National Journal all over Sandoval's buyer's remorse

by Jon Ralston Fri, 02/06/2015 - 11:34

In a piece about what The Sandoval Sweep has wrought for the governor, National Journal's Scott Bland distills it quite nicely:

SPOTLIGHT: The Downside of Coattails

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) achieved every governor's dream this year: Not only did he win reelection by a smashing margin, his ample coattails ushered in other statewide Republicans who wiped out the Democratic bench down-ballot, and the GOP took over the state legislature, too. But unified control of government doesn't mean unity, and some of the people Sandoval swept in have been making his life more difficult.
-- First, a fight over the state Assembly speakership dragged on and uncovered past racist writings by the speaker-designate, who stepped down. New AG Adam Laxalt (R) joined a lawsuit against President Obama's immigration order without input from Sandoval, as Jon Ralston reported. And the new state treasurer released an "alternative state budget" calling for less spending and taxes than Sandoval's education-focused budget. The governor's budget angered some conservatives and prompted the beginnings of recall campaigns against some Republican legislators.
-- This wouldn't be the first time a full takeover of state government caused headaches for a governor with a moderate reputation. In nearby Colorado, Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) was flying high in 2011 and 2012 but got bogged down in 2013 as the Democratic-led legislature started pushing controversial legislation and Hickenlooper had "to start making people mad" for the first time. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has basically worked against Democratic takeover of the state Senate in the past.
-- In Nevada, things may well cool off after a rough January. The Las Vegas police areexecuting warrants against the recall organizers for possible campaign finance violations and attempted extortion of a sitting member. But it remains to be seen how the divisions among Republican legislators will play out and affect Sandoval's ambitious agenda over the next months -- and whether the other constitutional officers Sandoval helped elect will keep stepping on his message.
Coattails look great on election night, but sometimes they cause problems for governors the next year. We'll be watching the legislative session to see how this plays out for Sandoval.

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