Home Subscribe Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

News
May. 12, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Divorce could be liability

Gibbons' supporters concerned about his career in politics

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RENO -- Some supporters of Gov. Jim Gibbons said they're concerned about the potential political fallout of his decision to seek a divorce from his wife of 22 years midway through his first term.

Gibbons, who has said he plans to seek re-election in 2010, cited incompatibility in filing for the divorce from Dawn Gibbons on May 2. He also filed a legal petition to remove the first lady from the Governor's Mansion, where she's been living since he left to stay in Reno earlier this year.

"It has gotten to the point that some folks close to Gibbons and firm supporters are starting to wonder: Is he going to run for a second term?" said Chuck Muth, a conservative activist and Gibbons supporter. "A seed of doubt is starting to creep up in their minds that maybe they better start considering the possibility and find somebody else."

Others said a bitter, drawn-out divorce could undermine the Republican governor's support.

Most Popular Stories
  • SEX IN LIBRARY! SAY IT AIN'T SO
  • NORM: Dara Torres' ex still seems bitter
  • NORM: Curtain falls on flying body parts
  • SIERRA PACIFIC RESOURCES: As rates rise, exec pay soars
  • EXCOMMUNICATION: Mormons expel LV man
  • LAUGHLIN RIVER RUN MELEE: Fugitive biker surrenders
  • Officer in deadly crash held; tests reveal marijuana in blood
  • FATAL SHOOTING: Police seek suspect
  • A Well-Earned Break
  • Technology, persistence lead to murder arrest



    • "If the divorce reveals personal trust issues of significant proportions, it will not help him," Republican strategist Ryan Erwin of Las Vegas told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

    The divorce case is the latest in a series of difficulties for the governor, including a pending corruption investigation by the FBI and claims by a Las Vegas cocktail waitress that he assaulted her in a parking garage after she rebuffed his advances just before his 2006 election.

    Police last year said they found insufficient evidence to support the waitress' claim. But during the furor, Dawn Gibbons stood by her husband and resolutely defended him, lending critical support at a perilous moment in his career.

    Many of Gibbons' supporters think he still can revive his administration in the remaining years of his term.

    "The divorce and some of the other things present challenges, but I believe his re-electability is going to be more defined by how he handles the budget crisis and the dire issues facing the 2009 Legislature," said Pete Ernaut, a Republican consultant and former chief of staff to Gibbons' predecessor, Kenny Guinn.

    Muth said the governor's no-new-taxes pledge has kept him popular with his base.

    "I think the tax pledge is the only thing keeping a lot of people on the reservation with him," Muth told the Gazette-Journal. "They can look past the divorce ... and other stuff, but if he breaks the tax pledge, that's just the cardinal sin."

    While he hasn't counted Gibbons out for a second term, Erwin said the governor is going to have to do more than stand the line on taxes to revive his administration.

    "The lifeline may keep him from drowning, but he's not going to be able to win a race on that," Erwin said. "He's got to be able to hang his hat on some real accomplishments."

    More than a half dozen sitting governors have ended their marriages in recent decades, with varying implications for their political futures.



    Leave Your Comment 13 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Chris wrote on May 12, 2008 05:46 PM: LOL. Jimbo had enough liabilities before the divorce.


    Mr. Pink wrote on May 12, 2008 01:31 PM: Yeah, the sh!t didn't hit the fan with Gibbons' inauguration. It's been hitting the fan for YEARS. Neither gubernatorial candidate was appetizing, but the one who said no new taxes won on that single virtue. Get over it or actually DO something about a recall instead of whining like a bunch of starving hyenas.


    hotcop wrote on May 12, 2008 01:16 PM: Why don't you get the facts straight before you open up your big mouth???
    Repo homes is not Gibbons fault. You can thank the banks for that one. Using stated income on people that have never paid a bill in their lives.
    Failing school system. So you are blaming the teachers? I blame the parents, which again is not Gibbons fault.
    Unemployment is at an all time low (below 5% national avergage).
    3rd world healthcare is what we will get if obama or billary become the next pres.
    Crime is down in a number of areas. We need more police on the streets and we need the funding for more prisons.
    So Mamabear, go back in your cave. That is where you belong.


    cat wrote on May 12, 2008 01:12 PM: Divorce can be a liability or as I would say a BLESSING IN DISGUISE!


    KK wrote on May 12, 2008 11:37 AM: WHO ? GIBBONS ? YOU MEAN THE SKIRT CHASER !


    Disgusted wrote on May 12, 2008 08:26 AM: Jim Gibbons has no morals or ethics.

    He is disgusting. Recall Jim Gibbons


    Disgusted wrote on May 12, 2008 08:26 AM: Jim Gibbons has no morals or ethics.
    He is disgusting. Recall Jim Gibbons


    2zero wrote on May 12, 2008 08:16 AM: Dawn Gibbons, Mindy Elliot and Hatice Gecol all have crabs..the rest is speculation!


    Judy wrote on May 12, 2008 08:12 AM: Mama bear, you are so right. We NEED more taxes! Not from the over-taxed citizens but we need a GAMING tax that is more inline to any of the other states. Nevada's gaming tax is the lowest in the country and we all pay the price for that every day.
    Jim gibbons is in place for one reason and one reason only - to keep the busineeses in Nevada from paying their fair share of taxes. He can not govern, is unethical and immoral.
    As for Dawn, she stood by this guy and lied for him all of these years. Now she is getting a taste of that they gave everyone for all those years. She is getting screwed by this ass clown.
    Hey, when y ou roll with pigs you get muddy. Take a shower Dawn and take it as a good lesson.


    Jack wrote on May 12, 2008 07:38 AM: Dear RJ. I am still waiting for a story about GE and Jeffrey Immelt providing software and commerce to Iran while the Iranian president spews hatred and threatens to kill all westerners. But I guess you think your consumers aren't smart enough to care about such things so I get a retarded story obout a man divorcing his insane, menopausal wife every day instead.


    Read All Comments