Late offensive lifts Titus

By J. Patrick Coolican

Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006 | 7:38 a.m.

Jim Gibson may have lost the Democratic primary for governor last October on an appearance on "Face to Face With Jon Ralston," when the host asked him a simple question about abortion, which is now under siege across the country.

The Henderson mayor gave a complicated answer, one so unclear as to whether he supported abortion rights that his press secretary called reporters later just to make sure they knew he would never criminalize abortion.

His remarks were widely reported and haunted him to such an extent that he probably could have taken his ball and mitt right then and gone home.

Democratic voters showed Tuesday, in electing state Sen. Dina Titus to be their nominee, that they will not trifle with core issues and principles. Yes, Democratic voters - Titus among them - have in the past stood by former Gov. Bob Miller and continue to support Sen. Harry Reid, both anti-abortion Democrats.

But times have changed, and so have Democratic politics, both here and nationally. Many Democrats, especially the type of true believers who vote in primaries, want their representatives to define themselves sharply against Republican opponents.

"It's tough for moderates to win primaries in this cycle on either side," said Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes gubernatorial races around the country for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. "The bases are very motivated," she said, referring to the parties' hardened partisans.

Gibson was unable to excite the activist base, said Gary Gray, a Democratic political consultant: "He's a thoughtful guy who acted like a thoughtful guy in a year when Democrats were looking for some excitement and revenge. He didn't give people a reason to get pumped up and excited by him."

Duffy said Gibson's chances were always overestimated: "People tended to overlook the major things that would make it hard for him to win a primary, like the choice question."

Abortion was just one problem Gibson faced. He lost a high-profile campaign manager and his campaign floundered for months earlier this year, until Dan Hart signed on in the spring. During that period, his campaign stalled.

He was also closely aligned with big developers, including Tony Marnell, who gave Gibson $150,000 in campaign donations right around the time he was receiving favorable rulings from the Henderson City Council.

Gibson was also head of the monorail in 2004, just as it became a mess plagued by mechanical problems, delays and low ridership. Even though Gibson was not directly responsible for any of it, given that the problems started long before he arrived, Titus still tied him to it.

Finally, Nevada Power retained Gibson's law firm for $500,000 in 2002 to help fend off an attempt by the water utility to buy the power company. Rising power rates have made any association with the power company politically toxic.

These together created the perception that Gibson was too close to the forces of money and power that were acquiring more of the same at the expense of everyone else. In a year of a corruption trial among former Clark County commissioners and an ever-widening lobbying scandal in Washington, this perception of Gibson as one of the good ol' boys had to have been damaging.

Steve Redlinger, a Democratic consultant, called these issues "devastating."

"He was never able to coherently answer these questions raised about him and get out from under the negatives."

Although Gibson spent twice as much money as Titus, she husbanded her resources until the final weeks of the campaign, and she had just enough money to make the attacks.

The litany of Gibson missteps, however, leaves out one important factor: Titus herself.

The UNLV political scientist and senate minority leader began running for governor even before the last legislative session was finished. She was focused and tough.

"She was the first one out of the gate, and she never let up," said David Damore, a UNLV political scientist who gave Titus a $100 donation.

Former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan praised the Titus work ethic: "She has worked tirelessly since the last session. While others were philosophizing or strategizing over a beer at Adele's," he said, referring to a Carson City restaurant and watering hole, "she was working every night. She's worked tirelessly. A year and a half ago, I think she was underestimated."

Titus wrapped up the Democratic base early, winning the endorsement of many important unions and other constituency groups. She recruited a bevy of volunteers and picked up Bryan's former aid, Marlene Lockard, to run her statewide field operation.

In June, when Gibson flooded the airwaves while Titus sat on the sidelines, saving her money, another round of Titus doubting began. She had no money, no campaign manager and she had alienated friends and supporters. It was a story being shopped all over town.

Then, in July, she began exploiting those Gibson weaknesses with sharp 15-second ads. Gibson was in the pocket of developers, a friend of the power company, the head of the witless monorail and an opponent of abortion rights.

Of Titus, Redlinger said: "She ran an incredibly focused campaign. She had three or four issues, and she pounded them down his throat. She ran a terrific campaign."