USA Today, 2/21/2007 -- "Democrats turn Nevada into political boomtown"

"If they want to be elected president … they have to win the West now," says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "That's why the caucuses are here and the convention will be in Denver."

Jon Ralston, a columnist and commentator on state politics, says Democrats "failed miserably at outreach" in the last two elections and wonders if they can overcome a huge vote deficit in rural Nevada, where turnout is high.

The Washington Post, 6/26/2006 -- "Insider Interview: Nevada's Paul Adams"

Then just days before the May 12 filing deadline Clark County Sheriff Bill Young (R) decided not to run again despite having a war chest of more than $900,000 and no significant opposition. According to Jon Ralston, Nevada's leading political reporter, 14 of the 26 Democrats in the state Assembly face no opposition and several others have only token opposition. Ralston notes, however, that the blame should not fall entirely on Adams' shoulders as the GOP leaders in the state Assembly did little to help.

The Washington Post, 6/19/2006 -- "Insider Interview: Is Nevada Ready for Presidential Primetime?"

Jon Ralston is already an institution in Nevada politics. In 2008, he just might become one nationally.

Ralston is the political reporter in Nevada, and his state is very likely to play a special role in the 2008 presidential campaign, as the Democratic Party may schedule the Silver State's caucuses to fall in the week between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

If Nevada's caucus date is moved up, Ralston will join two other reporters -- David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register and John DiStaso of the Manchester Union Leader -- as holding a very special vantage point when it comes to covering the 2008 nominating contest.

"I look at it very selfishly," said Ralston when discussing the possibility that Nevada's caucus will be moved into the first weeks of the primary campaign. "I want it to happen because I think it's good for me."

Ralston, like a true political junkie, has already spent considerable time analyzing what a Democratic candidate would need to do to win Nevada, a state that he says is really three states in one -- Las Vegas (Clark County), Reno (Washoe County) and rural Nevada. Las Vegas dominates the state's politics; its rapid growth won the state an extra seat in the House after the 2000 census. Democrats have to do very well in Clark County to win statewide, but in recent competitive general elections Democratic candidates have often come up short because of the party's struggles with more conservative-minded voters in the rest of the state, according to Ralston.

If Las Vegas is the heart of Nevada's Democratic politics, then the Culinary Workers Union is the biggest "get" in a hypothetical Nevada presidential caucus, Ralston said, noting its large membership (40,000 plus) and political acuity. "No other group comes close to it," he said. If there is a second most powerful union, it is the Nevada State Education Association -- though its influence has been reduced in recent years because "their leadership has been in disarray," said Ralston.

The considerable Hispanic population in the state -- 20 percent according to the 2000 Census -- makes the state attractive to Democrats hoping to reach this emerging voting bloc. However, Ralston said the influence of this group may be overstated since many Hispanics are not registered to vote, and among those who are there is little conformity or unity of purpose.

Ralston should know. After receiving a masters degree in journalism from the University of Michigan, he was paging through Editor & Publisher magazine and saw an ad for a night police beat reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Ralston took the job on a lark, planning to spend a few years in Sin City before moving back to the East Coast (he is a native of Buffalo, N.Y.) to work for a big-name newspapers.

Within two years Ralston was a political reporter for the R-J and by 1988 (at age 29) he was writing a political column for the paper. In 1992 Ralston, who readily admits to being easily bored, started his own statewide political newsletter -- The Ralston Report. Seven years later, he was approached by the rival newspaper -- the Las Vegas Sun -- after the media outlet commissioned a poll by GOP pollster Frank Luntz that showed the Sun's political coverage needed a major shot in the arm.

Ralston set out a list of demands, which included taking his newsletter electronic and hosting his own television show -- all of which were met. He sold the Ralston Report to the Sun in late 1999. (Three years later Ralston was in Washington, D.C., when he ran into Luntz on the street. "Are you ever going to thank me for getting you a job?" Luntz asked.)

