With Oscar Goodman out, officially a ‘boring’ race for governor

By Michael Mishak

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 | 2 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman seemed impatient Monday, sitting on his City Hall throne as technicians clipped four microphones to his suit jacket.

He had called the press to his kitsch-filled 10th-floor office to make official what the assembled media already knew: Oscar’s not running for governor.

“It’s amazing,” he said, marveling at the arc of cameras being set up before his desk. “Here’s a nonannouncement.”

Word of his decision had leaked earlier in the day, and the dozen or so reporters waiting for Goodman seemed genuinely bummed. “Mayor, it’s going to be a boring race now,” one said.

Never one to disappoint the cameras, Goodman quickly told the throng that he simply loved his family and his city too much to leave them for Carson City — then launched into a story about “boozing it up” at a social event where he was named “best local politician.” A bottle of gin on his desk, he said he’s enjoyed the drinking, the gambling, the carousing and the showgirls (especially the showgirls), and he’s committed to maximizing downtown redevelopment in his final 15 months in office.

“I wish whoever is the governor great success,” Goodman said. “Whoever is the governor is going to have a horrendous task with the $800 million deficit and all the problems of the state. I don’t envy whoever will take on that responsibility.”

And then the kicker: “I think the state, in large part, is in the toilet.”

In less than 20 minutes, Goodman, a former mob lawyer, had brought more glitz and intrigue to the governor’s race than any declared candidate. The self-proclaimed “Happiest Mayor in the Universe” showcased the Technicolor personality that has won him re-election by historic margins — and would have made him a potent wild card in November.

Few had more to lose by a Goodman candidacy than Democrat Rory Reid, the Clark County Commission chairman with the bookish personality and dry wit. In 2006, at the unveiling of the NBA All-Star Game logo, Reid pointed out his charisma deficit. “Oscar’s a neon sign,” he said. “I’m a streetlight.”

Still, Reid didn’t spend the day on the edge of his seat. He was in on one of the worst-kept secrets in Nevada politics. Reid and Goodman are longtime friends and spoke with each other about their political ambitions over the past few months. He, like most political insiders, never expected Goodman to run for governor.

“I’m not surprised by his decision,” Reid said. “He loves being mayor so much I thought it would be hard for him to do something different from that. He’s a Las Vegas guy and I never thought he wanted to move to Carson City.”

And yet Goodman kept the political class chattering for the better part of six months, changing his registration from Democrat to independent last month to stoke the flames. His nonpartisan candidacy would have affected Republican front-runner Brian Sandoval as well.

“Undoubtedly, he would have been a formidable candidate,” said Pete Ernaut, an informal adviser to Sandoval.

Indeed, the most recent Las Vegas Review-Journal poll this month showed Goodman in a statistical dead heat with Sandoval, with Reid trailing by double digits. If Gov. Jim Gibbons were the Republican nominee, Goodman would win in a 20-point landslide.

The survey revealed the danger he would have posed to both leading candidates: Goodman won 38 percent of the Democratic vote, 23 percent of the Republican vote and 41 percent of independents.

Still, UNLV political scientist David Damore said Goodman would have faced significant financial and organizational hurdles from the outset as a third-party candidate.

First, no independent has ever won statewide office in Nevada. Goodman would have struggled to build a ground organization without the base of a major political party, Damore said. And because of his late start, he would be competing for donors who have already made considerable commitments and contributions to Reid and Sandoval.

Although Goodman is out as a candidate, he could continue to color the governor’s race. He told reporters Monday that he might endorse a candidate. His criterion: “Whoever is going to protect the city of Las Vegas.” By that, he means ensuring that tax revenue used to assist downtown redevelopment projects is preserved.

“Don’t write an obit, please,” Goodman said. “I’m alive and kicking.”