I think you are overly cynical on Jim Gibbons.
I have known him for several years, he was one of the very few candidates to show up at our RKBA Rally in Carson City, 1995. He sponsored the 2/3's rule for tax increases in Nevada while in the state legislature.
He is one of the bravest rep's in congress, and has worked hard to defeat many of Sierra Harry's pet bills.
Jim has been one of the best rep's I have ever seen, he is very dependably conservative.
Do a Thomas search of bills Jim has introduced and co-sponsored, I am glad to have him in the house.
I only hope the Nevada republican party can find another viable candidate to unseat that feculent little maggot, Harry Reid!
GOP Rep. Jim Gibbons says he won't run against Sen. Harry Reid
ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writer Monday, August 25, 2003
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/08/25/state1201EDT0059.DTL (08-25) 16:47 PDT LAS VEGAS (AP) --
Rep. Jim Gibbons has decided not to challenge Democratic Sen. Harry Reid next year in what was expected to be one of the most hotly contested races for the U.S. Senate.
Gibbons, R-Nev., said Monday that his desire to work on House committees against terrorism prompted him not to seek the GOP nomination.
"There is no doubt in my mind that I could defeat the existing senator on Election Day, but my decision has nothing to do with Sen. Harry Reid," Gibbons said at a morning new conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
"But I do know that to devote 14 months to a partisan political campaign given the immense responsibilities I have today and the significant challenges we face simply is not in the best interest of Nevadans, this state or this nation."
Gibbons, 58, who has wide support throughout Nevada, was considered the best choice by Republicans to challenge Reid in 2004. Gibbons, noting Reid has raised more than $3 million, said he had no doubt that he could have raised enough money to mount a successful campaign.
The four-term congressman was flanked at the podium by his wife, Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons, and Lia Roberts, state Republican Party chairwoman.
He repeated the 15-minute speech to a handful of supporters Monday afternoon at the Reno airport. Gibbons said he scheduled two news conferences because he felt he had the responsibility to answer reporters' questions in both of Nevada's major population centers.
White House officials and other nationally prominent Republican had encouraged Gibbons to challenge Reid, who was last re-elected in 1998 by only 428 votes. Reid, 64, is the second-leading Democrat in the Senate and has been repeatedly at odds with President Bush.
Gibbons said Monday that the White House did not put heavy pressure on him.
"I did not speak to the president about this issue," he said. "Actually, the White House has been minimally involved in this decision."
Reid called Gibbons a "strong and important member of Nevada's Congressional delegation" and said he looked forward to working together on issues important to Nevada.
"Congressman Gibbons' seniority in the House of Representatives is an asset to our state, making the true beneficiary of his decision today the people of Nevada," Reid said.
Reid and his wife, Landra, are longtime friend of Gibbons and his wife.
Gibbons said that since making his decision a week ago, he had spoken to prominent Nevadans about running against Reid next year, but named only Las Vegas businessman Jack Woodcock as being one of those who had expressed interest.
A decorated former combat pilot and the only member of Congress to serve in Vietnam and Iraq, Gibbons is a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee. He is considered a possible successor to retiring Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., as chairman of the committee.
Gibbons also sits on three other committees: the House Resources Committee, the Armed Services Committee and the Select Committee on Homeland Security.
Gibbons, who represents Nevada's 2nd District, was re-elected easily to his fourth term last year. Gibbons received 74 percent of the vote, easily outpacing his nearest challenger, Reno computer technician Travis Souza, who received 20 percent.
Gibbons was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. Before entering national politics, Gibbons was elected in 1988 to the Nevada State Assembly, where he served three terms.
Although Gibbons said he hasn't ruled out someday running for Senate, he would only say that he intends to run for re-election in 2004.
"This is an important and critical time," he said. "Not the time to be a freshman senator."
"I have a bright future," he said.
Gibbons has said that he has been encouraged to run for governor in 2006 when Kenny Guinn must step down because of term limits.
"All doors are open," he told the Reno gathering. "We have not closed the door on any political office.
"I would like to be a member of the U.S. Senate and possibly someday, I will be."
Reid is very, very vulnerable. His political base has always been with the Las Vegas labor unionists, and to some degree, the wealthy upstate (Tahoe area) greenies. However, look at how the demographics of Las Vegas are changing! Anyone who visits Las Vegas on a fairly regular basis cannot help but see the growth of suburbia there - middle class and upper middle class, mostly conservative voters - who vote their pocketbooks and jobs. These "new" Nevadans are not going to go be Reid voters. They are a group pissed off at the Senate Democrat antics and are largely supportive of the Bush agenda.
AZ - Republicans need to be careful about John McCAIN (see Genesis Cain vs. Abel) I think our "republican" senator is bad news, and republicans will have a tough sell if someone doesn't come out and beat McCain in the primary...there are enough upset republicans who will vote for some stupid independent rather than McCain and then you know what happens? We get a Democrat Senator, just like in our governor's race last year!!! It appalls me how republicans will be stubborn as mules and not go for the lousy republican, even if it is McCAin, and allow some indepdendent to throw the race to a democrat...mark my words, it's going to happen unless someone like JD Hayworth or a big name republican steps up and levels MCain in the primary!