Thus the growth of the one-man media conglomerate that is Jon Ralston. He has resisted entreaties to move from Vegas for a number of reasons that range from the personal (he is divorced and has joint custody of his daughter) to the professional ("It's kind of nice being a big fish in a small pond"), but in the end it's the uniqueness of the state's politics that keep him rooted in the desert.

"Even though it's the fastest-growing city in the fastest-growing state in the country, power has not diffused concomitantly," Ralston said when asked what makes Nevada politics distinct. "We still have a set group of people who control everything [politically]." That group includes consultant Sig Rogich, gaming executive Mike Sloan, advertising executives Billy Vassiliadis, a Democrat, and Pete Ernaut, a Republican.

Gov. Kenny Guinn (R), who is finishing up his second term this year, is a perfect example of the power of this group, said Ralston. Guinn had never run for public office before his gubernatorial campaign in 1998, but he coasted in the primary and general election thanks to the unified support of this political posse, he said. Ralston wrote a book in 2000 titled "The Anointed One" detailing Guinn's rise and the nature of Nevada politics.

Ralston's other fascination when it comes to Nevada politics is Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, whom he describes as someone "almost without charisma" and simultaneously praises for the senator's "unbelievably ruthless, brilliant and Machiavellian mind vis a vis politics."

Ralston says that Reid remains essentially the same person he met in 1986 -- a master of the behind the scenes master stroke. Witness Reid's recommendation of state Attorney General Brian Sandoval for the federal bench. Reid's stroke not only opened up the attorney general's office -- a position Democrats are favored to win this fall -- but also eliminated Sandoval as a potential challenger in 2010 when Reid is expected to run for a fourth term.

Not every gambit by Reid is so successful. His backing of Dario Herrera in the state's 3rd District in 2002 backfired miserably as Herrera's campaign collapsed from the combined weight of a series of scandals. Herrera was convicted last month on multiple charges of public corruption.

It's all part of the circus for Ralston, who clearly relishes covering the state's salacious and -- dare we say it -- sexy politics. "It's nice to live in a dynamic environment where I'm not bored," he says in a feat of understatement.

Los Angeles Times, 6/14/2006 -- "Series on Las Vegas Judges Renews Calls for Reform"

The most vocal advocate for change is Jon Ralston, a leading Nevada political commentator. He wrote in the Las Vegas Sun last week that The Times had exposed "the incestuous nature of a judiciary fueled by friendships and campaign money."

"The idea that judges can be unduly influenced by who they know and the money they receive is something cynics have long assumed," Ralston wrote. "But what the L.A. Times has done is devote resources to detailing and documenting a causal connection between influence attempted and decisions rendered."

Ralston on Tuesday added, "I've heard no one quarrel with the facts of the story."

Roll Call, 6/7/2006 -- "Carville Hitting Vegas for Hafen Fundraiser"

Carville will be the special guest at a Hafen fundraiser in Las Vegas on Thursday, as the Ralston Report, a Nevada political tipsheet, first reported.

The Hill, 5/11/2006 -- "Reid's role in Nevada House race seen as 2010 political play"

“Reid is the kind of guy who views everyone as a threat until he disposes of him,” said Jon Ralston, a Nevada political analyst. “But he clearly was furious with Porter for piling on about Abramoff.”

Roll Call, 5/9/2006 -- "Tamping Down Rumors, Gibbons Vows She'll Win"

Las Vegas-based political analyst Jon Ralston, who has reported in his daily political tip sheet that Gibbons might drop out of the race, said he was not convinced that she would not run as much as he felt that she should not run.

"I'm convinced based on her performance that she has no business running for office — you ask anybody inside Nevada politics ... she's erratic," Ralston said, referring to reports that Gibbons has delivered incomprehensible speeches and behaved oddly.

"People say what they want to say. ... I don't know why he writes like that," Gibbons replied.

