Montandon wants to flush Sandoval out of hiding

Where is Brian Sandoval? That's what his Republican challenger Mike Montandon wants to know.

On Wednesday Montandon, former mayor of North Las Vegas, launched a new Web video chiding Sandoval, the leader in statewide opinion polls, for not participating in more public debates.

The 1:23 video says "Brian Sandoval has made a habit of avoiding public debates."

It goes on to list seven debates and multi-candidate public forums Sandoval didn't participate in and splices in unflattering remarks by Nevada political commentators.

One splice includes commentator Jon Ralston on his show, "Face to Face," calling debate dodging by Sandoval and incumbent Gov. Jim Gibbons "high school hijinks," and "unbecoming and pathetic." Ralston continues in the clip: "But what Sandoval and Gibbons are doing is thumbing their noses at a public starved for information about the race for the state's most important office."

In another clip from a candidate event, the Montandon video shows radio talker Heidi Harris saying of Sandoval, "He's not a conservative."

Sandoval, Gibbons and Montandon are the only three Republicans with significant political experience running for governor. The winner likely will face Democrat Rory Reid in the general election. Reid's only challenger in the Democratic primary is College of Southern Nevada professor Frederick Conquest.

Statewide polls have shown Sandoval leading Gibbons by nearly 20 percentage points and Montandon a distant third. Early voting wraps up Friday and the primary election is Tuesday.