Bill Raggio

The Associated Press is reporting that proposed budget reductions that require legislative approval may force a special session in early December.  The state has a gap of nearly $300 million in the budget for this year, and rumors speak of a December 8th special session to take the legislative action necessary to close it.

State Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio (R-Reno) was joined by Sen. Warren Hardy (R-Las Vegas) in calling for a more moderate Nevada GOP today in a story by the Associated Press.

"My party is going to have to change," Raggio told the Nevada Appeal. "It's gone too far to the right ... The Republican far right message does not sell."

Hardy echoed the sentiment by saying "Nevada has gone in the last two to four years from center-right to center-left and it's not going back."

Retaliatory blogging by the far right is excpected within hours.

Our post election Winners and Losers shows a blue shift both nationwide and locally.| CLICK HERE

The state is now starting to look dark blue, and it's reflected in this week's Winners & Losers. | CLICK HERE

If you aren't lazy, find real numbers at the Clark County website, the Washoe County website, and the Secretary of State's website.

Primary condensed soup for the lazy:

Today is the primary election, and the polls are open.

Will former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle (R-Reno) unseat legendary state Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio (R-Reno)? Who will emerge victorious in the messy GOP primary in AD-2? Will Brian Scroggins defeat now-ineligible Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury and force a vote of the county GOP central committee to decide the nominee?

Stay tuned.

My buddy Zeke has the left field covered as usual, with an awfully funny piece about the race between state Sen. Bill Raggio (R-Reno) and former Asy. Sharon Angle (R-Reno).

Zeke takes Angle to task for "chickening out" of the debate with Raggio on Nevada Newsmakers yesterday. A debate was scheduled, and Angle never showed.

David McGrath Schwartz has a must-read story in today's Las Vegas Sun on veteran state Sen. Bill Raggio's (R-Reno) fight for his political life:

You spend three decades in the state Senate, you have a bust in bronze at the Reno airport, and yet you face the real possibility of ending your public service defeated in your party’s primary.

Turnout could be the deciding factor. Conventional wisdom gives Raggio the advantage in a high-turnout election. But low turnout could give his opponent, former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle (R-Reno), an edge. Republican turnout in Waschoe County was 37.9 percent in the 2006 primary.