Political Eye: Ex-lawmaker goes from Senate to sexy

Former state Sen. Elizabeth Halseth, who resigned in February in the wake of a messy divorce, apparently has found a key to a new career: Win the Maxim magazine contest for the sexiest woman on the planet.

A 28-year-old mother of three, Halseth is a clear long shot in the race. Maxim tentatively identified 100 of the "hottest women" and posted their names and links to photos for online voters.

Halseth, R-Las Vegas, is a write-in candidate trying to qualify for that list. The competition already on Maxim's list includes Hollywood stars such as Olivia Wilde, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.

Halseth had announced she was resigning the state Senate because she needed to find a job outside of Nevada. The negative publicity about the divorce had prevented her from finding work in the state, she said.

While Maxim readers may find Halseth hot, she received a cold reception during her single legislative session in 2011. A poll conducted by the Review-Journal of legislators, reporters and lobbyists found she was the worst ranked state senator.

- Ed Vogel

NRC NOMINEE HEARING

Sen. Harry Reid has agreed to have the Senate hold a confirmation hearing for Kristine Svinicki, the Republican-backed nominee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Reid said Thursday he met with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and "she's going to hold a hearing on that as soon as she can."

No date has been set.

Reid, the U.S. Senate majority leader from Nevada, and Boxer have come out against Svinicki, who was nominated by President Barack Obama last week to serve a second five-year term on the nuclear safety board.

Allowing the nomination to move forward could signal Reid has decided to avoid a big fight over Svinicki, whom he has accused of "lying" to the Senate over what role she played on the Yucca Mountain project earlier in her career.

Still, Reid controls the Senate schedule and could try to squash the nomination down the road if dissatisfied with how Svinicki answers questions at the confirmation hearing.

Svinicki, a former adviser to Senate Republicans, enjoys strong support from GOP senators and some Democrats, and the nuclear industry. They have pressed for speedy action, since her term ends on June 30.

Republicans dismiss the Yucca Mountain issue as a red herring. They say Reid really is unhappy because Svinicki (and three other commissioners) complained to the White House last year about NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko, who is a former Reid aide.

The mutiny at the top of the agency culminated in a congressional hearing in December that aired dirty laundry about Jaczko's relationships with fellow commissioners and NRC professionals.

- Steve Tetreault

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Sen. Harry Reid captured the big headlines last week when he disclosed a long-evolving change of heart on gay marriage to where he said he would vote to legalize it in Nevada.

In the wake of President Barack Obama's embrace of same-sex marriage, Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley also reaffirmed her support for it.

At the same time, Republican Sen. Dean Heller said he continues to believe "marriage is between one man and one woman, and would not support changing that."

But Nevada's two Republican members of the U.S. House curiously were silent on the No. 1 political development of the week. They still have not disclosed their position on the divisive topic that was not part of this year's political conversation until suddenly resurrected last week.

Rep. Joe Heck did not respond to queries about same-sex unions.

Rep. Mark Amodei would not be available to talk about it until later this week, a spokesman said.

Amodei was on a media conference call Friday with Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki and a representative of the Mitt Romney campaign. When a reporter brought up gay marriage, neither official volunteered an answer as the Romney aide shushed the questioner, saying that was not the purpose of the call.

The Politico news organization reported Friday that Republicans were going out of their way to shift conversations away from gay marriage and back to the economy, where they believe they have their best shot to derail Obama's re-election.

According to Republican thinking, "An intense focus on gay marriage may actually further alienate women and younger voters who were turned off by the GOP's focus earlier this year on limiting access to birth control," according to the piece by reporters Carrie Budoff Brown and Seung Min Kim.

But late Wednesday, hours after Obama inserted gay marriage into the political conversation, House lawmakers tipped their hands on where they stand even if they were choosing not to talk about it.

Freshman Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., proposed an amendment to reinforce the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 federal anti-gay marriage law that legally defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

It passed 245-171. Heck and Amodei voted for it. Berkley voted against it.

- Steve Tetreault

TEA PARTY SCIENTOLOGIST

Brent Jones, a Republican candidate for state Senate District 9, readily admits he is a Scientologist, but adds he's also a constitutional conservative, a Ron Paul backer and a believer in tea party principles.

"I don't think religion should be an issue at all," said Jones, who faces Mari Nakashima St. Martin in the June 12 primary. "I am not afraid to say I practice Scientology. Based on our polling we are doing quite well."

Jones noted that he was "born and raised a Catholic," and at times in America's history there even was opposition to Catholics like John F. Kennedy running for president.

"Mitt Romney is a Mormon and that should not make a difference," Jones added.

- Ed Vogel

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault @stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.