Nevada, in Blow to Jeb Bush, Opts to Stick With Caucuses

New York Times

By Jonathan Martin

June 2, 2015

Nevada, in Blow to Jeb Bush, Opts to Stick With Caucuses 

The Nevada Legislature adjourned Monday night without voting on a measure that would change the state’s presidential nominating process to a primary from a caucus, a blow to Jeb Bush, who was hoping for the switch to a more inclusive way of voting.

There was support among some Nevada Republicans for making the change, but the party’s leaders in the Assembly did not think there were enough votes for passage and never called the roll.

That was in part because Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, intervened to help torpedo the change to a primary. Mr. Reid called Harvey Munford, the lone Democratic member of the Assembly who had supported the switch in committee, and persuaded him to drop his support.

Nevada has only recently become one of the states that is granted coveted status near the beginning of the presidential nominating calendar, and right now is slated to be the fourth state to cast votes.

“When Nevada was moved up in the process as an early state it was contingent on Nevada as a caucus state, not a primary,” wrote Kristen Orthman, a spokeswoman for Mr. Reid, in an email. “With this bill we (Nevada Democrats) felt it jeopardized that status because it created uncertainty.”

Ms. Orthman confirmed Mr. Reid’s lobbying of Mr. Munford, which was first reported by Jon Ralston, a longtime Nevada political analyst.

Mr. Reid’s involvement has raised the suspicions of Republicans that the Nevada Democrat, who is known for his backstage maneuvering in his state’s politics, was trying to undermine Mr. Bush and perhaps Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, both of whom are looking to Nevada as a place to score an early victory.

“Primaries allow for greater voter participation in the electoral process,” said Sean Spicer, a senior official at the Republican National Committee.

Commenting on Mr. Reid, who is not running for re-election next year, Mr. Spicer added, “It’s sad that Harry Reid’s last stand was a push to keep more Nevada citizens from participating.”.

But it was not only Democrats who ensured the state would continue to use a caucus: Some conservative Republican assembly members also balked at the switch.

Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada, a Republican, could call the Legislature back into a special session to change the law, but few think that is likely. Asked what the chances were for such a possibility, Mr. Ralston said, “None.”

Mr. Bush’s aides were not directly involved in trying to make the switch, but were relying on allies in the state and the Republican National Committee to ensure Nevada moved to a primary. The former Florida governor, who has already made two campaign trips to Nevada, was hoping for a primary because there would be a far larger pool of voters participating beyond the sort of conservatives who often dominate caucuses.

Fewer than 33,000 of the state’s approximately 400,000 registered Republicans voted in the state’s 2012 presidential caucuses.

Now it remains unclear how aggressively Mr. Bush will compete in a state with a significant Hispanic population. His advisers saw Nevada as one of his best opportunities to notch a needed victory in the first weeks of the nominating contest.

The Nevada Republican Party is controlled by a conservative faction and some consultants in the state are concerned about whether the caucus will be fairly and competently executed.

A spokesman for Mr. Bush declined to comment.

Alex Conant, a spokesman for Mr. Rubio, said they remain committed to “strongly compete in every contest, including the Nevada caucuses.”

Nevada’s decision to remain a caucus state is good news for at least one Republican presidential hopeful, though: Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

“Nevada stays a caucus!” John Yob, Mr. Paul’s political director, posted on Twitter on Monday night. “NV will be an important state spring boarding into Super Tuesday. #standwithrand”

Mr. Paul enjoys a strong following in the libertarian-oriented wing of the Republican Party in Nevada. Mr. Paul’s father, former Representative Ron Paul, won 19 percent of the caucus vote there in 2012.

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