Heller: From bucking anointments to being anointed

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 | 12:49 p.m.

Taken from the Slice of Nevada History files, All Politics are Circular Department:

On Jan. 3, 1998, the secretary of state, then a rising Republican star who wanted to be governor, was furious about the gaming industry’s anointment of businessman Kenny Guinn.

He told the Reno Gazette-Journal that the casinos should not be selecting governors on “pre-marked ballots. I do not believe the public feels they have a choice at this point in time.”

Who said that? That was the currently anointed choice for U.S. Senate in the GOP, Dean Heller. Thirteen years ago, thanks to his longtime friend and former Assembly colleague, Pete Ernaut, Heller seemed blocked. Ernaut was busily getting Guinn anointed when his pal started making noise about the governor’s race that would eventually make Ernaut's career.

Ernaut was managing Guinn’s race, just as he will oversee Heller’s now. And then, as now, Ernaut was intent on making sure his candidate did not have a primary.

A few days after the Gazette-Journal story, the longtime friends talked on the phone and Ernaut exploded at Heller over what he called his hypocrisy, saying he was happy to be anointed when he first ran for public office. Ernaut got off that call believing Heller would challenge The Anointed One and began preparing a letters-to-the-editor campaign to praise Guinn and chastise his friend.

Heller got wind of the campaign and a few days later and gave a speech implying Guinn was bought and paid for by the Las Vegas Strip, especially because the GOP favorite had taken hundreds of thousands from the gamers already. Ernaut was convinced his soon-to-be former friend was running.

But two months later, Heller had seen the light. An intermediary had come to Guinn on Heller’s behalf with a proposal that Guinn might anoint him for lieutenant governor. But, in a meeting with campaign insiders, Guinn showed what he thought of Heller, who had taken those public pot shots: He lifted his middle finger.

Shortly thereafter, Heller called me – I still remember it. We met at the Gold Coast Hotel and he told me: He would run for re-election as secretary of state. He was only 37 with a bright future.

Ernaut was personally and professionally relieved. No primary. No need to attack Heller. Guinn would eventually win the race handily over Jan Jones, the Las Vegas mayor. And now, with Heller at 50, all is forgiven and the friends, long ago reconciled, are reunited – and anointed.

Ernaut has proven a master at anointment since he went up against another anointed one, Bob Miller, in the 1990 governor’s race, running a quixotic campaign for a California carpetbagger named Jim Galloway. Ernaut lost that one on a landslide. But he has since helped anoint Guinn, Ensign, Gov. Brian Sandoval and now Heller.

In another small-world twist, Ernaut and day-to-day Heller manager Mike Slanker, who ran Sandoval’s campaign last year, were integral parts of Team Ensign for many years before the senator’s depredations. They have been on Team Heller for some time, long before Ensign announced his retirement.

No permanent friends, no permanent enemies.

The ultimate lesson, though, is this: Sooner or later in Nevada politics, if you are patient and choose your spots, you, too, can be anointed.