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Oct. 01, 2009
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CROWDED FIELD: Lowden unveils Senate bid

Lowden joining other Republicans in seeking Reid's seat

By BENJAMIN SPILLMAN
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
RELATED STORY
 •Lowden will battle more than Harry Reid for the U.S. Senate


THE SUE LOWDEN FILE

Age: 57

Resident: Las Vegas

Party affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Board member, secretary-treasurer of Archon Corporation, a casino and investment company that owns the Pioneer Hotel in Laughlin

Political experience: Served one term in Nevada state senate, defeating then Senate Majority Leader John Vergiels; former chairwoman of Nevada Republican Party

Other experience: Former reporter and anchorwoman for KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, Miss New Jersey and second runner up for Miss America in 1973, former president of Santa Fe Hotel and Casino and former executive vice president of Sahara Hotel and Casino

Family: Spouse, Paul Lowden; Children, Christopher, Jennifer, Paul IV and William (1986-2004).

Former Nevada Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Lowden visits the Nevada State Museum on Wednesday. Lowden announced she will run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Photo by Duane Prokop.

A Nevada casino company officer, former state legislator and 1973 Miss America contestant wants to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Republican Sue Lowden of Las Vegas says she'll officially join several other Republicans seeking the chance to challenge Reid who, as Senate majority leader, is the highest ranking politician in Nevada history.

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    • During an interview Wednesday at the Nevada State Museum, Lowden criticized what she sees as wasteful government spending on everything from health insurance reform to the Yucca Mountain Project, the site picked for disposal of the nation's nuclear waste.

    "I think there is a big fear here in Nevada, across the country, but clearly here in Nevada, of a big government takeover of our lives, of our businesses," Lowden said. "I think that is going to resonate in Nevada and I think throughout the country."

    It won't be easy for Lowden, 57, to wrest power from Reid, U.S. Senator since 1986.

    She's in a crowded Republican field of candidates and potential candidates that includes early polling leader Danny Tarkanian of Las Vegas, former state assemblywoman Sharron Angle, state Sen. Mark Amodei, Reno attorney Chuck Kozak, former Marine Bill Parson, physician Robin Titus, investment banker John Chachas and former Florida candidate-for-office Mike Wiley.

    University of Nevada, Las Vegas political science professor David Damore says the candidate emerging from the primary will have an uphill battle against Reid, who intends to raise as much as $25 million to defend his seat. Lowden's first official campaign finance report isn't due for release until Jan. 15.

    There are currently about 111,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in Nevada, with a total of 1.3 million voters overall.

    Damore says in addition to conservatives, a successful Republican candidate would need to stitch together a coalition of seniors who are opposed to proposed Medicare changes, a strong majority of independents and some disgruntled Democrats to have a chance.

    The Cook Political Report recently called Reid's re-election chances a, "toss-up." An August poll conducted for the Review-Journal showed Nevadans picking both Tarkanian and Lowden ahead of Reid.

    Lowden considers herself a disenchanted former Reid supporter and thinks she can successfully tap into anti-Reid sentiment. In the 1980s she and her husband, casino owner Paul Lowden, donated $8,000 to Reid over several election cycles.

    "Early on in the '80s when he was independent, we did feel that he was representing Nevada," she said.

    Since then, however, Lowden says Reid has drifted too far to the left.

    She cites the health insurance reform debate as an example, saying Reid is too closely aligned with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

    "He said he is bi-partisan and reaching across the aisle and looking at all of this, but he is really not. He is pushing through a bill that nobody wants," Lowden said.

    Sincere bi-partisanship health reform, she said, would include limits on how much money juries could award victims of malpractice for pain and suffering, provisions to allow people to shop for health care across state lines, pre-tax medical savings accounts and allowances to take health insurance with them when they change jobs.

    "Do we need change? Yes. Do Republicans think that we should have some change? Yes," she said.

    Lowden also criticized Reid on the subject of Yucca Mountain.

    Reid has long fought the proposal and won an agreement from Obama to deprive it of funding in 2011.

    In his 2010 budget Obama reduced funding for Yucca Mountain to $196.8 million, the lowest amount ever, and includes language to "terminate" the project altogether.

    Lowden says even that spending is too much if the project is indeed dead.