But Ralston said he is simply echoing reports from Nevada Republicans that Gibbons could be a weak nominee in a district that should be safe for the GOP but could be in play depending on the circumstances. The prospect of Jim Gibbons being on the ballot as the GOP gubernatorial nominee — he is in the thick of a tough three-way primary himself — while his wife runs for his Congressional seat also makes some Republicans nervous.

"People think she can't win" the general election against University Regent Jill Derby (D) but that she can win the primary, Ralston said. "If you want Dean Heller to win, you want Dawn Gibbons out of the race."

Roll Call, 3/27/2006 -- "Operation Shoe Find"

Congressional Spouse Party Switcher. A Las Vegas physician named Larry Lehrner got a voice mail message last week from someone at the National Republican Congressional Committee saying, "We wanted to recognize you with a national leadership award." The message implored "the good doctor" to return the call soon to hear more details about the award, according to Las Vegas political writer Jon Ralston.

"Problem is, he is no longer a good Republican," Ralston wrote.

The recent party switcher is the husband of Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), who, "disgusted with the president," in Ralston's words, changed his party registration in December — which means he can finally vote for his wife if she ever has a primary.

Berkley's communications director, David Cherry, joked that perhaps the NRCC should rename its national leadership award the "heck of a job" award and "present it to whichever staffer failed to realize just who Congressman Reynolds was calling."

Roll Call, 3/08/2006 -- "When Governor Plays Kingmaker, Primary Result Can Be Swayed"

Interviews with political veterans suggest that answer is a qualified "yes." . . . Having the governor's backing can matter "a lot," said Las Vegas-based political analyst Jon Ralston. "The governor can mobilize an entire state organization if he or she knows what he is doing."

Roll Call, 2/13/2006 -- "Red-State Reid Sounds Like a Blue-State Leader"

Reid has always been known for being what his friends call "tough and direct," and what Nevada political analyst Jon Ralston has called "ruthless" and "Machiavellian."

Roll Call, 2/8/2006 -- "In Announcement, Carter Links Ensign to Bush"

Businessman Jack Carter (D) formally kicked off his Senate campaign Monday flanked by family, including his father, former President Jimmy Carter.

In his uphill effort to unseat Sen. John Ensign (R), Carter made clear he would do his best to tie Ensign to President Bush, criticizing the GOP's performance on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, domestic eavesdropping and the Jack Abramoff scandals.

According to Nevada political commentator Jon Ralston, Carter also pre-empted carpet-bagging charges — Carter has lived in Las Vegas for only three years -- by saying: "We've been Nevadans all our lives; we just found out about it a few years ago."
-- N.D.

Roll Call, 1/18/2006 -- "Democrat Odds Could Improve With Goodman"

"Oscar Goodman is not serious about much, but is he actually making moves that would indicate that he is looking at this race?" Nevada political columnist Jon Ralston asked. "Yes. He is the one who initiated all of this. I think he has thought about being a Senator much more than he has thought about being governor," said Ralston, author of the Nevada political tip sheet the Ralston Report.

Ralston said Goodman would vault Nevada to the top of the competitive list but that geography constrains him.

Rural Nevada does not like or trust Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas, Ralston said.

"Who better to embody that fear and loathing than a flamboyant mob lawyer from Las Vegas?" Ralston asked.

But Ralston predicted that if Carter is the nominee, Reid will make only minimal effort to get him elected.

"He'll do nothing for Carter -- just the perfunctory" things such as donating money and making some campaign appearances, Ralston said.

"Goodman wouldn't need his help as much," Ralston said. "Goodman is the perfect candidate for Harry Reid. Reid can go to Ensign and say 'I can keep everyone out of this race except Goodman, no one can control him.' And then he can go to the Democrats and say 'I got the best possible candidate' but then if Goodman wins and comes to Washington, he'll have to put up with him."

