GOP

CARSON CITY – Bill Raggio, a lion of Nevada politics and the state’s longest-serving state senator, passed away during a trip to Australia on Thursday. He was 85.

Officials from around the state expressed sorrow and sympathy for Raggio’s family when news of the loss of the highly-regarded lawmaker was first reported by Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston early today.

Longtime family friend Greg Ferraro told Ralston: “Officially, Bill Raggio passed away last night at 10pm PST of respiratory illness in Sydney Australia. Funeral arrangements are pending.”

Bill Raggio, who is considered by many to be the most powerful force in Nevada politics over the last 30 years, has died while on vacation in Australia Thursday evening. He was 85.

Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun broke the news.

Raggio was first elected to the Nevada State Senate in 1972. He resigned from the seat he held for 38 years after supporting Democrat Harry Reid in 2010 over Republican Sharron Angle.

Raggio ruled the Nevada State Senate as the GOP leader and chairman of the Finance Committee. It's safe to say that few bills passed the Nevada Legislature in the last 30 years without his approval.

Raggio's legislative biography is here.

RGJ has posted a profile with photo gallery on Raggio's life.

Best quote: "You show me someone who doesn't have detractors, and I'll show you someone who hasn't done a damn thing in their lives."

In the United States a political party does not become the majority party in this country by becoming ideologically pure. They become the majority by becoming larger, inclusive, and superior to their political opponents not only in size, but should also be anchored in and unafraid of intellectual and discursive dialogue, devoid of reactionary emotionalism. Then and only then, can conservatism present and extend to the electorate our concepts in such a way that we will be accepted by the majority of our fellow citizens.

CARSON CITY – About 500 Republicans in the capital city participated in the First in the West GOP caucus today, hearing from candidate representatives and learning the rules as early returns suggested favorite Mitt Romney would win the contest handily.

Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich were battling for second place.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., the new representative for the 2^nd Congressional District, urged caucus goers to support the GOP nominee whoever it might be if they truly want change in Washington, DC.

CARSON CITY – A national Republican official said today Nevada’s economic landscape has changed dramatically since the state went for President Obama in 2008, and increasing GOP voter registrations in the battleground state are evidence of dissatisfaction with his administration.

RENO – From a cheering crowd of several hundred at a brief but energetic Mitt Romney rally to a more subdued event for Rick Santorum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition to another well-attended rally for Ron Paul, it was a trifecta of presidential candidates in Reno ahead of the Saturday GOP caucus.

Romney got the balling rolling at the Grove, with an estimated 800 supporters packed inside and standing outside the event center in South Reno. Romney spoke briefly to those standing outside before giving a short but enthusiastic speech to those crowded inside.

RENO – Former Sparks resident and George W. Bush presidential adviser Karl Rove predicted today the both houses of Congress will go Republican in the November general election, but said the presidential election is up in the air even with President Barack Obama’s low approval ratings.

RENO – Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich told a cheering crowd here today that he is the only GOP candidate with the knowledge and experience to get the U.S. back on track after what will be four years of failed policies by President Barack Obama.

Gingrich, a former speaker of the House, is in Nevada ahead of Saturday’s First in the West Republican caucus.

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was scheduled to appear in Carson City today, but the campaign made some last-minute changes and will skip this stop, according to Carol Howell of the Carson City Republican Central Committee.

Gingrich is still scheduled to make an appearance at Great Basin Brewery in Reno at noon today.

CARSON CITY – Nevada state Republican Party officials today announced they expect all the major GOP candidates will visit the state ahead of the Feb. 4 first in the West caucus.

The Nevada GOP is also introducing social media into the process, using the Google and Twitter platforms to report the caucus results beginning about 5 p.m. that day from 16 of the state’s 17 counties.

The Carson City Republican Party caucus will take place Saturday, Feb. 4 at 900 Mallory Way.

Doors open at 7 a.m. for those who need to "vote and go." The official caucuses begin at noon with precinct meetings at 1 p.m. The vote count is set for 3 p.m.

Those wishing to pre-register can go to http://www.ccrccgop.com

Below is a guide to understanding how the Nevada Republican Caucus works:

A recent wire service story stating that the Nevada Republican Party was moving its caucus date is not accurate according to party officials.

