Sharron Angle's bid for Senator an Interesting One
In February I reported on the annual Washoe County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner bash, a tradition observed by every Republican organization in the U.S. as a way to bring the faithful together to press the flesh, schmooze and booze. About 300 local Republicans paid to get into the event at the Peppermill Hotel & Casino and hear Michael Reagan, Ronald Reagan’s son, lambaste left wingers.
One feature of the event was an unofficial straw poll to see who the Republican grassroots would like to see as a candidate to run against Sen. Harry Reid.
The top vote getter was Congressman Dean Heller, followed by former Gov. Kenny Guinn, current Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, former gubernatorial candidate Bob Beers, KKOH radio talk show host Bill Manders, Incline State Sen. Randolph Townsend, baseball star Greg Maddux, former Incline Assemblywoman Sharron Angle and lastly Nevada GOP Chair Sue Lowden. Although by no means a scientific poll, the results interested the Reno Gazette Journal and KOLO TV enough to publish the standings.
Of these potential candidates the only one who had announced an intention to take on “Dirty Harry” was Lt. Gov. Krolicki. Since, Krolicki’s fundraising has dried up after charges from the democratic attorney general.
Since the February straw poll none of those whose names made the list has announced his or her candidacy ... until now, that is. Former Incline Assemblywoman Sharron Angle has actually filed with the Federal Election Commission to run against Reid and has formed an exploratory committee for the race. He had better quake in his boots.
Sharron’s amazing campaign ability first came to light after the 2000 census when she was an assemblywoman representing west Reno. The Assembly Democrats controlled the redistricting process and were fuming at Sharron’s conservative positions so they moved her district line to include Incline/Crystal Bay, which forced her to run against the popular incumbent Assemblyman Greg Brower.
She personally visited every home in her new district at least three times, and when the votes were counted she was the winner.
In 2006 she left the assembly to run for Congress against Secretary of State Dean Heller and first lady Dawn Gibbons, both of whom had statewide name identification. In a race that covered all 17 Nevada counties, Heller edged Angle by less than 1 percent of the votes cast, while Gibbons ran a distant third.
In 2008 she took on the grand old man of Nevada politics, State Sen. Bill Raggio, in his bid for re-election. Raggio has been in the Nevada Senate since 1972 and was the most powerful Republican in Nevada. Sharron raised about $50,000 for the race while Raggio raised and spent $513,000.
When the results came in Raggio edged Sharron by a bare 500 votes.
If she comes into the race against Reid she will immediately be a star on the national scene. The Washington-based conservative political action committee Club for Growth raised money for Sharron when she ran for Congress and can be expected to again. Reid is actually vulnerable to a strong candidate like Sharron so the Republican National Senatorial Committee may pony up enough money to even the financial playing field.
For more about the race, visit www.sharronangle.com.
Jim Clark is president of Republican Advocates, a vice chair of the Washoe County GOP and a member of the Nevada GOP Central Committee. He can be reached at tahoesbjc@aol.com.
One feature of the event was an unofficial straw poll to see who the Republican grassroots would like to see as a candidate to run against Sen. Harry Reid.
The top vote getter was Congressman Dean Heller, followed by former Gov. Kenny Guinn, current Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, former gubernatorial candidate Bob Beers, KKOH radio talk show host Bill Manders, Incline State Sen. Randolph Townsend, baseball star Greg Maddux, former Incline Assemblywoman Sharron Angle and lastly Nevada GOP Chair Sue Lowden. Although by no means a scientific poll, the results interested the Reno Gazette Journal and KOLO TV enough to publish the standings.
Of these potential candidates the only one who had announced an intention to take on “Dirty Harry” was Lt. Gov. Krolicki. Since, Krolicki’s fundraising has dried up after charges from the democratic attorney general.
Since the February straw poll none of those whose names made the list has announced his or her candidacy ... until now, that is. Former Incline Assemblywoman Sharron Angle has actually filed with the Federal Election Commission to run against Reid and has formed an exploratory committee for the race. He had better quake in his boots.
Sharron’s amazing campaign ability first came to light after the 2000 census when she was an assemblywoman representing west Reno. The Assembly Democrats controlled the redistricting process and were fuming at Sharron’s conservative positions so they moved her district line to include Incline/Crystal Bay, which forced her to run against the popular incumbent Assemblyman Greg Brower.
She personally visited every home in her new district at least three times, and when the votes were counted she was the winner.
In 2006 she left the assembly to run for Congress against Secretary of State Dean Heller and first lady Dawn Gibbons, both of whom had statewide name identification. In a race that covered all 17 Nevada counties, Heller edged Angle by less than 1 percent of the votes cast, while Gibbons ran a distant third.
In 2008 she took on the grand old man of Nevada politics, State Sen. Bill Raggio, in his bid for re-election. Raggio has been in the Nevada Senate since 1972 and was the most powerful Republican in Nevada. Sharron raised about $50,000 for the race while Raggio raised and spent $513,000.
When the results came in Raggio edged Sharron by a bare 500 votes.
If she comes into the race against Reid she will immediately be a star on the national scene. The Washington-based conservative political action committee Club for Growth raised money for Sharron when she ran for Congress and can be expected to again. Reid is actually vulnerable to a strong candidate like Sharron so the Republican National Senatorial Committee may pony up enough money to even the financial playing field.
For more about the race, visit www.sharronangle.com.
Jim Clark is president of Republican Advocates, a vice chair of the Washoe County GOP and a member of the Nevada GOP Central Committee. He can be reached at tahoesbjc@aol.com.
