The race to replace Nevada GOP Chairman Mark Amodei, who has resigned once he resigns from the post to run for Congress, is on.
Patrick McNaught, a conservative businessman who ran unsuccessfully for that state senate against moderate Joe Hardy in Clark County last cycle, has told folks he’s in and is expected to make a public announcement tonight at a Clark County GOP meeting.
And the Nevada News Bureau (NNB) reports that Amy Tarkanian, wife of former U.S. Senate candidate Danny Tarkanian, is also considering the post.
Both are credible, new faces who could likely garner the support of conservative grassroots and tea party activists who now populate the Nevada Republican Central Committee at their meeting in Carson City next month. Which makes GOP National Committeeman Bob List’s comments on the situation yesterday rather less than helpful.
NNB reports that List said he “is not ready to either privately or publicly endorse a candidate to replace soon-to-be departed state GOP chairman Mark Amodei until Governor Sandoval chimes in with his preferred choice. ‘Governor Sandoval is the leader of the state party,’ said List.”
That kinda talk isn’t going to sit well with the rank-and-file who are more likely to rise up and reject a candidate if they come to believe Sandoval and the party establishment is trying to shove him or her down their collective throats. I suspect the governor would be able to work quite well with either McNaught or Tarkanian and would be wise to just stay out of that briar patch. He’s got enough problems dealing with the Legislature these days.