing away a golden opportunity to knock off Reid, the Senate majority leader whose approval numbers in Nevada languish in the 30s. Moreover, the party’s candidates have begun attacking each other, which could leave the eventual winner damaged.
The election of Scott Brown to the Senate in a Massachusetts special election Tuesday has Republicans, including Krolicki, feeling ebullient and liking their chances in November.
Asked about Krolicki, Sen. John Cornyn, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, tapped his coat pocket to indicate that he had the Republican’s phone number and would be calling.
“The primary voters will figure out who the nominee will be and make their own assessment of that,” Cornyn said. “But I think anytime you see something like what happened (in Massachusetts), other people are going to step up and see an opportunity there.”
He added: “The more the merrier.”
Krolicki said Sen. John McCain, whose Nevada presidential campaign he chaired, as well as other national figures, had reached out to him in the past week.
“It’s hard not to consider this when you have people like John McCain asking you to,” Krolicki said.
First, however, a Krolicki candidacy would shake up the Republican primary race, to be decided June 8. Krolicki is viewed as more polished, and unlike the other contenders, he has won statewide office three times, elected state treasurer twice before his 2006 election to the lieutenant governor post.
Krolicki was once viewed as a tarnished candidate after being indicted on charges of misusing his office funding as state treasurer to run an ad campaign that featured him. But the indictment was dismissed, and grass-roots Republicans rallied around him and accused the prosecutor, Democratic Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, of conducting a partisan investigation.
Krolicki only has about $100,000 on hand, but managed to raise $100,000 in the final days of 2009 after the indictment dismissal, though the money cannot be easily transferred to a federal race with its more stringent campaign finance regulations.
If he is the preferred candidate of Republicans in Washington, he could see a quick cash infusion and put pressure on other candidates to bow out.
Robert Uithoven, campaign manager for Lowden, was dismissive. “Brian Krolicki told Sue Lowden just a few weeks ago that there would be a lot of speculation about him running for Senate, but to pay no attention to it, he’s running for re-election,” said Uithoven, who was with Lowden as she toured a mine in Northern Nevada.
“He’s stated on a number of occasions he’s running for re-election to lieutenant governor, and unless he says otherwise, we take him at his word,” Uithoven said.
But Tuesday’s results changed the landscape.
“Scott Brown changed a lot of things about November, and candidates taking a second or even a third look at a race is one of them,” said Jennifer Duffy, a Senate analyst with the Cook Political Report.
Nevada Democratic consultant Dan Hart said a Krolicki candidacy would further muddy the waters in the Republican primary and doubted it would clear the field.
“This is probably causing celebration at the Reid campaign,” Hart said, quipping that conspiracy theorists would claim Reid himself had engineered it.
Hart noted that Krolicki is getting a late start on fundraising and campaigning and is still vulnerable to attack on the issue of misuse of state funding for the ad campaign featuring him.
“The legal stuff is behind him, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to a political campaign. There are issues ripe for exploration,” he said.
Indeed, a Republican operative aligned with another Senate campaign foreshadowed the campaign to come: “Just because an attorney general bungles a case, and whether the case was politically motivated or not, doesn’t change the fact that taxpayer dollars that were supposed to go for college education for Nevada kids were diverted and spent on political ads for Brian Krolicki.”
Krolicki has said the money was used on a necessary marketing campaign for the state’s college fund, and notes that lots of government marketing materials feature images of elected officials.
Tarkanian is in Washington this week to meet with lawmakers, conservative leaders and potential donors, though now it appears the visit could lead to some awkward moments. His campaign declined to comment on Krolicki, saying only, “Full speed ahead.”
Chuck Muth, the conservative activist and former executive director of the Nevada Republican Party, acknowledged the unrest among party leaders in Washington and the rank-and-file in Nevada.
“I don’t know if it’s so much dissatisfaction with who they have but a desire for someone who can come in and clear the field,” he said. “I don’t think anybody is running away with the nomination yet and there’s a lot of people frustrated with that.”
Still, Muth said Krolicki lacks the political weight to clear the field.
“Running for treasurer and lieutenant governor doesn’t translate into an 800-pound gorilla to scare others out of the race,” said Muth, who started the anti-Reid Political Action Committee.
