Raggio Recall Organizer Withdraws from Effort Citing Other Commitments
Submitted by on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 12:28pm
CARSON CITY – A Reno resident who in November announced he was organizing a recall effort against veteran Nevada state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said this week he is withdrawing from the effort due to time constraints.
Recall organizer Dana Allen, a businessman who has been active in Tea Party rallies, said he will look for another Washoe County resident to take over the effort.
In an email response seeking an update on the recall effort, Allen replied: “I have realized I am over committed by twice, so will look for someone else to head up the recall. I feel badly about not having the necessary time for it.”
Allen said the preliminary work has been done but needs someone who can commit five hours a day to the effort.
Raggio said he had no comment on Allen’s announcement. As to rumors he might step down from his final term in the Senate before the 2011 legislative session, Raggio said he has no intention of doing so.
“My present plan is to be there next session,” he said.
Asked if Republicans might be in the majority in 2011, Raggio said: “It is a strange election year. It is hard to predict.”
Raggio was Senate majority leader from 1993 to 2007 as well as serving in leadership in prior sessions going back to his first session in 1973. That changed when Democrats picked up two GOP seats in the 2008 election, giving them a 12-9 majority, their first majority since 1991.
Recall efforts are not easy in Nevada. Such efforts require recall groups to collect signatures from 25 percent of those who voted in the last election. More than 13,000 signatures would be required in a recall aimed at Raggio. The signatures would also have to come from registered voters within his Senate 3 district.
Allen said in November the recall was launched because he believed Raggio misled voters in his 2008 re-election bid when he defeated conservative Republican Sharron Angle in the GOP primary.
Raggio was quoted as saying: “This is not the time to start talking about raising taxes. It is something we can’t even consider.”
Allen said Raggio, who later voted for a $780 million tax increase to fund the 2009-2011 budget, would not have won the primary if not for his verbal no taxes pledge.
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