Democratic Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley really should send big baskets of flowers to Nevada GOP leaders, thanking them for their pitiful candidate recruitment efforts this year.

By their failure to get candidates to run in the Assembly, Nevada Republicans have made it far more probable that Buckley will be speaker of an Assembly with enough Democratic votes to overturn any gubernatorial veto. This qualifies as a Republican governor's worst political nightmare. Or it would, if the Democrats had a veto-proof majority in the Senate, which they don't, nor do they have a chance to reach that goal.

But somehow the symbolism of having a veto-proof majority, even in one house, stirs passions.

"I've never worked with a veto-proof majority," Buckley said Tuesday. "I'd love to explore that."

The Republicans have earned her gratitude by failing to find candidates for more than one-third of the 42 seats in the Assembly, a big failure by anyone's count. There are 14 Democratic seats in the Assembly for which there are no Republicans running.

In a handful of other races, the Republican opposition would be described kindly as token opposition. (A meanie would say that in a few instances, the GOP candidates lean toward the loonie.)

What's the point of making a get-out-the-vote effort to register Republicans if you don't give them Republicans worthy of their vote?

The 13 Democrats with no GOP opposition are Peggy Pierce, Harvey Munford, Morse Arberry, Ellen Koivisto, Kathy McClain, John Oceguera, Jerry Claborn, Sheila Leslie, Mo Denis, Debbie Smith, William Horne, Marcus Conklin and Harry Mortenson. The 14th seat on which the Republicans passed was the District 9 post, which Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani is leaving to run for Clark County Commission.

The problem, according to Nevada Republican Party Chairman Paul Adams, is that leaders talked to many potential candidates only to find "a lot who are reluctant to get involved in the process." Candidates decided they didn't want to get pounded in the media for ethics issues and eventually decided against running, Adams said. "After all was said and done, we got a number of calls saying: I don't want to get involved."

The Democrats did what the Republicans should have done: They found good candidates for seats where the other party didn't hold an overwhelming registration advantage. They're teaching them the nuts and bolts. They're grooming a farm team.

Buckley said she believes the Democrats have a chance of reaching the magic veto-proof 28 seats by holding the 26 seats they have and winning at least two of four uncertain seats.

Potential Democratic victories include two in Southern Nevada and two in Northern Nevada.

In Las Vegas, Democrats are hoping that Dawn Dudas, daughter of the late gaming figure Bill "Wildcat" Morris, will unseat Republican Assemblywoman Valerie Weber in District 5.

In Pahrump, they believe Laurayne Murray, the only Democrat on the Pahrump Town Board, can win the open seat in Assembly District 36.

In Washoe County, Democrat David Bobzien is the candidate that Democrats hope can knock off Republican Assemblyman Brooks Holcomb.

And if veteran rural lawmaker John Marvel is defeated in his primary, Democrats have hopes for Democrat Mike Sprinkle.

Adams said he believes Democrats won't get a veto-proof majority and names two Democratic seats in Henderson that he thinks are vulnerable to a GOP plucking. The District 23 seat, left open when Richard Perkins didn't run, and Assemblywoman Susan Gerhardt's seat will be among their battleground targets, Adams said.

Political consultant Gary Gray, executive director of the Assembly Democratic Caucus for 10 years, was stunned by the Republicans' failure to mount candidates in so many races. "I can never recall a time where anywhere near that number were unchallenged." He said it shows "a lack of leadership from top to bottom" among Nevada Republicans.

But according to Adams, it's not a lack of leadership, it's a failure to persuade.

Whatever reason, the GOP's failure to recruit is still a failure.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0275.