• About Us
  • Activity
  • Advertising
  • Books
  • Business
  • Contact
  • Dashboard
  • EB5
  • Entertainment
  • feedback
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Government
  • Home
  • Home 20723
  • Interviews
  • Login
  • Members
  • Meme generator
  • National
  • Nevada
  • Nevada News and Views
  • Newsmax
  • NN&V Ads
  • Opinion
  • Pick a New Password
  • Politics
  • Polls
  • Privacy Policy
  • Profile
  • Recent comments by me
  • Recent comments on my posts
  • Register
  • Submit post
  • Subscribe
  • Subscription Confirmation
  • Survey
  • Survey
  • Terms of Service
  • Today’s Top 10
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Welcome!
  • Yop Poll Archive
Nevada News and Views
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • More
    • Opinion
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Pinterest

  • RSS

Opinion

Nevada’s Fiercest Election Could Be Senate District 5

Nevada’s Fiercest Election Could Be Senate District 5
Chuck Muth
May 30, 2012

(Jim Clark) – The political race of the century is shaping up this November and it’s happening right here in Northern Nevada.  Former Democrat Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, now a state senator, resigned her safe Democrat Senate seat a few months ago and announced she was moving into State Senator Greg Brower’s district to run against him.

This was reported by the Las Vegas Sun with a story headline that read: “State senator resigns in an effort to preserve Democratic majority.”  The Democrats currently have a bare one seat edge in the Nevada Senate, and there are at least two Democratic Senate seats in Clark County where the GOP candidates are competitive.

A change in the senate’s majority party would be a huge boost for Governor Brian Sandoval’s legislative program because the GOP would control all the committee seats and could initiate and pass legislation implementing Sandoval’s reforms.

State Senator Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas, who is leading the GOP effort to retake the Senate, tersely remarked:  “Desperation makes people do crazy things.  I wish Senator Leslie well with her de facto retirement from politics”.

But was she crazy or crazy like a fox?  Brower was appointed to the West Reno seat long held by Nevada power house Bill Raggio after his retirement from the Senate and has never actually run for election from Senate District 15.  The recent court-ordered reapportionment of Nevada’s legislative districts has produced some surprises including a whittling down of the historic GOP voter majority in this district.

As of this month, the district has 28,182 registered Republicans (40%) and 26,782 registered Democrats (38%).  Since Leslie and Brower are the only two on the ballot there are an additional 3,215 registered Independent Americans (4%) and 501 Libertarians (1%) who would likely vote for Brower and 279 Greens (1/2%) who would likely vote for Leslie.  The race hinges on the hearts and souls of the district’s 11,244 registered independents (16%).

In making her announcement, Leslie observed that Senate District 15 includes much of her old Assembly District, so hers will be a familiar name to voters.  Leslie has a reputation as a fierce campaigner and is also known as one of the most liberal Nevada legislators; she has been outspoken in her belief that Nevada needs to raise taxes to better fund education and other services.

Following the 2000 redistricting, the Assembly Democrat majority gerrymandered then Assemblyman Brower into the same Assembly District as Assemblywoman Sharron Angle (which included Incline Village) for the 2002 election.  Angle reportedly walked every precinct in that district three times and edged Brower in the primary election.  Some Republicans have expressed concern that Leslie may out campaign Brower the way Angle did, but early indications are that Brower is waging a fierce grass roots campaign.

Last week, candidates had to file their contribution and expense reports with the Secretary of State’s office.  Leslie’s showed she has raised just under $120,000 in cash..  The largest source of Leslie’s contributions ($47,000) came from other Democrat office holders (including $2,500 from the Searchlight Fund of Sen. Harry Reid [D-NV]), which underscores the importance of this race.  Unions collectively contributed $30,000.

Brower’s report showed cash receipts of $203,000, with $27,000 coming from casinos, $13,000 from mining, $27,000 from small businesses and $10,000 from Incline’s former State Senator James Settelmeyer.

Many Incline Republicans remember Brower from his representation of this community in the Assembly and are planning fundraisers for him this summer in Incline Village and Crystal Bay.

This race is too important to lose.

(Jim Clark is President of Republican Advocates and has served as a member of the Washoe County & Nevada State GOP Central Committees;  he can be reached at tahoesbjc@aol.com)

Prev postNext post

Related Items
Opinion
May 30, 2012
Chuck Muth

Related Items

More in Opinion

Amodei Statement on Debt Ceiling Bill

Chuck MuthJune 1, 2023
Read More

Tark: Trans “Rights” … and Wrongs

Chuck MuthMay 26, 2023
Read More

Stone: The Truth About AB 250: Will Patients Really Benefit?

NN&V StaffMay 26, 2023
Read More

“Ungrateful Miscreants”: Miller, Segerblom Insult Local Small Business Owners

NN&V StaffMay 24, 2023
Read More

Quarter-Million Dollar Ad Campaign Targets Nevada Legislators for Trapping Hispanic Families in Unsafe Schools

NN&V StaffMay 22, 2023
Read More

Nevada News & Views: May 20, 2023

NN&V StaffMay 20, 2023
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Subscribe Free By Email

Looking for the best in breaking news and conservative views? Let Chuck do all the work for you! Subscribe to his FREE "Muth's Truths" e-newsletter.

* indicates required
Nevada News and Views
Nevada News & Views is an educational project of Citizen Outreach Foundation, a non-partisan IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization. It is not associated or affiliated with any political party or group. Nevada News & Views is accessible by the public at no cost. It funds its operations through tax-deductible contributions from donors and supporters and does not accept government money or grants.

TAGS

Featured Article Muths truth

Copyright © 2023 Citizen Outreach | Maintained by VirtualAlly

Residence for Patriots Answers the Call to Give Back
Romney: Business Owners Need To Be Able To Dream Again