Muth agreed with Hart that Krolicki would continue to be haunted by the dismissed indictment as his opponents will likely use the charges as fodder for campaign ads.
“His middle name will always be ‘Indicted,’ ” Muth said.
David Damore, a UNLV political scientist, disagreed. Krolicki has suggested Reid engineered the indictment, and Damore said he could use the dismissal to his advantage.
“It’s a good story: The Democrats wanted me out so they trumped up the charges,” Damore said. “He can portray himself as the candidate the Democrats did not want to face.”
Brandon Hall, Reid’s campaign manager, said Krolicki’s possible entrance into the race doesn’t affect the dynamics of the campaign.
“We started early and we’re prepared to run an aggressive campaign against any Republican that emerges from the crowded primary field,” he said.
Lisa Mascaro reported from Washington, D.C.
Look at them come out of the woodwork! They smell blood and they are on the backdoor already. Good luck to them all! However, just because you are running as a Repubican means squat. You better have "SOLUTIONS" to the problems you present. Run a clean campaign like Scott Brown and be for the PEOPLE. If not, you will be out as fast as you got in.
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I've met this guy up close. Very unremarkable.
Based on the Massachusetts results, I think the Repubs are on to something. It was curious how the only candidates previously were a beauty queen and the son of a disgraced basketball coach. This could really amount to a serious challenge.
Will be interesting. I'm a drooling liberal, but I think Old Harry is in deep trouble.
A REAL smart candidate would wait for '12 and knock off Enstench. Build your war chest and THEN announce who you are palsy-walsy with. Waaayyyy too late for '10.
Funny!
Sue Liberal Lowden threw Conservative Ron Paul under the bus to help steal the election for John Rino McCain. Now John Rino McCain throws Sue Liberal Lowden under the bus to help Brian Faux-Republican Krolicki.
What a bunch of comical J@ck@$$e$.
nednougat --
I don't think the Republicans have caught on yet. I think Scott Brown did this on his own. The way the campaign was run -- CLEAN -- unlike Coakleys. We are tired of the mud slinging and are more interested in RESULTS. He associates himself with the Republican Party but states he will vote on each issues own merits. The buzz phrase you will be hearing will be "the peoples seat".
Again everybody don't forget the limitations of the two party system. Think outside of the box, and lets make sure as gaveldown stated above, that solutions are offered and they are listening to the constituents. We have had enough of these empty suits running our state and bringing it down into the gutter with their antics.
Great a McCain supporter. He will regret that picture!
Who is the elderly old man he is shaking hands with?
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"All are viewed as second-tier."
And for all but Snow White, that's a generous assessment.
As a conservative it bothers me that the "Republicans in Washington" want to say who the candidate in Nevada is going to be. Sen McCain was chosen by the "Republicans in Washington" to run for the presidency. The Lt Gov. chaired Sen McCain's Nevada presidential campaign. I dont see any of this as a resume enhancement
McCain, who didn't spend $20 million in his presidential race, now gets to use the money for his Senate reelection bid. Talk show host J D Hayworth has been shown to beat McCain in polls by Rasmussen and others in the closed republican primary. McCain now runs negative ads against Hayworth, who hasn't declared his candidacy yet. Palin and is now campaigning for McCain. Sean Hannity appears to have thrown his friend Hayworth under the bus. He says he is "for conservatives" but kisses up to McCain on his TV show. He refuses to take calls on the subject. Krolickee, who wanted scholarships to go to illegals, has found a perfect political ally: Mr Amnesty John McCain.
update, Cindy McCain who McCain married after he divorced his poor, handicapped wife, is backing the pro-same sex marriage issue in California by appearing with duct tape on her mouth. McCain say he does not agree with his rich beer heiress wife on the same sex marriage issue. So another scandal in the making.
Hey wegoaxleguard, you might want to consider for a second that the whole reason the debt ceiling needs to be raised in the first place is because Bush decided to borrow from China to finance his perpetual war on Iraq and for his tax cuts for the ultrawealthy.
Don't want to burst your bubble and all, but all your whining about the Dems ignores half of the equation. At least lay the blame across both parties, where it belongs.
