Las Vegas Review-Journal - The Political Eye

So much for UNLV ties.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas College Republicans have endorsed former state Sen. Sue Lowden over ex-UNLV basketball star Danny Tarkanian in the U.S. Senate GOP primary race.

Just as surprising, perhaps, the staunch young conservatives also bypassed former Reno Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, who has the strongest conservative voting record in the race.

Jay Yoon, senior vice president of the UNLV College Republicans, said Monday that the group simply backed the GOP candidate they thought could beat Democrat Sen. Harry Reid in the fall.

"We've had everyone from Danny to Sharron to Sue come and see us, but we felt that Sue Lowden was the most viable candidate who can beat Harry Reid," Yoon said. "We wanted to pick somebody who can stand up to Harry Reid's campaign war machine and hold their own on the ground."

In pre-primary polls, Lowden has been leading the GOP pack for several months ahead of the June 8 voting, with Tarkanian in the No. 2 spot and Angle far behind, although she could make a comeback following last week's endorsement of her by the national Tea Party Express organization that's made Reid its No. 1 target for defeat this election year.

The UNLV College Republicans voted for the endorsement on March 24 with two-thirds of its members voting on-line. Much like a political party straw poll, not many people participated with only 49 votes counted, or less than half of the group's general and active members. The results: Lowden won 60 percent, Angle 30 percent and Tarkanian 10 percent, Yoon said.

It was the first time the decade-old GOP university group endorsed candidates in the primary, according to Yoon, who said, "We decided there was too much at stake" to sit this one out.

The UNLV College Republicans also endorsed GOP candidates in several other top races and plan Tuesday evening to hold an event with the winners, who will accept the endorsements in person.

The group also endorsed:

– Joe Heck, a physician, for Congressional District 3, where Democratic incumbent Rep. Dina Titus is in a tight race to keep her seat.

– Craig Lake, a UNLV graduate and salesman, for Congressional District 1 where Democratic incumbent Shelley Berkeley is considered relatively safe to win re-election.

– Mike Montandon, former mayor of North Las Vegas, in the governor's race where former federal judge Brian Sandoval is another Republican running against GOP incumbent Gov. Jim Gibbons.