    "If Yucca Mountain is in fact over, if it is a done deal, then why are we still having hearings, and why are we still having all of this money coming in from Washington to spend on Yucca Mountain," she said.

    Lowden said a blog entry she wrote in December that called on Reid to negotiate benefits for Nevada in exchange for storing nuclear waste was "to challenge Sen. Reid to stop saying that Yucca Mountain was gone, that it was dead."

    Former Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., says Reid's strategy on Yucca Mountain is sound.

    "He has been very successful over the years, many years, of constantly reducing the appropriation on the project," said Bryan. "I think Sue Lowden is listening to the wrong crowd when she talks about negotiating benefits."

    Lowden says while she was a state senator she voted in favor of a resolution against the project and testified in congress in opposition.

    "I am clearly on the record being against it," she said.

    Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.

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    Bill Riley wrote on October 29, 2009 05:14 PM: I went to her contribution site to find an address to send a check. All that was there was for credit card or paypal contributors. ANyone that stupid not to have an address to send checks, will not get any money from me.


    Robert Holloway wrote on October 02, 2009 08:45 AM: Probably the best predictor of a person’s future actions is their record. In my opinion, Sue Lowden’s record is dismal, especially during the past two years when she was chairperson of the state Republican Party. Based on her record, I believe that she does not have the qualities necessary to be a responsible senator. It is very likely that if elected she will soon become mired in controversy as she was last year at the state convention.

    The main problem that I have with Sue Lowden is that in April of 2008, her actions in disrupting an election at the state convention undermined one of the most important institutions of our form of government. It was an action that is more commonly seen among South American dictatorships than something that happens in the American political landscape. I am concerned about what last year’s events show about Sue Lowden and her potential as a senator. In my opinion, her actions were so lawless and so sleazy as to suggest that she will be a danger to our form of government if she is elected to the senate.


    Mark Schaffer wrote on October 02, 2009 06:18 AM: I wonder what real unbiased polls taken after "yo jess"'s July zogby junk might say?


    T$ wrote on October 02, 2009 01:02 AM: "Who Lowden"? I'm not asking who she is, but maybe you are. She's the candidate running on the Republican side for US Senator despite the fact that, in the past, she's given several sizeable campaign contributions to her challenger, "Screw Nevada" Harry Reid (should she make it through her primary against real conservative candidates. Take a close look at this lady; she's not who you want... she's "Who Lowden!"


    Dave wrote on October 01, 2009 11:51 PM: Reid is bad enough, you honestly think we'll vote for some bimbo?


    Hey Fred wrote on October 01, 2009 11:18 PM: How are the liberals books selling? http://hotair.com/archives/2009/09/30/amazing-palins-book-number-one-on-both-amazon-and-barnes-noble-bestseller-list/
    Be afraid Fred. Obama is a one term light-weight.


    Yo Jess wrote on October 01, 2009 11:15 PM: Kind of dense? http://www.mofopolitics.com/2009/07/17/rasmussen-zogby-majority-now-oppose-obama-public-healthcare-plan/
    You must not hear much or you listen to the liberal talking lies- oops, I meant points.
    http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/september_2009/health_care_reform


    Angry@Sherm wrote on October 01, 2009 10:45 PM: Ok I wanna open a friendly message board pool here..

    Post the date a major (that would be sherm/greenspun/all the publicly traded crap) media outlet calls Sue Lowden a MILF.


    Jess wrote on October 01, 2009 10:10 PM: "He is pushing through a bill that nobody wants" Perhaps she should check her facts - last I heard more Americans were for the proposed healthcare bill than against... If nobody = majority I'll go with nobody.


    Frank M. Pelteson wrote on October 01, 2009 09:02 PM: Sue Lowden was guilty of destroying the Ron Paul Delegation at the Nevada Republican Caucus. She was frightened of REAL Constitutionalist Americanists and was obsessed with destroying their effort to save America!

    She is a neoconservative. A neoconservative is someone who tries to deceptively ease real conservatives over into the Marxist camp.

    Because of the neoconservatives, the Republican Party hasn't been a dime's worth different from the Democrat Party for over fifty years.

    Doesn't anyone know that both Republican and Democrat parties are run by the same Cabal?


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