Things just got very interesting in the Silver State:
In a surprise announcement, U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval submitted his resignation from the federal bench Friday, giving up a lifetime appointment for what many expect to be a run for governor. …
And for a Republican Party suffering from repeated scandals and electoral defeats, Sandoval’s potential return to politics was exciting news.
“When he went to become a federal judge, I was quoted as saying he’s the total package,” said Republican strategist Ryan Erwin. “He has the ability to raise money. He’s articulate. He’s smart. He’s ethically sound. He is the complete package.”
Sandoval was midway through his first term as attorney general when he was nominated to the bench by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. He also served two terms in the Assembly and is former chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.
It seems that the Nevada GOP is pretty stoked about this. I wonder if a Sandoval entrance into the race would be enough to inspire Jim Gibbons to retire, or if he’d hold on. If Gibbons did try to stay in, my guess is he’d be more likely to wind up like Frank Murkowski than Ernie Fletcher. As for Sandoval, it sounds like he’d make a pretty formidable opponent for the expected Dem nominee, Clark County Commission Chair Rory Reid, son of Harry.
Speaking of pops, the elder Reid probably thought he was getting Sandoval out of his way for good by securing his appointment to the federal bench – it’s exceedingly rare for a U.S. judge to step down to enter politics. It’s a very prestigious post and comes with lifetime tenure. In fact, the only former such judge in Congress today is Dem Alcee Hastings (FL-23), who was impeached and removed from the bench (something that’s also only happened a handful of times in the history of the Republic).
Anyhow, so much for Harry Reid’s scheming. Seems like the only thing he’s accomplished lately is to protect his own sorry ass from Dean Heller.
RaceTracker Wiki: NV-Gov
P.S. We really need more folks to step up and help edit the RaceTracker Wiki. Just sign up for an account, navigate to a page that needs help, and click the “Edit with Form” link at the top of the page. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. In fact, it looks like the NV-Gov page could use some updating right now. Thanks for your help!
Reading about Sandoval, I get the feeling that he’s a really strong candidate. In fact, according to the AP:
A rising star…I don’t really recall that part but his Wikipedia entry says he addressed the Republican National Convention in 2004. Interesting.
Sandoval, Joe Heck, and Mike Montandon — that makes three solid GOP challengers for Gov. Gibbons. Any thoughts on why all these “name” candidates are running for governor instead of challenging the supposedly vulnerable Sen. Harry Reid? Sure, Gibbons is more vulnerable, but the Democratic nominee wouldn’t be….
Just did some research on him. Man, this guy seems like a real, true rising star. A young, attractive, bright, extremely qualified Latino Republican. If he were to win the primary and then the general political insiders will be keeping their eye on him if you know what I mean.
on the bright side, whether we win NV or not we’ll at least get a federal judge appointment which is awesome.
that the top of the ballot will be two Reids when the senior one has to bust his ass just to make sure he doesnt get a top tier opponent will could take him out. It just seems like really bad strategy for Harry to be running his son for Governor. His campaign may tank, people will be like, well I dont like that younger Reid and I never liked Harry either, just vote against both of them as a package.
I worry about Reid’s Senate seat…. That could be the main surprise of the night.