(Chuck Muth) – When Newt Gingrich was first elected to Congress, no one believed it was possible to get out of the “permanent” minority Republicans had been in for decades.
In his book, “March to the Majority,” on the 1994 Republican Revolution, Newt wrote…
“House Republicans at the time were a strange mix of energetic, enthusiastic freshmen, comfortable and complacent members, tired, run-down senior members who didn’t much care what we were up to. … The Republicans were just worn down and browbeaten. Most of them just wanted to stay on the treadmill…”
That’s pretty much where most Nevada Republicans in the State Assembly are right now – comfortable in their minority and irrelevance. But a few of us, like Newt before us, see what could be, not what can’t be.
Which brings us to this week’s election for Republican Assembly Minority Leader…
Some of the 15 members of the Assembly Republican Caucus (ARC) are ticked off at me for writing about their upcoming leadership vote this week – which is playing out like the recent GOP Senate Majority Leader fight in DC between John Thune, Jon Cornyn, and Rick Scott.
In the ARC members’ minds, it’s THEIR caucus and the rest of us should just accept whatever they decide as if WE don’t have a stake in the outcome.
Sorry, Charlie. That dog won’t hunt.
They are REPRESENTATIVES. What they do affects all of US – especially conservatives. So if they don’t like us “interfering” in their leadership fight, tough. Suck it up, buttercups.
And since we ALL have a stake in this, and so many of you have expressed a strong interest in it, I’m going to make some suggestions – even though I realize whatever I suggest is likely to be rejected if for no other reason than the fact that *I* suggested it.
The current ARC leadership team is as follows…
- Minority Leader: K. O’Neill
- Northern Assistant Leader: Jill Dickman
- Southern Assistant Leader: Danielle Gallant
- Whip: Rich DeLong
Assemblyman O’Neill is not running for re-election. So…
Like most things in politics, this is a simple math problem. There are 15 members of the caucus. Which means you need 8 votes for a majority to be elected Minority Leader.
Now, let’s assume Assemblywoman Gallant – because she hurt the feelings of too many members of the caucus – can’t get the eight votes no matter how much she deserves it and should wear the crown.
OK, fine. Plan B.
*IF* Assemblywoman Dickman could be persuaded to seek the leadership position, THAT’S who we – especially conservatives – want and need.
She’s one of the current assistant leaders. She’s a legislative veteran. Pretty sure she has seniority now. So she knows the legislative process drill.
She has a solid conservative voting record. She also intends to introduce a bill this session to amend the state constitution so that ONLY citizens can vote in Nevada elections.
Sign me up for that!
Jill knows what it means to run in tough elections. She won her seat, then lost it twice, then won it back twice again. She’s battle tested in a swing district, which is EXACTLY what all the “battleground” districts will be in 2026.
She’s also a dog-lover. So there’s that.
Now let’s round out her possible leadership team…
Assemblyman DeLong is the current Minority Whip. He’s got a good conservative voting record, so leave him in that position – even though no one on the outside knows what the hell a “whip” is or what he/she does.
For Northern Assistant Leader, I’d go with Assemblyman Ken Gray – and not just because he occasionally buys me breakfast at the Roadrunner Café in Dayton and his wife Katie is an absolute gem.
Ken’s a good conservative and has been an active campaigner for fellow Republicans up and down the ballot, as well as active within the party organizations themselves.
He’s a good “party soldier” – while the next Central Committee meeting or Lincoln Day dinner some of his colleagues attend will be their FIRST Central Committee meeting or Lincoln Day dinner.
For Southern Assistant Leader, I’d suggest Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama.
Yes, she has a more moderate voting record than I’d prefer, but that would bring some ideological balance to the leadership team. And she’s been an exceptional fundraiser.
In addition, she was targeted by one of Democrat Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager’s “scam” PACs this cycle in an effort to take her out. The gutter-level attacks on her were as vicious as they were untrue.
I gotta believe she’s highly motivated to get a little payback and extract a pound of flesh while being a thorn in Donut Boy’s side before launching a bid for higher office in 2026, possibly State Treasurer.
So what about Assemblywoman Gallant?
Nobody – and I mean NOBODY – in the caucus did more to help elect Republicans to the Legislature this year than Danielle.
Politically speaking, she’s got skills and is getting better. She’s an accomplished fundraiser. Not afraid of reporters or controversy. And among her colleagues, has the best social media presence on the Internet.
