Reid already preparing for 2010 fight

Sen. Harry Reid last week launched a year-end rally for his troops to help protect his Senate seat.

A chief Republican target for the 2010 elections, the Senate majority leader from Nevada sent an e-mail to supporters on Wednesday, seeking a burst of donations at GiveEmHellHarry.com, one of his Web sites.

The goal, the message said, was to raise $50,000 by midnight Dec. 31, the deadline for contributions that will be reported in the next round of disclosures at the Federal Election Commission.

"Republicans and the media, both in Washington and Nevada, will use this number to gauge the strength of my campaign," Reid said.

As of the end of October, Reid had $2.75 million in his election fund.

As a motivator, Reid called on the ghost of Tom Daschle, the Senate's previous Democratic leader. Daschle was taken by surprise when Republicans mounted a full-court press in South Dakota and defeated him in 2004.

"I will not let them do it again," Reid wrote. "If Republicans think I am scared of their challenge, they don't know the fight they are in for."

It's not the only solicitation that's been going around aiming to build Reid an intimidating early war chest. Other Democratic senators also have sent out requests to contribute to Reid recently.

An e-mail earlier this month to supporters of Jeff Merkley, the newly elected Democratic senator from Oregon, expressed gratitude to all those who helped him win.

"Another person I have to thank is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid," Merkley wrote.

Republicans are set to go after Reid, Merkley's e-mail warned. "The election was just one month ago, and the extreme right wing is already gearing up to attack Harry. ... With a big show of support, we can let Republicans know that Harry Reid is going to have the resources he needs to win in 2010."

Others among Reid's Senate colleagues sent similar pleas.

In an interview last month, Reid was asked if, as he campaigns for re-election, he'll be able to call in chits from all the people he has helped get elected. Reid's Washington political action committee, the Searchlight Leadership Fund, doled out $2 million this election cycle alone, according to campaign-finance disclosures.

"I control the DSCC," Reid noted, chuckling, a reference to the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. "So it shouldn't be too hard."

DARK HORSES

There are the candidates who are openly contemplating running for governor, and then there are the names that surface occasionally whether they like it or not.

Two Republicans who fall in that category, outgoing Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury and former Clark County Sheriff Bill Young, say they're not totally ruling it out, but they have no such plans.

Young, who is in charge of security for Station Casinos, is the subject of a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign by his political consultant, Kent Oram, who wants to see him back in politics. In a recent interview, Young said he doesn't see it happening this time.

"Someday, I don't know when that day's coming, I will get back into politics," Young said. "But it's a few years out in my mind right now. Who knows, I may run for dogcatcher. But right now I really enjoy what I'm doing and have no plans to run."

At 52, Young said, he has plenty of time to chart a political future. Of the mentions of his name in the 2010 parlor game, he said, "I appreciate it and I listen to them, but I listen in my other ear to how good I have it.

"My daughter is a freshman in high school. I'm not going to rock her world for my political ambitions. It'll be pretty difficult to veer me off that."

Woodbury, who attended his last commission meeting last week, regarded the talk mostly with amusement in a recent interview.

"People have urged me to run for all sorts of things: Senate, governor, regents, Boulder City Council," he said. "I really don't have any plans, and I've just put everybody off who has asked. I'm looking forward to becoming a civilian."

What could change his mind?

"It will just depend on whether I have become totally insane and someone is able to influence me or not," he said. "People bring it up, and with all due respect to them, I will wait until I say absolutely not. But it doesn't feel like something I will be inclined to do."

HE'S BA-ACK

November Inc., the Las Vegas Republican political consulting firm that has lain dormant for the past two years while its main man, Mike Slanker, ran the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is coming back to life.

Slanker and his wife and partner, Lindsey, are moving back to Nevada, Roll Call reported last week.

Slanker previously ran campaigns for former Rep. Jon Porter and Sen. John Ensign. When Ensign was named chairman of the NRSC, Slanker moved to Washington to work for the campaign committee as its political director, while Lindsey Slanker was its finance director.

Joining the Slankers as the firm's new third partner will be former Ensign Chief of Staff Scott Bensing, who was executive director of the NRSC.

Despite having little success recruiting candidates, raising money or winning elections, Ensign somehow came out of the 2008 cycle smelling like roses and got a promotion in the Senate GOP caucus. He handed the senatorial committee over to Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is in the process of bringing his own people in to run it.

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball @reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.