Stumbles on the campaign trail are nothing new in Nevada

By Kyle Roerink

Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014 | 2 a.m.

Gaffes, follies and slips are as much a part of politics as campaign buttons.

In Nevada this year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, attorney general candidate Adam Laxalt and congressional candidate Cresent Hardy all made headlines for gaffes. But none of those ranks among the biggest goofs in recent Nevada political history.

Sharron Angle: During her 2010 campaign against Reid, the Tea Party candidate said she was “not sure” whether a TV campaign ad on illegal immigration featured Hispanics. She followed that by telling a group of Hispanic students at Rancho High School that they “look a little more Asian.” She lost by about 40,000 votes.

Jim Gibson: In a close 2006 primary race for governor, the ad war between Gibson and Dina Titus was nasty. Gibson publicly said he opposed abortion with rare exceptions — a position he could possibly get away with in a general election, but rarely in a Democratic primary. Titus lambasted Gibson for being a pro-life Democrat, saying in an ad that Gibson wanted to “outlaw” abortion.

Dina Titus: On the eve of the 2006 primary, Dina Titus was angry. She learned that a student in her political science class at UNLV worked in the campaign office of her opponent, Gibson. Titus left an angry message on the student’s phone. The recording leaked and went viral. “I am not happy,” became a punch line.

Sue Lowden: In the 2010 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Lowden opposed the Affordable Care Act and implied that patients could save money on health care by bartering with doctors. “You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. They would say I’ll paint your house. ... In the old days, that’s what people would do to get health care with their doctors.”