Nevada Senate race makes for 'strange bedfellows'

RENO - The Sierra Club and Nevada Mining Association are as different as Democratic Sen. Harry Reid and his Republican challenger, tea party favorite Sharron Angle.

But that hasn't stopped the two groups from supporting the same candidate in Nevada's tight, high-stakes battle: Reid.

And that's not the only odd alliance in the campaign.

Reid also has the backing of a former Republican national committee chairman, Nevada's most influential Republican state lawmaker, one of the state's most conservative newspapers and a founder of the anti-federal "Sagebrush Rebellion."

That they've found themselves in the same camp is a testimony to the power of Reid's position as Senate majority leader, said David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"They all want their interests protected and who better to do it than the majority leader," he said. "There's an old adage that politics makes strange bedfellows, and that's the case here."

Angle spokesman Jerry Stacy said Reid's endorsements are "absolutely meaningless" in a state with the nation's highest unemployment rate.

"Harry Reid is boasting that he has clout, but Nevada ranks last in several categories because Harry Reid has absolutely no clue how to deliver for his own home state," Stacy said.

"Harry Reid swung his clout and Nevadans got clobbered by it, and he's unable to campaign on his failures. He tried it his way and Nevada paid dearly for it, and when Sharron is elected, she will represent Nevada and not the special interests in Washington," he added.

Among other issues, the mining industry and Sierra Club have clashed over efforts to reform the 1872 mining law that still governs mining in the U.S.

The Nevada Mining Association, in a letter of support for Reid, cites his longtime support of the industry and ability to ensure that any reform of the law is reasonable.

The industry plays an important role in rural Nevada's economy, accounting for more than 11,000 jobs. Nevada is the world's sixth-largest gold producer behind China, South Africa, Russia, Australia and Peru.

"I think we appreciate him for the same reason that groups like the Sierra Club do. We appreciate that he's in leadership and he brings a practical sensibility to resolving issues," said Tim Crowley, the association's president.

While it opposes Reid's position on mining, the Sierra Club applauded his efforts on behalf of renewable energy, climate change, wilderness, Lake Tahoe and Walker Lake.

"Although we may not always agree with Sen. Reid on every detail, we still work with him and think he has a very positive environmental record," said David Hornbeck, chairman of the Sierra Club's Toiyabe chapter that covers Nevada and portions of California.

Republican state Sen. Dean Rhoads, a rancher who introduced legislation in the 1970s aimed at wresting control of millions of acres of land in the state from the federal government, hailed Reid for successfully fighting a royalty on hardrock mining and a ban on grazing on public lands.

The Elko Daily Free Press also gave the four-term senator a surprising endorsement. The newspaper wrote that while it doesn't like his liberal views, the state's mining industry can't afford to lose his clout in Congress.

Eric Herzik, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno and a Republican, said the mining industry is concerned that a foe, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., could replace Reid as majority leader if Reid loses. Reid's support from the mining association and newspaper could make the difference in a close race, he said.

"That is the heart of rural Nevada, which is the heart of what should be Sharron Angle's base. If you get any kind of defection there, that could be important," he said.

"The endorsements speak to Reid's effectiveness as a politician who represents key Nevada interests. With Angle, it's at best an unknown and at worst someone who will not be able to deliver the type of clout they've enjoyed," Herzik added.

Other prominent Republicans endorsing Reid include former GOP National Committee Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf, state Sen. Bill Raggio, Reno Mayor Bob Cashell and Sparks Mayor Geno Martini.

No prominent Democrats have endorsed Angle.