The Reno Gazette-Journal - Breaking Through Nevada's Gender Barrier

Breaking Through Nevada's Gender Barrier

No woman has ever been elected governor of Nevada, but this time around, two strong candidates are women
Ray Hagar RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 7/17/2005 01:14 am
Modified: 7/17/2005 02:01 am

BREAKING NEVADA'S GENDER BARRIER

Twenty-seven women in 21 states have been elected governor since women first were given the right to vote and hold office in the early 20th century.

The list includes no one from Nevada.

Although nine Nevada women have run for governor since 1970, none have mounted competitive campaigns in the general election, and few have been successful in primaries. Mostly, they have been soundly defeated, victims of a political tradition that is uncomfortable with a female in the statehouse, some longtime observers said.

"This is a big bar to jump over, to be the first woman governor," said former Lt. Gov. Sue Wagner of Reno, once considered a prime gubernatorial candidate. "Just to be the first of anything is tough."

Two women — Democratic State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus and Republican Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt — will run in 2006, hoping to break the gender barrier blocking the state's highest office.

They are seen as longshots by political experts. Some, however, said that one or the other could emerge as one of the strongest female candidates to ever run for governor.

Experts cite their years of experience in politics. Titus, a political science professor at UNLV, has been a state senator since 1989. Hunt, a former Las Vegas lounge singer, is a former Clark County commissioner and a two-term lieutenant governor.

"I would never say that it is time for a woman governor," Hunt said. "It's time for a leader with a proven track record. If that happens to be a woman, then hooray for Nevada."

If 2006 is not a breakthrough year for a female gubernatorial candidate, one will come soon, some predict.

"They may be dark horses, but that doesn't mean one of them can't be the winning horse," said former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones, who ran for governor as a Democrat in 1994 and 1998. "Both of them should run to win and both are tremendous candidates. If they don't win, then maybe the next woman to run will."

Jones was the most recent woman to advance to a general election, where she was buried by Kenny Guinn's well-financed Republican landslide in '98.

"A man is considered a man of substance until he proves otherwise," Jones said. "A woman must first prove her substance."

Titus and Hunt said their gender should not be an issue. "That's not going to hold me back," Titus said. "This isn't about gender. It's about the person."

Yet gender issues, which plagued previous female candidates, still exist, some experts said.

* Former female candidates and a national expert complained about a media bias. They are not sure that it has been erased in the 21st century.

* Older, more established voters feel more comfortable with a male as the chief executive, Jones said, even though Nevadans have supported women in races for Congress, Assembly, state Senate and most constitutional offices.

* Major funding for gubernatorial campaigns is controlled by what many call a "Good Ol' Boy Network," they said. It has yet to embrace a female candidate for governor.

"There is definitely a (political) machine for Democrats and Republicans that would prefer to have one of their own, a male counterpart that they feel comfortable with," Hunt said. "On the other side, I am an independent woman with a proven track record who has won statewide. I want the chance to share my ideas and lead this state without owing anything to anybody. I march to my own drummer."

Money, money, money

A well-financed campaign will be the biggest factor for Titus and Hunt, experts said. The new governor will have to spend well over $5 million, said former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

Money ended Del Papa's gubernatorial dream in 1997. After seriously considering a run for governor, the Reno Democrat with an extensive political pedigree decided not to run. She cited a well-oiled Guinn campaign that "had five times the money."

"Our industry base is somewhat limited when you look as to where you are going to get campaign contributions," Del Papa said. "In this state, there is a limited pool.

"The key here is the incredible growth this state has experienced," Del Papa said. "When you look at the number of people that are here and the number that will move here, to have the media to reach those people will be expensive."

If Titus and Hunt can stay close in the polls, they can get money to win, experts said.

"Any woman candidate will be able to raise money if their statewide numbers are positive or it looks like they will be in a tough race," said longtime GOP kingmaker Sig Rogich of Las Vegas, "People don't want to throw their money at it if the candidate is not competitive. A strong woman will have just as much of an opportunity to raise money as a male counterpart."

Titus and Hunt said they are optimistic about fund-raising because of early polling numbers.

Titus had 17 percent of the support from Democrats in a recent Reno-Gazette-Journal/News 4 poll. Her chief rival, Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins of Henderson, had 15 percent.

The statewide poll also showed that U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons' wide lead among Republicans has shown signs of erosion. Gibbons received 37 percent of the support with Hunt at 21 percent. Yet a recent poll by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed no erosion of support for Gibbons, with the congressman holding a 60 to 13 percent lead over Hunt.

"Everyone always talks about the ‘Good Ol' Boy Network' working against you," Titus said. "But look at the Senate. I've been there 16 years so that makes me one of the good ol' boys.

"You can't rely on those old prejudices about the good ol' boys and about women having trouble raising money," Titus said. "That is the wrong way to go. The voters are not prejudiced that way."

Both women started their push for funding last week. But there's more to a successful campaign than raising the most money, Hunt said, "Regardless of the amount of money we raise, my name will still be on the ballot," Hunt said.

The Nevada traditions that went against female gubernatorial candidates are fading, Rogich said.

"It was a small state, before the last 15 years," Rogich said. "There was a certain degree of political habit in some of the more conservative parts of the state. It made it difficult for women to run statewide with success."

Your dress, your hair

Women who run for governor in any state should be aware of possible gender bias in the media, said Gilda Morales of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J.

"One of the differences is how the media sometimes portrays a woman candidate, commenting on things like what she is wearing," Morales said. "Reporters won't describe a male candidate, saying that he walked into the room wearing a brown suit and black shoes and had a hole in his socks. But of a woman, they might say she walked in wearing a red suit, with a run in her stocking and blue shoes that didn't match."

Titus disagrees.

"No one has ever reported on my clothes," Titus said. "They reported on our bills and our issues, and I don't see that changing a bit."

Jones, however, said she was stung by a media bias when she ran for governor.

"They (media members) spent more time covering my hair, my shoes and the length of my skirt," Jones said. "There was even an ad that had a caricature of me in a very short skirt. They didn't do that with any men."

Jones also said there was a different standard for her when she was the Las Vegas mayor as compared to current Mayor Oscar Goodman.

"If I did the things he did, I would have been run out of office," Jones said. "I could not have possibly talked about the Mob or spoke of prostitution as a redevelopment tool. That would have never been accepted. But with Oscar, everyone finds it charming so the standards are very different at this point."

Hunt said some of her supporters have asked her to dress down during the campaign. Yet she refuses.

"I dress the way I want, and I don't owe anyone anything for it," Hunt said. "Like many other women, I like nice clothes. I always want to be a good role model for young girls. There are some young girls that I know who like the way I dress and want to emulate me. It's like when Laura Bush came to Reno. It was so touching to see these mothers bring their daughters up to meet her. The girls looked up to her because she carries herself with such dignity."

Titus said none of her supporters have suggested any change in her appearance.

"The advice that I've been given is not to change anything," Titus said. "You've got to run as yourself. If you start changing to play to an audience, people are going to know that that is not the real you."

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