SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL 04/13/2014

DESPITE SOME SHORT-SIGHTED OPPOSITION, GOP CONVENTION DELEGATES VOTE FOR ENDORSEMENTS

In the end, Roger Stockton's - an active member of the party for all of three months now - bleating about the Nevada GOP endorsing candidates in primaries - the same thing he does with his PAC, as well as the governor, senate caucus, and assembly caucus - convention delegates shot down Stockton's opposition and voted to endorse a host of candidates for the June 10 GOP primary.

This from Laura Myers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal...

Amid raucous debate, Nevada Republican Party conventioneers on Saturday ... endorsed Gov. Brian Sandoval for governor in the June 10 primary despite misgivings by conservatives, his criticism of the process and his absence from the meeting.

The convention also backed Sue Lowden for lieutenant governor over state Sen. Mark Hutchison, R-Las Vegas, who was endorsed by Sandoval and who also spurned the party’s move to endorse candidates before the primary. . . .

Sandoval’s endorsement did not come as a huge surprise since he faces no serious GOP of Democratic opposition and is expected to easily win re-election in the Nov. 4 general election.

Still, conservative delegates have become disenchanted with the governor for snubbing the state party and for balancing the state’s biennial budgets in 2011 and 2013 by twice extending a $600 million tax package that was supposed to expire. . . .

Other endorsements included Adam Laxalt for attorney general, state Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, for secretary of state, Dan Schwartz for state treasurer and Ron Knecht for state controller.

In the congressional races, incumbent U.S. Reps. Joe Heck and Mark Amodei were both recommended for endorsements in Districts 3 and 2 respectively. In the 1st Congressional District, Dr. Annette Teijiero got the nod. And in the 4th Congressional District, civil rights advocate Niger Innis was endorsed instead of Assemblyman Cresent Hardy, R-Mesquite.

In the three most competitive state Senate races, the convention didn’t endorse candidates backed by the GOP Senate caucus, including Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas, in Senate District 20. Instead, the panel recommended endorsing in Senate District 20 Carl Bunce, former director of ex-Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, Nevada presidential campaign.

In Senate District 8, the panel recommended Clayton Kelly Hurst and in Senate District 9 Vick Gill. The state Senate GOP caucus endorsed Patricia Farley in Senate District 8 and Becky Harris in Senate District 9.