Nevada Republican Party Executive Director David Gallagher issued the following the statement regarding the February 4th Nevada Caucus Date:

“It was incorrectly reported earlier that the Nevada GOP was considering moving the date of the Nevada Caucuses, this is absolutely untrue, the caucuses will take place on February 4th as planned. There was never any consideration to move our caucus date and we look forward to a successful and well run caucus on February 4th. “

CARSON CITY – Reno Republican Assemblyman Pat Hickey was unanimously elected today to be the new GOP Assembly Caucus Leader.

The former minority Leader, Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, stepped down because of his intention to run for the Nevada State Senate in District 19.

Assembly Republicans currently hold 16 seats in the 42-member Assembly, while Democrats control 26 seats.

Hickey, who represents District 25 in Reno, returned to the Assembly in 2010 after an absence of several years.

CARSON CITY – Republican state Senator Michael Roberson said today he expects the GOP to retake control of the Senate in the 2012 general election, citing the quality of candidates recruited for two key Clark County races.

His optimism was countered by Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, who said he is confident Democrats will maintain control of the Senate come Nov. 7.

Every parent should recognize the childish antics of House Republicans on the payroll tax cut extension controversy.

When my nine-year-old doesn't want to do something, a familiar pattern emerges.

First comes the outright refusal. "No, I don't want to," she will say. It's almost always the most truthful part of the whole exchange.

When she sees that doesn't work, then she backpedals to find some other reason to support her position. "I can't do it now because I'm doing (something else)."

WASHINGTON (AP) - With a Thanksgiving deadline fast approaching, the GOP members of a deficit-reduction supercommittee are pressing a plan to cut the deficit by about $1.5 trillion over the coming ...

WASHINGTON (AP) - With a Thanksgiving deadline fast approaching, the GOP members of a deficit-reduction supercommittee are pressing a plan to cut the deficit by about $1.5 trillion over the coming ...

GOP candidate Cain fights to overcome allegationsWASHINGTON (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain struggled to overcome the storm of controversy from sexual harassment accusations on T...

Although some Nevada Republicans think it would be a good idea to dump nearly 80,000 tons of highly toxic nuclear waste on our state, three leading GOP presidential candidates who addressed the iss...

While other parties in the case were generally OK with the congressional and legislative district maps drawn by a team of "special masters," the Republican Party's legal brief charges that the maps...

CARSON CITY – The business of drawing new political boundaries will now get under way by three court-appointed special masters following two days of public hearings on what Nevada’s legislative and congressional districts should look like for the next decade.
The clock is ticking.

RENO (AP) - Nevada Republicans have decided to move up their presidential caucuses to stay ahead of Florida's newly scheduled Jan. 31 primary, a move that will cost the state party half of its dele...

There is an ongoing internal brouhaha over the Nevada Republican Party's proposal to allow same-day voter registration so that non-Republicans can show up at the GOP presidential caucus in February...

CARSON CITY – Racial gerrymandering, fracturing, packing, nesting – a three-hour hearing today in Carson City District Court over how to draw Nevada’s new political boundaries was full of arcane concepts and obscure terminology.
The much anticipated ruling from Judge James Todd Russell on guidelines for drawing those new districts will have major ramifications, however, for the state’s voters and its two major political parties.

RENO - The only thing more predictable than Republicans winning Nevada's special congressional election in the traditionally conservative 2nd District is the reaction: GOP leaders working to play u...

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s newest representative to Washington, DC was in the air today on his way east to be sworn in as the fourth person to serve in the 2nd Congressional District.
In an interview today before departing for his new job, former state Sen. Mark Amodei said he expects to be sworn into office Thursday and be casting votes the same day.

CARSON CITY – The results of the vote in the special election in the 2nd Congressional District went the way that most pundits had predicted: Republican and former state Sen. Mark Amodei will assume the seat vacated with the appointment of Dean Heller to the U.S. Senate.

This appears to be the week where everyone lays out their plan for resuscitating the floundering American economy. President Barack Obama will delineate his plan of action tonight, the leading GOP ...

NORTH LAS VEGAS — Gov. Mitt Romney on Tuesday presented a detailed economic plan he said would generate 11.5 million new jobs, lead to 4 percent annual growth, and turn America into a “job machine.”
Romney made a point of saying he would be speaking without a teleprompter before addressing a crowd of over 300 at McCandless International Trucks in North Las Vegas, a city struggling due to high unemployment rates and municipal budget troubles.

Nevada's teachers union issued its 2011 legislative report card recently and, my, what a joke. I mean, they may as well have started off their executive summary with, "A priest, a rabbi and a minis...