Roll Call, 12/07/2005 -- "Nation: Free Enterprise Fund Endorses Two GOPers"

NEVADA
Report: Porter Helping Heller Beat Mrs. Gibbons

This could be a bit awkward: The Ralston Newsflash, a political tipsheet in the Silver State, reported this week that Rep. Jon Porter (R) was scheduled to host a fundraiser Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., for Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller, one of three Republicans seeking to replace Rep. Jim Gibbons (R).

Problem is, Heller is running against former state Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons (R), Congressman Gibbons' wife, who is seeking to replace her husband as he runs for governor in 2006.

Porter and Heller share the same political consultant, Mike Slanker of the Las Vegas-based GOP firm November Inc. Most of the state's Republican establishment has already rallied around Heller in the 2nd district race.

Assemblywoman Sharron Angle is also seeking the GOP nomination.

-- J.K.

Roll Call, 9/21/2005 -- "GOP Establishment Giving Gibbons Heller"

Numerous Republican powerbrokers have lined up behind Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller (R) in his bid to replace outgoing Rep. Jim Gibbons (R) in the Silver State's 2nd district.

The host committee for an Oct. 4 Heller fundraiser includes many of Northern Nevada's GOP poohbahs, the Ralston Report, a Nevada political tip sheet, reported this week.

The list "reads like a Who's Who of the powers that be, including Gov. Kenny Guinn and his wife, Dema; Reno Mayor Bob Cashell; Carson City Mayor Marv Teixeira; influential businessman T.J. Day; R&R Partners' Pete Ernaut; lobbyists Greg Ferraro, Mike Alonso and John Sande; and even not-so-neutral GOP National Committeewoman Beverly Willard," Jon Ralston, the report's author, wrote.

Ralston said the list is noteworthy considering that Gibbons is running for governor and given that his wife, former state Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons (R), hopes to replace him in Congress. Assemblywoman Sharron Angle (R) also is seeking the GOP nomination.

"And just for some Southern flavor, Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.), whose consultants are handling Heller, is also on the invitation, which may have an effect on his relationship with his fellow GOP Congressman," Ralston added.

Roll Call, 9/6/2005 -- "Judge Deliberates a Challenge to Porter"

A district court judge is reportedly exploring a bid in the Silver State's 3rd district.

Clark County District Judge Nancy Saitta has talked to Democratic Party leaders about the possibility of challenging Rep. Jon Porter (R), according to the Ralston Report, a Nevada political tip sheet.

If she chooses to run in the swing district, she would have to resign her position as judge, Ralston added.

The Las Vegas-area 3rd district was drawn to be competitive between both parties, but Porter has won solid victories there in his first two elections.

Las Vegas Weekly, 8/18/2005 -- "Everything You Need To Know About the Next Governor's Race"

The somewhat longer version, according to pundit Jon Ralston (Las Vegas Sun, the Ralston Report, Face to Face with Jon Ralston) is that A.) there's no such thing as "gaming"--in the sense of a monolithic, single-minded entity--anymore; and B.) that gaming has no clear idea who to support.

"Gaming is balkanized, in a way," he says. "What Steve Wynn does, Gary Loveman or Terry Lanni don't necessarily do." The conventional wisdom, he says, had the industry pretty solidly behind Perkins--six or eight months ago. But after what was widely perceived to be his lackluster performance in the 2005 Legislature, Perkins lost some momentum. Meanwhile, gaming saw the polling that put Gibbons well ahead of any contenders. Gibson, too, is an attractive candidate for gamers, and they can't ignore Titus.

The upshot: Gaming will have to spread its money around. With no consensus candidate, "This may be the first non-anointment election I've ever seen," Ralston says, amazement in his voice...

KLAS-TV, 7/27/2005 -- "Gibson to Run for Governor"

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson has decided to run for governor. Channel 8 political analyst, Jon Ralston broke the news.

Gibson isn't confirming the report and is out of town today but sources say that Gibson has been making phone calls for support.

