Woodbury: Blindsided by Miller

By Dana Gentry

Thursday, May 22, 2008 | 3:57 p.m.

We learned just before this morning's taping with County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury that Secretary of State Ross Miller is officially challenging Woodbury's candidacy, as well as a handful of others, including two school board members who vowed this week on Face to Face to fight back.

During a phone interview on the program, Miller said he cannot explain former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa's 1996 opinion that appears to render those elected in 1996 unaffected in their first term by the limits passed the same year. Miller appeared pressed to find a good answer when Jon asked why he chose to challenge some officials while time remained in the filing period, while others, who filed on the first possible day, were challenged only now.

Bruce Woodbury, who was the most animated I've seen him, agreed with Jon's assessment that he'd been blindsided by Miller and even questioned the Secretary of State's standing to challenge the officials.

Still trying to find Del Papa and Attorney General Catherine Cortez-Masto for their takes.

Tomorrow:

An editorial in a newspaper from Elko suggests Governor Jim Gibbons is having an affair. Elko - the heart of Gibbons' conservative base! Did they open a Birkenstock store there, too?

Why did the paper decide to go with the information while others whisper? Is it even relevant? And how is Dawn Gibbons reacting to the allegations?

We'll talk with Las Vegas Sun political reporter J. Patrick Coolican and a UNLV journalism expert about media coverage of the first family's dissolution.