As long as the I Dont care about Nevada Harry reid gets bounced out of ofice i do not care They can not be any worse for the state
Is McCain a teaparty conservative now?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Funniest story ever!
Can't wait until the real details of what Krolicki did come out now that we don't have the guts in this state to do anything right.
You morons know that it was a REPUBLICAN who drafted the complaint against Krolicki, right? One GOP bro looking out for another GOP bro.
mr ed is sure trying to pass out a bunch of "road apples" this morning.
He's got the information straight from the horse's mouth...
Both Sen. McCain and Sen. Reid have been in the Senate for several years working side by side for the voters. Sen. McCain has no plan for health care other than to escalate the cost of health care and the lack of quality control of health care by states medicaid and medicare. Quality control monitors the use of the hospitals by physicians and those physicians who have repeated operations by other physicians to clean up the oversights.
Update: McCain dealt another kick in the teeth with the Supreme Court overturning his campaign finance law. Reid should rake in a lot of money from casino corps, unions, energy companies etc.
Big corporations don't like teabag protesters, they want immigration, and globalism.
Republicans in Washington consider the "current crop" of Repub candidates for Reid's seat to be second tier so they are going to try to put their guy in. Like they have such a great record on picking the right candidate. Like when they let John McCain go up against Obama.
Krolicki was indicted, yes overturned, but nevertheless, Reid will make mincemeat of him.
Washington. . . stay out of Nevada's election. We have enough candidates, thank you.
Does this mean that Rogich has plunged his knife in Uncle Harry's back?
We in Florida lost a new Senator when McCain conned him into the infamous imigration Gang of 14. He was embarrased and resigned from office 6 months ago. We now have an interim Senator until Nov. McCain dosen't come around Florida anymore. We know about his amnesty program he tried to force down our throats. Don't be misled. Select an conservative who will not increase your taxes to pay the debt of Harry Reid.
McCain is a legend in his own mind. Yes I'm a vet.
(Rolling on the floor laughing!)I only got as far as the headline LMAO!
McCain has less credibilty than brown or palin. McCain, the town-hore, chose to be for a tea-bagging centerfold know-nothing, and he unleashed the spectacularly ignorant and wholly divisve palin on this country--all to win an election--whether she was competent to hold the office of VP or not. HE DID NOT CARE as long as HE won.
Now, he wants to inflict his voice and opinions on the state hoping all of his damaging, race baiting behaviors will be forgotten...NOT a chance.
McCain is self-centered totally divisive degenerate incompetent maggot.
Let's put Reid and McCain in diapers and stage a new reality tv show: Nursing Home Fights to the Finish!
nors says she is "rolling on the floor laughing."
nors must be a disenfranchised Liberal who has turned to name calling and vulgar racist comments.
nors is a good example why Democrats lost in Massachusetts. Voters are tired of the vulgar name calling coming out of the left...
As long as "people" like nors continue their relentless rants of hate, voters will move to the Right...
I strongly suggest that NO ONE votes for incumbents, people already in government positions or name-brands (like Danny Tarkanian). Have you forgotten who voted for the bail-out? McCain needs to go as does every single republican now in office who voted for the bail-out. John McCain would throw his mother under the bus if he could. We're betting that Harry Reid will announce his retirement after he's strung everyone along for a good laugh. He's a loser, Rory Reid is a carbon copy of Daddy meanest, and in my opinion, I don't see one single solitary candidate that can step up to the plate and do the job!
Is there a better incident possible for conservatives like Sharron Angle and Danny Tarkanian than to have John McCain endorse one of their opponents? McCain is a known centrist and member of the Council on Foreign Relations (the One World Government/North American Union/Global Warming crowd). John McSame and Barack Obama both voted for the Wall Street bailout and both favor amnesty for illegals. McCain is also likely to lose his Primary to J D Hayworth in Arizona because of his liberal voting record. And don't forget McCain was a member of the corrupt Keating 5 a few years back. Go for it Krolicki! You'll take Lowden down with you. RINOs never learn, you have to wonder why they just don't join Arlen Specter on the other side of the aisle?
John McCain and Brian Krolicki share common ground. They both fight hard to provide free benefits to illegal aliens.
Hey Brian, please tell us again how many illegal aliens you gave a free college Millennium Scholarship to.