Gibson will probably face at least two other democrats in the primary election including State Senate Minority Leader, Dina Titus and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins.

On the republican side, state Senator Bob Beers and Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt have announced they are running.

Roll Call, 7/21/2005 -- "Connections Cut Both Ways in House Election"

Dawn Gibbons (R), who is hoping to succeed her husband, Rep. Jim Gibbons (R), in the House next year, found there is a downside to being well-connected.

Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.), who announced last week that he will not seek re-election after federal authorities raided his residence in connection with an investigation into his relationship with a defense contractor, hosted a fundraiser for Dawn Gibbons late last month in Washington, D.C.

According to the Ralston Report, a Nevada political tip sheet, Gibbons said she believes Cunningham is innocent until proven guilty.

"Consultant Jim Denton, who is advising Dawn Gibbons' congressional campaign ... said many of the revelations about Cunningham did not come until after the June 29 event," Ralston reported.

No word yet on what, if anything, she will do with the proceeds in the event he is found guilty of wrong-doing.

Jim Gibbons is giving up his 2nd district seat to seek the governorship.

Washington Post, 7/17/2005 -- "Land of Hard Knocks: Long After It Gave Him Something to Escape, the Busted Boom Town of Searchlight Still Speaks To Harry Reid's Heart"

Reid is a master of "that practiced, pale-faced-bumpkin-from-Searchlight act," says Las Vegas political analyst Jon Ralston. This masks a savvy, rough-hewn politician that Ralston describes as "ruthless" and "Machiavellian."

Las Vegas Weekly, 7/07/2005 -- "The Information: City Journal: Beers and Water"

This is, we're told, National Nude Recreation Week, and we've been observing it with our usual zeal--sorry, trash guys! But we had to bundle up against the chill to type these words: Bob Beers, governor. Brrr. Already we can't feel our toes...

We sense a link between his decision and this comment to pundit Jon Ralston from a legislative colleague of Beers': "The only thing worse than being a cheap SOB is being a mean, cheap SOB." It's not too hard to imagine him taking that as a compliment. (Beers to reflection in mirror: "Yeah, mean and cheap like a fox!") Combined with the other assessments of Beers in Ralston's survey of lawmakers-"cold, calculating, egocentric"; "poster boy for lack of trustworthiness"-it must've sounded like a chorus of validation leading to one unavoidable conclusion: I must use these talents for the greater good!

Roll Call, 6/23/2005 -- "All in the Family: It's a Mixed Bag When Relatives Are on the Ballot Together"

Whatever grousing there is about the Gibbons team appearing on the ballot at the same time, Jon Ralston, a Las Vegas Sun columnist and Nevada political expert, thinks the bigger threat facing Jim Gibbons is the possible entrance into the race by Jim Rogers, a media mogul and chancellor of the state's university system.

"He's supported by the governor, he has lots of business contacts, and he's half -- and maybe a full -- billionaire," Ralston said.

Roll Call, 5/24/2005 -- "Dino Rossi: Sore Loser Or Brilliant Tactician? History Will Judge"

When Dino Rossi first narrowly won -- and then narrowly lost -- his race for governor of Washington last fall, he had a choice to make ...

... In Nevada, where John Ensign lost by 428 votes to current Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D) in 1998, politicos say Ensign, too, did everything right to maintain positive feelings among voters.

"There was the usual swarming of national Republican operatives to help him challenge the results, and he pushed it as far as he could -- up to the point where he would only look petulant," said Jon Ralston, who publishes a newsletter on Nevada politics. "Eventually, it became clear to him that there was no upside to continuing to push."

Roll Call, 4/20/2005 -- "A Young Day Dawns: Chairman Aids Gibbons in Nevada"

The unofficial Congressional campaign of former state legislator Dawn Gibbons seems pretty official these days.

Last week the wife of Rep. Jim Gibbons (R), who is all but officially running for governor next year, was the beneficiary of a Washington, D.C., fundraiser hosted by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Gibbons hopes to win her husband's 2nd district seat next year, though technically she is only exploring the option right now.