Danielle’s got passion. She’s got energy. She gets her hands dirty. But maybe most importantly, like Newt before her, she BELIEVES it’s possible to get out of the minority.
As Napolean Hill wrote: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
Oh, and she’s got a husband who could single-handedly build an ark in case of another flood.
Now, at the congressional level, the House and Senate caucuses have a very important and powerful leadership position heading up their campaign committees. The Campaign Chairmen are in charge of recruiting, training, supporting, and helping to elect more Republicans to Congress.
If the Assembly Republican Caucus was smart – I know, I know, an oxymoron – they’d create a similar leadership position and put Danielle in charge of winning the seats needed to get into the majority in 2026.
What a winning team that would be!
But if the election was held today – or if Dickman opts not to seek the brass ring – your next Minority Leader is likely to be Assemblyman Greg Hafen out of Pahrump.
He really, really, REALLY wants to be leader.
In fact, I’ve heard that he’s attempted a coup on current Minority Leader O’Neill at least twice; once in the middle of the 2023 legislative session and once just a couple months ago in the middle of the fall election season.
But politically-speaking, he’s shown no campaign skills – especially when it comes to tough battleground races in Clark County. No real media skills, including social. No fundraising prowess.
And if he’s elected, the current conservative leadership team will be replaced with a moderate leadership team – just like the disaster Republicans suffered in the 2015 legislative session when half the caucus voted for the largest tax hike in state history.
Not saying Greg’s a bad guy. He’s just not the right guy. Not for this job. Not at this time.
So let’s start doing the math…
I don’t have any definitive, first-hand knowledge of where the caucus members would stand if Dickman hops into the race, but here are my suspicions at this point…
TEAM HAFEN
Assemblyman Greg Hafen
Assemblyman Toby Yurek
Assemblyman Greg Koenig
Assemblyman Burt Gurr
Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy
Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts
Assemblywoman Alexis Hansen
TEAM JILL
Assemblywoman Jill Dickman
Assemblyman P.K. O’Neill
Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant
Assemblyman Rich DeLong
Assemblyman Ken Gray
I don’t know where freshman Assemblywomen Lisa Cole and Dr. Rebecca Edgeworth are, but I would hope they’d join Team Jill because of the work Gallant did in helping them get elected this year.
And they’ll certainly benefit from having Danielle riding herd for re-election in 2026.
If so, that’d be a 7-7 tie and would make Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama the swing and decisive vote. My inclination is that she’s currently leaning towards Hafen. But I think that would be a mistake.
Conservative Republicans are already suspicious of her because of her moderate voting record.
If she swings the election Hafen’s way – like what then-Assemblyman Chris Edwards did for tax hiker John Hambrick in the leadership vote in 2015 – there’s no way movement conservatives will support her should she run for re-election or seek higher office in a competitive GOP primary.
Just ask Liz Cheney.
Personally, I like Heidi and have come to her defense a number of times – especially when Donut Boy came after her this year with his scam PAC. But I’d have a hard time supporting her in a future race if she ends up giving us the wrong leadership team in the upcoming legislative session.
And I won’t be the only one.
As for the “usurpers” trying to oust the current leadership, they’re all in safe Republican districts. Which is why primaries exist.
If they want to keep undermining the conservative movement and obstructing efforts to win the majority – well, don’t blame me if they end up with GOP challengers next time out.
And if they think that’s an empty threat, I suggest they speak with FORMER Assemblyman James Oscarson and FORMER Assemblyman Chris Edwards.
Let me see if I can get a better handle on where these folks would be in a leadership contest if Assemblywoman Dickman decides to seek the seat and get back to you tomorrow with contact information so you can let them know where YOU stand.
But first, we need to persuade Assemblywoman Dickman to throw her hat in the ring.
If you agree she’d be the best choice to head the Assembly Republican Caucus for the 2025 legislative session, you can send an encouraging email to: jillstilly@aol.com.
Nothing will change if we all just stand on the sidelines and refuse to weigh in on these leadership decisions. So please join me in getting off the bench and into the game.
¡Ándele!
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“The Democrat majority was far more ruthlessly partisan than we ever were. The truth is, we were just the first group of Republican Congress members in forty years who had the spirit to push back against the so-called permanent Democrat majority. … We were constantly trying things, failing, learning from defeat, and readjusting to gain ground. This pattern is learnable, and conservatives today should absorb and implement it.” – Newt Gingrich, “March to the Majority,” on the early days of the 1994 Republican Revolution
Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views and blogs at MuthsTruths.com. His views are his own.