I absolutely believe there was collusion between Reid and Gibbons. Gibbons could’ve defeated Reid in 2004 if he was the nominee. In exchange for not challenging him, Reid would give him a “freebie” on running for Governor in 2006. I blasted him at the time on that, and of course, Gibbons self-destructed during his single term in office, revealing himself to be a total sleazebag.
I don’t doubt his reaction at your question, as you may have gotten a bit too close to the truth.
Yeah, like so many, he was a major disappointment. When he was a Congressman, I sat not six feet from him at his Town Hall meeting and we spoke at length on the various crap going on in DC. He came across as a pretty decent guy and a good Conservative - or as least as not as squishy as many others. I left the state soon after and didn't follow things in Nevada as closely as before.