* Lots to catch up on after my 10-day working vacation/road trip with my daughter, so let’s get at it…
* First, I was sad to learn of the passing of Lonnie Hammargren. He was, to say the least, one of a kind. RIP and condolences to Sandy.
* It was Lonnie’s epic Christmas party in 2003 that launched my political writing career. I ran into the publisher of a weekly newspaper who wanted a conservative writer to provide some editorial balance and he gave me a shot.
* The rest is history.
* I’ve made no secret of my problems with the “leadership” of Assembly Minority Leader PK O’Neill and would love to see him replaced. However…
* I’ve learned of a coup attempt to oust PK and replace him with moderate Greg Hafen, who reportedly would bring freshman moderate Toby Yurek into the leadership ranks with him.
* That would likely oust the two conservative leaders the caucus has right now – Jill Dickman and Danielle Gallant. Which would be a MUCH bigger disaster than sticking with the devil we know, as wishy-washy as he is.
* Hafen and Yurek are in big Republican-majority districts. They are decidedly NOT the most conservative candidates who can win. They deserve primaries.
* The magic numbers for Assembly races next year are one and eight.
* Republicans need to pick up one seat to get out of the super-minority so they can block tax hikes and veto overrides. Conservatives need eight seats to assure conservative leadership in the caucus.
* Moderate GOP State Sen. Pete Goicoechea is termed-out. And there’s rumors floating around that Hafen, out of Pahrump, is looking to run for the seat. Ugh.
* Also floating his name out there is freshman Assemblyman Burt Gurr, out of Elko, who didn’t exactly have a stellar first session. He should worry about re-election rather than try to move up to the big kids’ table so soon.
* On the other hand, I spoke with former conservative Assemblyman John Ellison, out of Elko, a couple days ago. His health is better, he’s remarried, and he’s loaded for bear.
* John told me he’s running for Goicoechea’s seat. He’s got more experience, a far better conservative voting record, and represented the largest population center in the district.
* I’m going to avoid the Christmas rush and go ahead and endorse John Ellison for this seat now.
* Moderate GOP State Sen. Scott Hammond – who flip-flopped on the CIP budget bill to give the Democrats the vote they needed to pass it – is also termed out.
* Republican and former Assemblyman Tom Roberts is said to be eying the seat, along with Clark County school trustee Katie Williams.
* Williams is a conservative, but Robert’s is a card-carrying RINO who would stab Gov. Lombardo in the back every chance he gets just for fun.
* On the other hand, termed-out conservative Assemblyman Richard McArthur intends to run for Hammond’s seat as well. He’s experienced, has a solid conservative voting record, and has proved he can get elected in a “swing” district.
* I’m going to avoid the Christmas rush and go ahead and endorse Richard McArthur for this seat now.
* The #1 pickup opportunity for Republicans in the Assembly next year is Assembly District 37 in Las Vegas. It’s alternated back and forth between Republican and Democrat for the last decade or so.
* Word on the street is that David Brog – who ran last year for the first time for CD1 – is eying this race. GOOD!
* Gov. Lombardo needs all the help he can get in Carson City. Wish more solid Republicans would focus on legislative seats instead of trying to shoot right to the top in Congress.
* Speaking of CD1: Mark Robertson announced this week that he was going to seek the seat again next year. He was the GOP nominee who faced off against incumbent Democrat Rep. Dina Titus last year.
* Also in that GOP primary race is Fleming Larson, who way over-performed in a big Democrat-majority district in his Assembly race last year.
* I wish one of them would instead run for CD3 so we’d have two strong candidates in each of those districts. And that Drew Johnson, currently announced for CD3, would instead change his mind and run against Democrat Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager.
* Over in CD4, GOP candidate David Flippo – who lost his Assembly primary race last year – has decided that loss qualifies him to run for Congress.
* Either that or, more likely, his consultant, Woody Johnson of McShane LLC, decided that CD4 was where the consultant could make the most money.
* Anyway, Flippo stepped in deep doo-doo last week with a tweet featuring the photo of a thatched hut that read: “This is not a village in a 3rd world country, this is the U.S. border.”
* Not. Turns out, Flippo – or Woody Woodpeckerhead – used a stock photo of a thatched hut in…Botswana. Derp! Definitely not ready for prime time. Heckuva job, Woodrow.
* Jill Douglass is running against Jesse Law for Clark County GOP chairman next month. Had a long meeting and discussion with her earlier this week.
* Solid background and willing to learn. Knows more about the job thanks to running a Republican Women’s Club than I did when I was elected to the position in 1995.
* I’m trying to stay out of these intra-party squabbles, but I could certainly work with Jill if she’s elected and would offer my help - just as I’ve offered to Jesse even though he’s never taken me up on it.
* Gov. Joe Lombardo and Rep. Mark Amodei were scheduled to speak at Adam Laxalt’s Basque Fry in Gardnerville last weekend, along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. However, neither made it.
* The pot-stirrers are trying to say the pair backed out for various reasons relating to concerns about ticking off Trump supporters. I spoke to both, and that crud simply isn’t true.
* Lombardo was asked to speak at the Golden Knights celebration and parade on the Strip after winning the Stanley Cup. Otherwise, he’d have been at the Fry.
* Amodei is a “cardinal” on the House Appropriations Committee and had to stay in DC doing DC budget stuff.
* I wish people would stop creating drama where there is none. We have much bigger REAL stuff to deal with.
* And speaking of DeSantis and the Basque Fry, Trump tweeted afterwards:
“DeSantimonious had a very tough time in Nevada. Seeing his poll numbers crash, very few people showed up, and most of the ones who did were chanting ‘TRUMP.’”
* I was there. None of this is true. The crowd exceeded 2,500. I was in a 2-mile traffic jam just trying to get into the parking lot.
* And while there were certainly Trump supporters at the event, there was no “TRUMP” chanting going on. In fact, the people I talked with all said they plan to support whichever is the GOP nominee.
* As it should be.
* Nevada Republican National Committeewoman Sigal Chattah is still on her jihad against Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. Totally inappropriate considering her party post. She should shut up or resign if she can’t.
* The silence about Chattah’s fatwa coming from party Chairman Michael McDonald and the rest of the members of the Central Committee is deafening. I guess they agree with her?
* Or maybe she’s the one actually running the party now? Sure seems that way.
* Blogger Rob Lauer, the King of Kooks in Nevada GOP politics, announced last week that he plans to build a $310 million “spaceport” on 240 acres he supposedly owns somewhere south of Las Vegas.
* Anyone who even gives him a dollar for such a scheme/scam should have their heads examined. But I’d almost support it if the first passenger was Lauer himself and it was a one-way trip to Uranus.
* Speaking of goofballs, just a head’s up on my policy as it relates to “blocking” Twitter trolls…
* If your points are monumentally stupid…and/or personally insulting…and you’re using a fake name…and you have fewer than 100 followers…there’s a good chance I’m just going to block you.
* Yes, you have the right to free speech. However, you don’t have the right to use MY platform to exercise your right. Go ahead and spout off nonsense to your 47 followers, but not to my 4,700.
* By the way, I’m blocked by blockheads Jon Ralston and Sigal Chattah. Birds of a feather…
* Lastly, a shoutout to Susan Profitt, who did yeoman’s work on behalf of the Nevada Republican Club during the just-concluded legislative session. Kudos!
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Don't tell me that a man can get pregnant and expect me to accept that. I will not. It is not true." – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis