Assistant county manager will get lots of help in attorney general race

Catherine Cortez Masto is quitting a perfectly good job as assistant county manager next month, becoming a full-time candidate for state attorney general nearly one year out from the primary election.

When you look at the backing she already has, it's unlikely she'll face a serious challenge in the Democratic primary.

Already supporting her candidacy are the Democratic Big Guns: Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Shelley Berkley, former Sen. Richard Bryan, former Gov. Bob Miller, Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley and former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

Her likely Republican opponent is George Chanos, a Las Vegas attorney who says he's "very interested in the position."

Chanos is waiting for a couple of things to fall into place before he makes it official. First, Attorney General Brian Sandoval needs to see his nomination for a federal judgeship advance. Then, Gov. Kenny Guinn has to decide to appoint Chanos to serve the rest of Sandoval's term. His wife, Nevada Consumer Advocate Adriana Escobar Chanos, has already said she's willing to resign to become a stay-at-home mom so her husband can run.

For Cortez Masto, nothing is standing in the way of her candidacy, so Friday she told County Manager Thom Reilly Aug. 12 is her last day.

Deciding to quit showed some smarts. Now she can raise the estimated $2 million necessary without any conflicts, real or perceived, when she's asking for money from developers and gamers. No one will be able to accuse her of campaigning on the taxpayer's dime when she should be working.

Cortez Masto wants to be attorney general because she no longer wants to be the person working on other people's policy decisions. She wants to be driving the policy herself. For her, that means focusing on priorities such as domestic violence, victims' rights, identity theft, juvenile justice and methamphetamine abuse.

"Everything I've done in my career has prepared me for this job," she said.

Her career includes four years as a civil attorney in Las Vegas and two years as a criminal prosecutor for the U.S. attorney's officer in Washington, D.C.

Masto knows government as Miller's former chief of staff. Since January 2002, she's been assistant county manager over Clark County's legal and judicial departments.

For those who don't know, she's Manny Cortez's kid.

As a daughter of the former county commissioner, she picked up some insider knowledge about politics and government. She knows more than most how rough and ugly campaigning can be, how intense the scrutiny will be.

Has she done drugs? "I tried marijuana once or twice at parties," she said. But her dad threatened her. He said if she or her sister did drugs, he'd shave their heads.

Cortez Masto can't help but benefit from her dad's connections as a politician and as former head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Just like County Commissioner Rory Reid, Cortez Masto, 41, is the adult child of a powerful man who will open doors for her. But like Rory Reid, she's got to prove her own worth.

Aside from her father, there's another man helping Cortez Masto.

Her husband of seven years, Paul Masto, is second in command in the Secret Service office in Las Vegas and has a law enforcement career spanning 23 years. Law enforcement groups looking to endorse a candidate will probably see that as a plus.

By the way, she met her future husband courtesy of President Clinton. During his Las Vegas visits, Clinton usually was accompanied by Gov. Miller. As chief of staff, she discussed security issues with Masto.

With some subtlety, or so I thought, I tried to confirm that when Clinton visits Las Vegas he uses a condo at The District courtesy of his buddy Brian Greenspun. But Cortez Masto wouldn't betray her husband's secrets.

Meanwhile, Sandoval recently received an encouraging call from Reid predicting the judicial confirmation process, which has been languishing, may be shaking loose.

That's encouraging news for both Sandoval and Chanos.

Sandoval had started to joke he was going to have to run again for attorney general while waiting for the judgeship to became a reality. Some thought he wasn't joking.

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