Donors had to pay $500 per individual or $1,000 per political action committee to help the noncandidate at the reception, which was held Wednesday at the National Mining Association's headquarters. Coincidentally Young, along with House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) and Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), are officially lined up to support Dawn Gibbons, should she run for the seat, according to her exploratory committee Web site.

As Nevada columnist Jon Ralston noted in his political tip sheet, the Ralston Report: "So all these folks are on board the Dawn Gibbons Congressional train? Really?

"Good for other Republicans [who have expressed an interest in the seat] to know, including Secretary of State Dean Heller (R) and others who might be considering the race, such as Assemblywoman Sharron Angle (R), who apparently can't count on the backing of" some key state legislative leaders.

"I just hope the Congressman realizes that if he changes his mind now and tries to run for re-election, his wife has a lot of support sewn up -- including key Congressmen he works with who apparently don't believe he is just exploring the governor's race -- and would be the favorite to beat him," Ralston concluded.

Roll Call, 4/12/2005 -- "Despite No Challenger, Ensign Still Raises Cash"

Sen. John Ensign (R) does not have a Democratic challenger yet, but that has not stopped him from fundraising for next year's re-election campaign.

On Friday, partners with the Jones Vargas law firm in Reno will host a $500-per-person reception for the freshman Senator, the Ralston Report, a daily Nevada political tip sheet, has reported.

The Progressive, 3/1/2005 -- "Searching for Harry Reid"

In Vegas near the garish Hard Rock Hotel and Casino I meet with Jon Ralston, the political correspondent for the Las Vegas Sun. "He is a scary guy," Ralston says of Reid. "He loves to meddle at all political levels. He's Machiavellian, ruthless. And he doesn't relate well with the media. He once wouldn't talk to me for two years because he didn't like something I wrote. People were surprised when he twice called the President a liar on Yucca Mountain, but that's the way he is."

The Boston Globe, 2/27/2005 -- "A top Democrat takes up cudgel"

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, two months into his new job as the Democratic leader, declared Friday that his party is "winning" the fight against President Bush and his plan to remake Social Security.

... Meeting with about a dozen constituents in his Reno office on Thursday, Reid's voice sometimes barely rose above a whisper. He stood the whole time and didn't pretend to remember one Vietnam veteran who had professed to have met him several times.

But beneath the surface is a shrewd operator who has used a deep knowledge of legislative rules to cut deals in the halls of government he first roamed as a Capitol Hill police officer said Jon Ralston, a veteran Nevada political analyst.

"He is the greatest contrast between a public image and private behavior," Ralston said. "He seems like a charisma-challenged nebbish. Actually he is an incredibly vicious, ruthless, Machiavellian insider. He's going to stretch the envelope. He is going to use whatever means he has to to get somewhere."

Los Angeles Times, 2/19/2005 -- "Welcome to Oscar's World"

It is the kind of talk that has long made Jon Ralston, probably the premier political observer in Las Vegas, dismiss Goodman as a huckster. Today, even Ralston - who says he sometimes feels like the only person in town who is not a fan - is starting to see results.

When Goodman announced plans to build a massive market to sell furniture five years ago, the industry was skeptical. Today, demand for space is so heavy that developers have had to speed up construction. Goodman was belittled two years ago for bringing in a $95-million outlet mall - and for offering tax breaks to the development company.

"Now? The only complaint they have? Not enough parking!" he says. "I willed all of this to happen. Nothing would be happening if it weren't for me."

Ralston is starting to agree.

"He is the Sisyphus of Las Vegas," said Ralston, a newspaper columnist and talk show host who has covered politics here for nearly 20 years. "I have been surprised at what he's been able to accomplish, frankly. And it is based on pure force of personality. He is a piece of work. But I give him credit for creating an atmosphere of possibility. He has sold his dream."