Republican establishment bets on Fellows

GOP consultant Ryan Erwin has signed on to help Sean Fellows oust Assemblywoman Susan Gerhardt

Nevada Republicans have lined up behind Sean Fellows as a star of their effort to retake majority control of the Nevada Assembly. He'll face Democrat Susan Gerhardt in the 29th district.

Fellows, a 27-year-old Air Force Reserve Captain, was the guest of honor recently at a Las Vegas Country Club fundraiser that was hosted by no less than thirteen of Nevada’s twenty-four Republican legislators as well as Gov. Jim Gibbons, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki and state GOP Chairwoman Sue Lowden.

“I’m really flattered by and encouraged by the support of the establishment,” said Fellows Monday. “We did really well on the fundraising side and I was personally pleased by the turnout.”

Besides fundraising, Fellows has also received considerable support in the area of campaign expertise from Ryan Erwin, a long-time Nevada political consultant. Before signing on to Fellows’ bid, Erwin had worked as Executive Director of the Nevada Republican Party and Chief Operating Officer of the California Republican Party, as well as directing races for Nevada Assemblyman Bob Seale and Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs-McDonald.

Despite this strong show of Republican support, Fellows faces an uphill climb to take the 29th District Assembly seat now held by Gerhardt. Gerhardt showed her fundraising prowess in 2006 by outraising her then-opponent, Michael Smith, three-to-one.

“There were a lot of national issues that percolated down into the race,” Smith said Monday about his challenge against Gerhardt. He believes that 2008 may be an even more nationalized election, but thinks that greater establishment support than he received could make a difference for Fellows.

“Fundraising definitely helps people separate themselves from those kind of [national] issues,” said Smith.

District 29 is a challenging district for any candidate, with near-even voter registration numbers and a highly-mobile population. Fellows believes these factors can work to his advantage as he introduces a fresh face to the political scene. “This district is truly a 50-50 district like much of Nevada," said Fellows. "People don’t necessarily vote a political plate, they vote for the person.”

Fellows is grateful for the support he has received, but knows that his race won’t be easy.

“My boots are the ones on the ground,” said Fellows. “My parents raised me to believe that there is no higher honor than serving our fellow citizens. That’s why I went in the military and why I’m, God-willing, going into political office.”